2015 USPS Issues... News? Thoughts? Opinions?

the usps will issue one. Not available yet but we should see it soon

The US/Sweden Joint Issue Ingrid Bergman COVERS are available now from the USPS at this link:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse...p-collectors

Bergman uncut sheet volume 500!!
Also 70c Vintage Tulip disappeared from the catalog/web site. This item will be scarce (cut, uncut); its lifespan was several months. How many Tulips have stamp dealers in inventories? How many letters were sent with this single stamp (2 oz)?

As some of you know one of my stamp interests is FDC's. I recently sent this one in and I got this back. Correct date but no mention of the fact that it's a first day issue. Any thoughts?

That's because you received a "pictorial postmark" rather than a FDOI postmark. The clue is the word "Station" following the city/state. It was announced in the Postal Bulletin that these postmarks would be offered in addition to the traditional FDOI and DCP postmarks:

http://about.usps.com/postal-bullet...info_003.htm

wt1 Thank you (& thank you also sdtom).

Is that this issue only? What about the ones sent to Pillar 210?

I have no information to confirm or deny these thoughts but my "guess" is that the USPS was inundated with requests for FDOI cancels and used whatever cancelling device was available, unless the sender specifically asked that a certain cancel be used. Some could care less what postmark is used as long as the first day of issue date is correct; others have a specific requirement and in those cases it would be wise to include a note specifying exactly what cancellation they desire. I have had this happen a couple of times (the USPS arbitrarily applied a postmark other than the one I had hoped for) but its usually the exception rather than the rule.

I took a year to eighteen months off due to illness. I've sent covers in to be cancelled in early to mid June and they still have not come back. Is this normal turn around time? It seems like they were quicker before.

Yeah, some post offices are notoriously slow to return covers. Others I have sent in turned up missing altogether. This is one of the very reasons why I stopped servicing my own covers -- it was just too costly, especially when the covers never came back and I had to re-submit them (with additional postage) to get them serviced. Further, if you have paid for costly cacheted covers the pricetag gets even worse.

If you're satisfied with uncacheted covers the best solution is to simply buy the serviced covers from the USPS. By the time you figure your time and effort and the cost of the stamps and the envelopes and the return address labels and the postage in sending them in only to stand the risk of not getting them returned (or returned in sloppy condition) the premium and S&H charge from the USPS still makes it a better deal.

Still a better deal: Wait awhile and the covers will show up on the secondary market at an even greater discount.

This is the backside of the 4x6 postcard that I need to get cancelled in the case of the summer harvest issue. As far as the uncached issues are concerned that is a good idea (Flannery stamp) as I can add it on later.

This is the front side of the card. I'll store them in vueall archival pages which are clear.

I don't understand why the 2015 Medal of Honor pane/folder format was changed from the previous issues with 2 different stamps on front cover with photos and 9 of each of the 2 different(18) additional stamps on back cover(20 stamps altogether). A collector could use the 18 stamps on back for postage or whatever and retain a nice presentation folder with the 2 different stamps on front cover like previous issues(see 3rd image below). It makes a nice presentation in an album. However, this 2015 issue has 4 ea of 3 different stamps on front and back covers of folder (12 stamps on each cover, a total of 24 stamps). I see it may have been difficult (not much) to just have 3 different stamps in front with all photos and the remainder of stamps on back of last page as previous issues. Maybe the folder would have to be slightly larger, I don't know. But for a folder to look right(subjective) a collector needs to keep 12 stamps instead of 3? Is this in collector's interest?

Yes, it would look nice. That design was saved for the framed ($) piece.

Yes. Would have been nice! Maybe I will consider getting another pane for postage, take all but 3 stamps on front, center them and cut pictures from back cover of another pane and paste around three stamps to get sort of same look as image you posted and use rest of stamps from front & rear cover as postage.