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Autumn Fern

Ferns

Stamp Info

Name Value
Date of Issue March 6, 2014
Year 2014
Quantity 10,000,000
Denomination
First-Class Mail Forever Definitive
Denomination Value $0.49
Perforation or Dimension 0.98 x 0.87 in./24.89 x 22.09 mm
Series Ferns
Series Time Span 2014 - 2015
Issue Location Kansas City, MO 64108 (No Ceremony)
Postal Administration United States

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Layouts

Coil of 10,000 (5 Designs)

Quantity Produced - 5,000
Original Purchase Price: $4,900.00
SKU: 777300
Printer: CCL Label, Inc.
Printed at: Clinton, SC
Printing Process: Gravure
Gum Type: Pressure-sensitive
Paper: Nonphosphored Type III
Layout Number: “C” followed by four (4) single digits
Layout Number Frequency: Plate numbers every 30th stamp below stamp image
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First-day Cover Set of 5

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Original Purchase Price: $4.65
SKU: 777316
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Digital Color Postmark Set of 5

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Original Purchase Price: $8.20
SKU: 777321
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About Stamp

On March 6, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Ferns (Forever® priced at 49 cents) definitive stamp in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) 10K coil of stamps. The stamp will go on sale nationwide March 6, 2014.

Ferns predate flowering plants in the earth's evolutionary history, dating back millions of years. The word “fern” is ancient as well, from the old Anglo-Saxon “fearn,” which means “feather.” Some ferns do indeed look feathery, but that is only part of the story. Types of ferns range from tiny moss - like plants to giants as tall as trees, and they flourish in diverse environments - from forests and deserts to alpine, aquatic, and tropical habitats.

Worldwide there are thousands of types of ferns; North America (north of Mexico) boasts several hundred different species.

With roots, stems, and leaves - called fronds - ferns are similar to flowering plants, yet they differ in significant ways. Ferns do not produce flowers or fruits, nor do they produce seeds. They reproduce from spores, which cluster together into sori, the small brownish patches most often found on the bottom sides of the fronds. Spread by the wind, only a few of the spores find the perfect spot to germinate.

In the spring, the new plant appears above the ground in a tightly curled formation. As the new fronds start to unfurl, they resemble the neck of a fiddle, called fiddlehead. Fiddleheads of certain species of ferns are considered a seasonal delicacy, and they appear on menus during the early spring. The new growth is also sometimes referred to as a crosier, as it echoes the shape of a bishop's crosier or staff.

Art director Phil Jordan created the stamp art by selecting five fern images from among dozens of existing photographs. He tightened the focus on the detail of each frond to fit the space within the stamp border. After rotating some of the fronds to provide visual interest, he oriented the five in relation to one another so that they made a unified whole.

These stamps were first issued early in 2014 at the 49-cent, First-Class Mail® rate in self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000; they are now also available as Forever® stamps in coils of 10,000.

Colors

Yellow, Magenta, Green (7482), Black

Creators

Art Director: Phil Jordan.
Designer: Phil Jordan.
Typographer: Phil Jordan.
Existing Photos: Cindy Dyer.
Engraver: WRE.
Modeler: CCL Label, Inc..

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Reference

USPS Postal Bulletin 22384. Copyright: USPS.

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