30th anniversary of Star Wars

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, the US Postal Service is offering special edition Express Mail envelopes and commemorative stamps featuring images from all six movies in the Star Wars saga. The set of 15 stamps will be released at a first-day-of-issue ceremony on Friday, May 25, at Star Wars Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars event in the galaxy, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The stamps will be available for purchase on May 25 in post offices, on www.usps.com and by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. Customers may pre-order these stamps for $6.15 starting April 25 (30 days in advance of May 25), by going to www.usps.com or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. For those outside the U.S., the same options apply. Your postal administration will deliver them as any other delivery from the U.S. All Star Wars stamps preorders will be shipped on May 25. The Express Mail envelop set includes three pre-paid Express Mail envelopes featuring artwork images of Yoda, Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi as well as the new Marine One Express Mail stamp. The set of three envelopes costs $48.75 and will be available only from May 6 through Sept. 1. Customers may pre-order the envelope set now at www.shop.usps.com, by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24 and in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. They are not available in post offices.America Votes on Favorite Star Wars StampOf the 15 images on the Star Wars stamp sheet, the Postal Service is inviting the public to vote on its favorite. The stamp receiving the most votes will be honored with the issuance of a single stamp, which will be for sale later this summer.Voting for the most popular Star Wars stamp will take place online at www.uspsjedimaster.com through May 23. The winning stamp will be announced at the first-day-of-issue ceremony on May 25.Check www.uspsjedimaster.com for regular updates on the voting ? it’s up to America to choose which Star Wars stamp wins the honor of a single-stamp sheet release.Thanks to Gloria for the heads up!