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Scott C13, plate number 20079
 

2019

U.S. stamp program for 2019. All sheet or pane issues have plate numbers in four corners (UL, UR, LL, LR) unless otherwise specified.

Denominations in parentheses are Forever stamps, if first class rate, or nominal rate, if service-inscribed. The first class rate remained 50¢ briefly for early 2019, but rose to 55¢ on January 27, 2019. The postcard rate remained unchanged at 35¢. However, the charge for extra ounces decreased from 21¢ to 15¢, so a 2 ounce letter went from 71¢ to 70¢, and a 3 ounce letter dropped from 92¢ to 85¢. The value of "forever" 2-ounce and 3-ounce stamps was now 70¢ and 85¢, respectively. The global airmail rate, which is not subject to the same regulations as domestic postal rates, remained unchanged at $1.15.

Priority mail went from $7.20 to $7.90 for the small Flat Rate box; $13.65 to $14.35 for the medium Flat Rate box; and $18.90 to $19.95 for the large Flat Rate box. USPS issued new stamps for the small and large rates, as in past years. There was also a special APO/FPO large Flat Rate box, which went from $17.40 to $18.45 (retaining the same $1.50 discount from the non-APO/FPO rate).

Other priority mail rates: an increase from $6.70 to $7.35 for the regular Flat Rate envelope (and for which a stamp was issued); from $7.00 to $7.65 for the large Flat Rate envelope; and $7.25 to $8.00 for the padded Flat Rate envelope.

Priority Mail Express rates: $25.50 for a Flat Rate envelope (and for which a stamp was issued); $25.70 for legal sized Flat Rate envelope; and $26.20 for padded Flat Rate envelope.

Coil stamps have plate numbers at the bottom center of single stamps and appear in the coil at the interval specified.

Plate numbers and copyright markings for self-adhesive booklet stamps or ATM panes appear on a peelable strip within the pane. Copyright, Pane Position Diagrams (PPD), ZIP code, math aids and other markings have appeared on the back of most regular issues for several years.

As it does every year, USPS moved the tiny date. For 2019, it appeared horizontally in the upper left corner.

 

Here is the 2019 stamp program.

Regular issues and Commemoratives

    

1¢ Tiffany Lamp pane of 20, 2008 date (Scott 3749A): S11111 and S22222. Details on American Design page.

The design is identical to the original 2008 panes of 20.

2¢ Lemons, coil of 3000 (Scott 5256): B11111 every 28. Details on the Fruits page.

The design is identical to the original 2018 coil of 10,000. The only difference is in the back numbers which appear every 10 stamps: 4 digits for 2019 3k coil; 5 digits for the 2018 original 10k coil.

3¢ Strawberries coil of 3000 (Scott 5201): P1111 every 27 stamps. Details on the Fruits page.

The design is identical to the original 2017 coil of 10,000. The only difference is in the back numbers which appear every 10 stamps: 4 digits for 2019 3k coil; 5 digits for the 2017 original 10k coil.

5¢ Grapes, coil of 3000 (Scott 5038): P111111 every 27. Details on the Fruits page.

The design is identical to the original 2016 coil of 10,000. The only difference is in the back numbers which appear every 10 stamps: 4 digits for 2019 3k coil; 5 digits for the 2016 original 10k coil.

10¢ Pears, coil of 3000 (Scott 5039): B111111 every 27. Details on the Fruits page.

The design is identical to the original 2016 coil of 10,000. The only difference is in the back numbers which appear every 10 stamps: 4 digits for 2019 3k coil; 5 digits for the 2016 original 10k coil.

(F) Heart Blossom (Love) (Scott 5339): B11111

(F) Year of the Boar (Scott 5340): no plate numbers

(F) Uncle Sam's Hat coil of 100 (Scott 5341): B1111111 every 31 stamps

(F) Flag coil of 100, block tagged, die cut 9.5 (Scott 5342): P1111 every 31 stamps

An April 2020 Linn's Stamp News article reported that an early 2020 second printing used P2222 because there was insufficient paper stock for the entire print run. Use of a different plate number is in keeping with private printers' current practices when there is a significant -- and detectable -- production difference in a subsequent print run. However, either by lower-than-expected spoilage, by borrowing paper usage from other printings or other practices, Ashton-Potter was able to complete the entire pring run using the identical paper stock as the first one, so P2222 was never assigned. Linn's retracted the announcement that P2222 had been used in an August 2020 article.

