Post Office Seeks Nominations for Special Fund-Raising Stamps

The United States Postal Service is asking the public to suggest two national causes affecting a large segment of the population that can be depicted on special fund-raising stamps.

The first such stamp — called a semipostal — was issued in 1998 and so far has raised $20.2-million for breast-cancer research.

Semipostals are priced up to 25 percent more than regular first-class stamps, with the extra revenue going to federal agencies. The National Institutes of Health has received 70 percent of the proceeds from the breast-cancer stamp, and the Defense Department’s Medical Research Program 30 percent. About 292 million breast-cancer stamps have been sold.

Because the post office allows only one semipostal to circulate at a time, the breast-cancer stamp will be discontinued next year and replaced with one depicting a new cause. The Postal Service plans to release five fund-raising stamps, one every two years until 2010. For now, it wants ideas for stamps to be issued in 2002 and 2004.

The service plans to accept proposals until August 31. Proposals should be mailed to Semipostal Stamp Program, 475 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Room 5670, Washington, D.C. 20260-2435. The guidelines are available online at http://www.usps.com/news/2001/philatelic.