The U.S. Postal Service has been taking pre-orders for its new Major League Baseball All-Star stamps and so far, Ted Williams is getting the better of his old rival, Joe DiMaggio. According to Fox News, Williams pre-orders number over 14,000 while DiMaggio is at just over 10,000. Stamps of Willie Stargell and Larry Doby are also being issued.
The stamps will be unveiled in Cooperstown, NY during Hall of Fame weekend. So far according to Fox, the Postal Service has taken orders for 35,100 stamps.
The First-Day-of-Issue Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps dedication ceremony is taking place at 10 a.m. July 20 at the Museum. The stamps will also be available nationwide on that day.
The stamps were designed by artist-illustrator Kadir Nelson of Los Angeles and are based on historic photographs. Phil Jordan of Falls Church, VA, served as art director.
“Some of America’s favorite pastimes come together with these stamps,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. “Writing letters, collecting stamps, and, of course, playing and watching baseball are all important elements of our Nation’s culture and history. We are honored to be able to commemorate four of baseball’s most important players. Fans of these Hall of Famers and their teams will enjoy rooting for them once again by using and collecting these cool stamps.”
Responding to overwhelming demand following the May 13 “Opening Day” announcement to honor the four players collectively on a single sheet of 20 Forever stamps, the Postal Service announced on May 31 it will issue sheets of 20 stamps honoring each player individually. Events will take place in Cooperstown and the cities where each Hall of Famer played.
The Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate.
Kearney noted that the individual player stamp sheets will be sold only in limited quantities beginning July 21 at select Post Offices in Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; Cooperstown, NY; New York, NY; and Pittsburgh, PA. To ensure customers obtain all the individual player sheets and related philatelic products, he recommended ordering them between now and August 31.
Customers may preorder the stamps and collectible products today by visiting this link: www.usps.com/play-ball, by calling 1-800-STAMP24 (1-800-782-6724), or by mailing a check or money order to:
MLB Pre-order Offer
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Dr #210
Kansas City, MO 64144-0001
For mail orders, customers should include an additional $1.25 for orders up to $50. or $1.75 for orders over $50.
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