U.S. Postal Service Issues Golden Spike Stamp

Thanks for reminding me. I want to get a few sheets of those!

They actually got the right locomotives on the stamps.  YES!

What?  It wasn't #999 and the Big Boy at Promontory Point? I, too, better high myself to yonder PO to pick up some of these.  I am always amazed at what passes for artwork on stamps the PO is trying to sell, especially at Christmas, when l have photoed a number of covered bridges, water mills, etc. in snow scenes, and they offer???  (free artwork may not be worth its price)

Great post! I didn't know they were doing this. I will definitely get some!

Beautiful!

I pre-ordered a few sets at USPS.com .

Beautiful stamps.

This probably shows how old I am, but does the P.O. still do "plate blocks" or do you have to buy a full sheet ?

Regrettably, no more plate blocks. Only sheets with self adhesive stamps. With a few very rare exceptions, the days of truly great stamps, paper and special engraving are long gone. 

Jim Rawlings posted:

Regrettably, no more plate blocks. Only sheets with self adhesive stamps. With a few very rare exceptions, the days of truly great stamps, paper and special engraving are long gone. 

Probably.  But....

I'm hardly a "stamp person", but I find many present-day stamps (such as the Transcontinental Commemorative) are just gorgeous using "modern" printing techniques.

Hard to imagine stamps more beautiful than these (from Jim's post above)....

I did get over to the post office and picked up a couple sheets. Very nice.

I want to check the post office across the river where they have a large lobby full of retail items. I'm looking for a matted and framed piece, similar to one that was done for an earlier train stamp set.

In addition to the stamp sheet, the post office has some collectibles available for sale.

 https://store.usps.com/store/r...r-s-zone/_/N-1j49vgd

Got a sheet today

I bought two sheets at the post office on May 10th. One is for the grandsons who are train fans. The other is for this train fan.

MELGAR

Here is a print if any body would like to print it and frame.

I did finally remember to pick up a couple of sheets.  Would have liked all stamps to have been locomotive pictures (center one should have been a Big Boy, commemorating its resurrection), but these beat many PO offerings.

Richie C. posted:

This probably shows how old I am, but does the P.O. still do "plate blocks" or do you have to buy a full sheet ?

i even remember ZIP blocks...

bonus question...  anyone remember what ZIP stood for... ?  

so after the first 75 years, postage was still $0.03...

i wonder who would have guessed it would go up by a bit more than that over the next 75.

not these guys...

well at least we have the guarantee now that the USPS will last ...

...oops.

olde pike?

ZIP is Zone Improvement Plan, created in 1963, & updated to add 4 additional numbers, for a more specific zone, in 1983., (00000-000 format).

TeleDoc posted:

... updated to add 4 additional numbers, for a more specific zone, in 1983., (00000-000 format).

i guess that works, too... the ZIP Improvement Plan.

overlandflyer posted:

olde pike?

It's hard to see, but it says Golden Spike - sort of like the psychedelic posters of the 60's and 70's.

colorado hirailer posted:

I did finally remember to pick up a couple of sheets.  Would have liked all stamps to have been locomotive pictures (center one should have been a Big Boy, commemorating its resurrection), but these beat many PO offerings.

Maybe the postal service could do another stamp for that. Technically it didn't have anything to do with the transcontinental railroad, but was a cool gesture by UP. As I said above, they have done other train related sets. Don't give up hope, but maybe we should suggest it to them, in case they missed it.

TeleDoc posted:

ZIP is Zone Improvement Plan, created in 1963, & updated to add 4 additional numbers, for a more specific zone, in 1983., (00000-000 format).

I thought the +4 was even more specific than that, taking you right down to the house level. That gives them 10K more unique numbers per five digit Zip. Mine is 1881.