    

(F) Flag coil of 100, overall tagged, die cut 11 (Scott 5343): B1111 every 31 stamps

Plate number B2222 reported in North Carolina post offices, January 2020.

    

Die cutting omitted error (Scott 5343a), plate numbers B1111 and B2222
(B1111 image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

(F) Flag booklet of 20, microprinting UL of flag (Scott 5344): P1111

Counterfeit of the Flag booklet with plate number P1111

(F) Flag booklet of 20, microprinting visible right of 6th red stripe (Scott 5345): B1111

(70¢) California Dogface (butterfly) machineable surcharge rate (Scott 5346): B111111

$7.35 Joshua Tree priority mail (Scott 5347): P1111 in UL & LR

$25.50 Bethesda Fountain Express mail (Scott 5348): P1111 in UL & LR

(F) Gregory Hines (Scott 5349): P1111 in LL & LR

    

Cactus flower with two purple/yellow centers (Scott 5355); with single purple/pale center (Scott 5357)
from (F) Cactus Flowers booklet of 20 (Scott 5359b): B11111

(F) Alabama statehood (Scott 5360): B11111

(F) Star Ribbon pane (Scott 5361): B111

(F) Star Ribbon coil (Scott 5362), coils of 3000 and 10,000: B111 every 27 stamps

    

Elkhorn Coral & Angelfish (Scott 5363); and Brain Coral and Moray Eel (Scott 5364)
from (F) 35¢ Coral Reefs pane of 20 (Scott 5363-66; block/strip of 4 Scott 5366a): P111111

Linn's Stamp News reported on Mar. 27, 2023 that counterfeit panes of 20 shipped from China were confiscated at DFW Airport in Texas.

Scott 5369, Elkhorn Coral & Angelfish from (F) 35¢ Coral Reefs coil of 100
(Scott 5367-70; strip of 5 Scott 5370a): P111111
every 32 stamps

(F) Marvin Gaye (Scott 5371): no plate numbers

    

Deming, NM mural (Scott 5376); and Rockville, MD mural (Scott 5374)
from (F) Post Office Murals, pane of 10 (Scott 5372-76): P111111 in LL & LR

(F) Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly Brinker (Scott 5377): B1111 in LL & LR

    

"Jupiter" Locomotive (Scott 5378); and No. 119 Locomotive (Scott 5380)
from (F) Transcontinental Railroad, 3 designs
: B1111 in LL & LR

   

Locomotives with plate number B1111 from the special printing issued as part of a commemorative book, Scott 5378 var and 5380 var without die cutting and with some gold coloring omitted. The commemorative book included other progressive proofs in gold, cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

Clarion River (Scott 5381l), from (F) Wild and Scenic Rivers (Scott 5381): B11111 in LR only

    

Scott 5387, "Blue Green" and Scott 5391 "Gaza" from (F) Ellsworth Kelly pane of 20
10 designs
(Scott 5382-5391; block of 10 Scott 5391a): B11111 in LL & LR

(F) U.S.S. Missouri (Scott 5392): B11111 in UL & UR

(F) U.S.S. Missouri, imperforate error (Scott 5392a), plate number B11111

Unlike many recent commemoratives that have been made available in press sheets with die cutting omitted, this one comes from an imperforate pane of 20 and is a true error. (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

(F) George H.W. Bush (Scott 5393): B11111

Elmo (Scott 5394m), from (F) Sesame Street, 16 designs (Scott 5394a-p): P1111 in LL only

    

Scott 5396, Northern Leopard Frog; and Scott 5398, Squirrel Tree Frog,
from (F) Frogs (Scott 5395-5398; booklet of 20, Scott 5398b)
: B1111

    

Moon (Scott 5400); and Astronaut (Scott 5399)
from (F) Moon Landing pane of 24 (Scott 5400a)
: B1111 in LL & LR

