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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE USPS Contact: Don Smeraldi (202) 268-6524
January 10, 2003 U.S. Mint Contact: Cynthia Meals (202) 354-7231
Internet: www.usps.com
Stamp News Release Number: 02-082
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE-U.S. MINT PARTNERSHIP BRINGS TOGETHER
PUBLIC’S FAVORITE COLLECTIBLES
Miss America 2003 Helps Launch New Program at Mall of America
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – In an exciting combination of two enormously popular collectibles,
the U.S. Postal Service and the United States Mint today announced the
“50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Series” at a ceremony held at the Mall of America in
Bloomington.
“The Postal Service is proud to join the United States Mint in the introduction of this fun and
educational program,” said Anita Bizzotto, chief marketing officer for the Postal Service. “Bringing
together the Greetings from America postage stamps and the
50 State Quarters® Program is sure to be a hit with all Americans.
“The Greetings from America stamps are very popular with both the public and the stamp
collecting community, and the patriotic spirit and state pride generated by the release of the stamps
have been timely and welcome dividends,” she said.
“We think these products will be very popular because they bring two of the most soughtafter
collectibles together for numismatists and philatelists alike,” said United States Mint Director
Henrietta Holsman Fore. “As millions already know, coin collecting and stamp collecting are
hobbies that celebrate our heritage and national character.”
During the program, the Postal Service and the United States Mint will offer six products
every year in two formats: the 50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Portfolio and 50 State
Quarters® Greetings from America State Cards.
Joining Bizzotto and Fore at the ceremony was Miss America 2003 Erika Harold. She is on
a national speaking tour promoting her platform, Empowering Youth Against Violence: “Respect
Yourself: Protect Yourself.”
50 State Quarters® Greetings from America Portfolios
Each Portfolio features five state quarters and five corresponding “state stamps” displayed
in protective windows. A slipcase includes Certificates of Authenticity signed by the Postmaster
General of the United States and the Director of the United States Mint, attesting to the authenticity
of the stamps and quarters.
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50 State Quarters® Greetings from America State Cards
About the size of a sports trading card, each State Card features one state quarter and the
corresponding state stamp displayed in protective windows. The cards are offered in sets of five for
each year of the 50 State Quarters® Program.
Product Availability
The 2002 Portfolio ($29.99) and 2002 State Card Annual Set ($27.99) featuring Tennessee,
Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi will be available at the Mall of America event on Jan. 10.
Starting Jan. 13, they will be available online through the Postal Service at www.usps.com/shop or
by calling toll free 1-800-STAMP-24.
Future Releases
Later this year, customers can purchase Portfolios and State Card Annual Sets including
the series of five state quarters released in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003, along with the
corresponding state stamps. The products will feature Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New
York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri and
Arkansas. Handsome collector albums for the Portfolios and State Cards will be available starting in
March 2003.
Subscription Program
Customers interested in obtaining a complete collection are guaranteed the opportunity to
purchase the entire series only through the 50 State Quarters® Greetings from America
Subscription Program, while supplies last. The series will include the increasingly rare 1999 and
2000 state quarters and five releases per year through 2008. Subscriptions can be ordered through
the toll-free number listed above.
Greetings from America Stamps
The initial printing of 200 million Greetings from America stamps was virtually a sell-out.
However, the stamps were reprinted and are now available at post offices and by order through the
Postal Service’s Web site and the toll-free telephone number.
Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. It is an
independent federal agency that visits 137 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service
provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine
operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With
annual revenues of more than $65 billion, it is the world’s leading provider of postal services, offering some of
the most affordable postage rates in the world. The Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s
mail volume—some 207 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year—and serves 7 million
customers each day at its 40,000 retail locations nationwide.
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