The US Postal Service  Unveils 2010 Archie Postage Stamp



2010 Stamp Program Unveiled
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Roy Betts
(O) 202-268-3207
(C) 202-256-4174
roy.a.betts@usps.gov
 
USPS.com/News
Release No. 09-118

The Sunday Funnies stamp pane honors Archie. The stamps will go on sale in July.
 
Offering an idealized portrait of American adolescence, Archie existed only in comic-book form before debuting in newspapers in 1946. A typical small-town teenager with a knack for goofing things up, 17-year-old Archie Andrews is often torn between haughty brunette Veronica Lodge and sweet, blonde Betty Cooper.

Why do I get the feeling that Frank is gonna go crazy over this design?

I love it too...I just wish they could do the same thing over in Canada.

WHOA! Great stuff. I need a sheet of these too...

Who's the artist? I see bits of both DeCarlo and Parent here...

BTW This is my official 2000 post!

Gregg

Can't afford it right now!

And Gregg! Come right back! We miss you, kid!

They had better have these in my area! We've been needing stamps lately.

These look great, but, I don't think you'll be able to buy just one design. From the looks of it, it's going to be an assortment of a few different comics. Here are the two links I'd found, and it looks to be an assortment of some pretty spiffy comics though!

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/01/04/comic-strip-postage-stamps-coming-in-2010-for-calvin-and-hobbes/
- there are some huge pictures of the stamps to be released -

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_118.htm#sunday
- if you scroll down near the bottom, you'll see the official release from the USPS -

It always strikes me as funny what some postage stamp designer thinks about comics.  Archie is pretty iconic to American culture and I love all the strips that are featured.  It's an odd selection though.

The focus is odd.  Where is Peanuts?  What about Dick Tracey, Terry & the Pirates, etc.  It's just an odd "group" to have in the series.  As long as Archie is there (and C&H) I'm happy!

We had a series of Canadian Stamps a few years ago on comics.  It just happens I'm a stamp collector too!  (mostly BNA - British North America) and mostly pre-1900.

I'm not sure what the criteria is down in the US.  In Canada, they take suggestions from the public for series and then a committee decides at Canada Post.  They also do multi-year series - for example, they are doing a 12-year series (one each New Years) on the Chinese horoscope (year of Rooster, year of Horse, etc, etc).

Also, in Canada - you used to either had to be dead, a politician, or be the Queen to get on a stamp.  That has changed in recent years as they have some stamps with living people on them now. 

Every year they have a book with every stamp produced for that year included - which is a great deal!  It costs the face value of the stamps, plus about $5-$10 and you get the story behind every stamp for that year in a nice hardcover slip-cased book.  They come in at $40-$60 and you get the whole year.  (some years were pricey! - like 2000 when they had to do two books because they did a giant series of 2000 stamps).  Over-all though - it's a great way to collect stamps in Canada.  They started in 1973, so there are plenty of years to collect in book format (they early ones weren't hardcover and the earliest ones can be expensive - but the past 20 years are pretty much cost plus a little)

Sheesh.  It's "Frank's Stamp Corner"  - don't get me started on pre-1900 stamps!

Back to your regular thread.