    

Watermelons (Scott 5401); and Candy Apples (Scott 5404)
from (F) State and County Fairs (Scott 5404a): P1111 in LL & LR

    

German Shepherd (Scott 5405); and Labrador Retriever (Scott 5406)
from (F) Military Working Dogs booklet of 20 (Scott 5408b): B11111

(F) Woodstock (Scott 5409): B111 in LL & LR

    

Scott 5412 and Scott 5413 from
(F) T. Rex (Scott 5413a)
: B1111 in LL & LR

(F) 85¢ Walt Whitman three-ounce rate (Scott 5414): P11111

    

Winterberry (Scott 5415); and Juniper Berry (Scott 5416)
from (F) Winter Berries booklet of 20 (Scott 5418b): P1111

(F) Purple Heart Medal 2019 (Scott 5419): B111111

For additional Purple Heart varieties, see the Spotlight on Purple Heart page

Bats (Scott 5423) from (F) Spooky Silhouettes (Scott 5423a): P111111 in LL & LR

    

Ivy wreath (Scott 5424); and Pine Cone wreath (Scott 5425)
from (F) Holiday Wreaths booklet (Scott 5427b):
B11111

 

Airmail issues

Although the global airmail stamps of the last few years are intended to meet an airmail rate, they are valid for all types of mailings and there is no indication in the stamps' designs that they are primarily for airmail purposes. Therefore Scott assigns a regular catalog number rather than one with the traditional C prefix. We display images of these stamps at the end of the Modern Airmails web page, but with the non-airmail catalogue number that is assigned to them.

 

Semipostal stamps

(55¢ + 15¢) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Scott B7): P1111

 

Hunting Permit stamps

$25 self-adhesive hunting permit stamp 2019-2020 (Scott RW86): P1111

$25 Hunting Permit self-adhesive pane of 1 (Scott RW86A): no plate numbers

 

Rumored, possible or postponed 

A (Forever 2 ounce rate) stamp, which would have had a value of 70¢, was announced but not issued.

Since there was plenty of inventory of (F) Madonna Christmas stamps from previous years, as well as (F) Hanukkah and (F) Kwanzaa stamps, USPS did not issue new designs or reprints of these stamps in 2019.

(F) Smokey Bear, rejected for 2019

(F) 75th anniversary of D-Day, rejected for 2019

(F) Baskets

(F) York (Lewis and Clark Expedition)

(F) Madonna and Child by Bachiacca

(F) James Brown, if they can ovecome copyright issues and other disagreements with Brown's estate and heirs

(F) Five Fishes

(F) Johnny Carson

(F) Steve Jobs

(F) Latino Baseball

(F) Peanuts comic strip

(F) Solar awareness

(F) Distinguished Airmen

Postponed from the announced or rumored 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 programs

A number of (F) stamps planned, announced or postponed from previous years did not happen in 2019. These include:
- The Beatles (although an individual John Lennon stamp was issued in late 2018)
- Against the Odds: Memorial Day
- Piñatas (Christmas-themed, multiple designs)
- Dora the Explorer (multiple designs)
- Stop Bullying
- Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters (multiple designs)
- Skin Health
- Cars (multiple designs)
- Elizabeth Taylor (copyright / licensing issues are apparently holding this up)
- Graphic Design (pane of 12 designs)
- Science Fiction Writers (five designs), originally announced for 2013 (clearance issues with their estates)
- Just Move!
(multiple designs), printed in 2013 but not issued or distributed. They remain in storage.

 

Official stamps

Official stamps were "officially" discontinued in 2013. Government agences with stamps used up existing stock, then converted for Forever stamps, meters and other postage payment methods.

 

The plate number information appearing on this page has been contributed by APNSS members Jim Ragsdale, Jim Cochrane and Rick Burdsall.

A complete listing and valuation of plate numbers, positions and other marginal markings will appear in the next edition of the Hebert's Catalog of Plate Number Singles.

 

Related links

2018 issues

2020 issues 

Comments? Suggestions? New plate number to report? Email the Webmaster:

 

This page last updated December 15, 2023.

Opinions expressed by authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the APNSS, its officers or members.