The John Lennon Forever Stamp, released Sept. 7th, will be available to purchase onsite at the Beatles at the Ridge Music Festival on September 14 and 15 in downtown Walnut Ridge, and a special postmark commemorating the festival will also be available.
The stamp features a photograph of John Lennon taken by noted rock-and-roll photographer Bob Gruen in August 1974. Taken on the rooftop of Lennon’s Manhattan apartment, the photograph is part of a series of images taken by Gruen during the photo session for Lennon’s 1974 album Walls and Bridges.
The original black-and-white photograph has been treated in gradations of color, running the spectrum from yellow at the top to blue at the bottom. Lennon’s signature appears at the top of the stamps. “USA,” the peace symbol, and the Forever denomination appear along the bottom.
The stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps and brief text about Lennon’s legacy, with the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve.
A black-and-white photograph of Lennon seated at his white piano appears on the reverse side of the stamp pane, along with Lennon’s signature and the Music Icons series logo. Taken by photographer Peter Fordham, the original photograph was used to promote Lennon’s landmark 1971 solo album, Imagine. Art director Antonio Alcalá worked on the stamp pane with designer Neal Ashby.
The stamp will only be sold as a full sheet of 16 stamps for $8.
A special pictorial postmark, commemorating Beatles at the Ridge, will also be available both days. As a community service, the Postal Service™ offers pictorial postmarks to commemorate local events celebrated in communities throughout the nation.
Those attending the Beatles at the Ridge Music Festival may obtain the special postmark in person at the temporary Post Office™ station onsite there.
Those who cannot attend the event but who wish to obtain the postmark may submit a mail order request. Pictorial postmarks are available only for the dates indicated, and requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.
All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail® postage. Items submitted for postmark may not include postage issued after the date of the requested postmark. Such items will be returned unserviced.
Customers wishing to obtain a postmark must affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others, insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to:
Pictorial Postmarks
Beatles at the Ridge Music Festival Station
210 SW 3rd Street
Walnut Ridge, AR 72476
Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.
Press release – Brett Cooper, WBU
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