DiMaggio, Doby, T. Williams and Stargell Honored on Individual Stamps

Baseball fans can now celebrate their favorite All-Stars as a group or individually via stamps.

Responding to overwhelming demand following the recent announcement to honor Joe DiMaggio, Larry Doby, Willie Stargell and Ted Williams collectively on a single sheet of 20 Forever stamps, the Postal Service announced that it will issue sheets of 20 stamps honoring each player individually. Events will take place in Cooperstown and the cities where each one played.

“We’ve heard from Indians, Pirates, Red Sox and Yankees fans and we’re stepping up to the plate to immortalize their revered players individually,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney. “We have a limited quantity of individual player stamp sheets ready to fill all preorders now for shipment on July 21 – with these orders getting top priority,” he added. “It will be interesting to learn which of the four players sells the most individual sheets. Orders received for individual player stamp sheets will be accepted and honored through Aug. 31, 2012, even if it requires additional printing.

Kearney noted that the individual player stamp sheets will be sold only in limited quantities beginning July 21 at select post offices in Boston, Cleveland, Cooperstown, New York and Pittsburgh. To ensure customers obtain all the individual player sheets and related philatelic products, he recommended ordering them between now and Aug. 31.

Customers may preorder the stamps and collectible products today by visiting this link:  www.usps.com/play-ball, by calling (800) 782-6724 or by mailing a check or money order to:
MLB PRE-ORDER OFFER
USPS STAMP FULFILLMENT SERVICES
8300 NE UNDERGROUND DRIVE #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.)

First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremonies will take place in five cities:
– July 20, 10 a.m., Cooperstown, NY, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The First-Day-of-Issue Major League Baseball All-Stars stamps dedication ceremony for the sheet of stamps featuring all four players is taking place at the Museum as part of opening day festivities for the four-day Hall of Fame Weekend celebration in Cooperstown. Available nationwide that day, the stamps can also be purchased at the Museum and at the Cooperstown Post Office.

– July 21 in Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and New York
First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremonies for each of the individual player stamp sheets are being planned to honor DiMaggio in New York; Doby in Cleveland; Stargell in Pittsburgh; and, Williams in Boston. Details on event locations will be announced at a later date.

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.