Tag Archives: Elvis stamp

The New Elvis Stamp – Part 2

Sheet of 16 Elvis Stamps- $7.84

If demand for the new Elvis stamp is anywhere close to the Postal Service’s expectations, they are going to sell a lot of them.

And, if you are thinking you would like to have some for your collection of Elvis goodies, they offer many options for you on their website USPSstamps.com. Like the sheet of 16 above.  It sells for $7.84.  The stamps don’t have a price on them anymore, just the word Forever.  We’ve gone from a 1993 Elvis stamp that cost 29¢ to one that costs 49¢ in 2015. (16 x 49¢ = $7.84)

 

Back of the New Elvis Stamp Sheet

To make the sheet of 16 Elvis stamps even more attractive, the postal Service puts this Al Wertheimer photograph on the flip side of the slick backing paper.  A very nice touch.

Elvis In Concert July 4, 1956

Here’s the original uncropped photo taken on July 4, 1956 while Elvis performed at Russwood stadium in Memphis.  As long as they were messing around with the picture anyway, I wish they had put the color back into Elvis’ right pants leg.  Looks a little weird on the flip-side picture.

 

Elvis Stamp First Day Cover - 93 cents

Of course, you can’t buy a single stamp, but you can buy one on an envelope that has a First Day of Issue postmark.  These are called First Day Covers and the price is just 94¢.  Seems like a pretty good deal, but it sure isn’t as flashy as the 1993 stamp First Day Covers.

1993 Elvis Stamp First Day Cover 2

1993 Elvis Stamp First Day Cover 1

These are beautiful in full color and the postmark is the gates of Graceland.  I believe there were five different choices available.

 

However, if you want something a little flashier in 2015, there is only a slight variation available for $1.64.

Digital Color Postmark Fibearing an affixed Elvis Presley stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue pictorial postmark - $1.64

For the extra 50¢ you get the big gold crown on the First Day of Issue DCP (Digital Color Postmark – Postal Service lingo).

 

First Day Cancelled Full Sheet of Elvis Stamps

Here’s an upgrade from the first stamp sheet at the beginning of this article.  You will note there are three bulls-eye postmarks (that’s what they call them).  Each is centered over a block of four stamps.  The remaining four are postmarked with portions of Elvis’ signature.  Also visible are the words MUSIC ICONS and a small black crown.  I like this one and think it’s worth the $10.34 they are asking.

 

There’s some text at the bottom of these stamp sheets, but it is too small to read here.  It says,

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was one of the first true stars of rock and roll.  The singer, guitarist, musician, and actor combined country, gospel, and rhythm and blues to create a unique sound that lives on today.  Through his music, the King of Rock and Roll helped break down social barriers in the 1950s and in the process helped change American pop culture forever.

Well written I think, but come on – “One of the first true stars of rock and roll.”  It should say, The first true star.

 

There is one other thing worth noting on both these stamp sheets.  The square shape is the same size as an old 45 rpm record sleeve.  See that black sliver of a circle at the top?  That is to simulate the top of a record sticking out of the sleeve a bit.  The design people at the Postal Service got pretty creative on this.

 

DCP Keepsake - Sheet of 16 Elvis Stamp & Digital Color Postmark First Day Cover - 9.95

Here’s a little combo package they call the DCP Keepsake (remember what DCP stands for?)  It combines the $7.84 sheet of 16 stamps and the $1.64 First Day Cover.  They are asking $9.95, but it’s actually cheaper to buy each item separately.

 

21.25 x 21.25-inch press sheet without die-cuts, containing nine panes of 16  stamps positioned three across by three - $70

If you want to get a lot of Elvis stamps, this one might appeal to you.  Disregard the single stamp image superimposed over the so-called “press” sheet.  There are nine of the 16-stamp sheets together measuring 21.25” x 21.25”.  The cost is $70.56.

 

 

According to the Washington Post, the Postal Service sold over 500,000,000 of the 1993 Elvis stamps, and reported later that 124,000,000 of them were never used for postage.  Fans held on to them as collectibles.

1993 Elvis Stamp

 

It’s my guess that not many of the 2015 Elvis stamps will ever be stuck on an envelope.

2015 Elvis Forever Stamp

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ElvisBlog has covered the Elvis Stamps for years.  To read more, click on:

The New Elvis Stamp – Posted July 3, 2015

The Elvis Stamp Has Not Left the Building – Posted March 1, 2014

Gladys and Elvis — A Mothers’ Day Commemorative Stamp?Posted October 1, 2011

Voting for the Elvis Stamp – Posted January 15, 2008

The Elvis Stamp Revisited – (From the January  2003 issue of Elvis International Magazine)

 

©  2015    Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister    All Rights Reserved    www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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The New Elvis Stamp

Elvis Forever Stamp

Graceland.com announced yesterday that the US Postal Service has revealed the new Elvis stamp that will be issued in August. Unlike the 1993 Elvis stamp, the image is a photograph, not a drawing, and it is in black and white not color.

Stamp Picture

The shot they chose for the new stamp was taken by professional Memphis photographer William Speer, and there is an interesting story about the photo session. I pieced it together from two old website posts. Much of it is quotations made by Speer or his wife Vacil, but there were no acknowledgements of where these originated. There is also some confusion whether the photos were shot on November, 1954 or March 1955.

During that period, local DJ and concert promoter Bob Neal acted as Elvis’ manager.

Elvis and Bob Neal

Neal decided Elvis needed some publicity stills to help launch his budding career, so he sent him over to William Speer’s studio. Elvis wore a maroon shirt and a white sport coat, but he did not bring any other change of clothes.

The first two shots were taken with Elvis wearing the coat, one a close-up of his face, and the other incorporating part of his chest.

William Speer - Elvis Photo for Stamp

This appears to be the photo chosen for the new stamp. However, you will notice there is a shadow from Elvis’ hair on his forehead. This is because Speer used what he called “Rembrandt lighting” with an overhead spotlight casting shadows downward.

Now go back and look at the stamp again. The shadows have been Photoshopped out. They should have left them in.

Speer felt the bright white color of the coat gave Elvis’ face a washed-out look. What do you think? I can’t see it, and it certainly didn’t deter the stamp selection committee.

Next, Speer tried three shots with the white coat off, just Elvis in his maroon shirt.

William Speer - Three Photos of Elvis in Maroon Shirt
At this point, Speer figured he had taken all the photos he could and the session was finished. However, his wife was mesmerized by Elvis and disagreed. She boldly urged Elvis to try “something different” – a few shots with his shirt off. She has been quoted, “We went this far, might as well take the shirt off too. He didn’t look real happy about it, but he obliged.”

Three William Speer Photos Of Bare-chested Elvis

When Elvis saw the shirtless proofs a few days later, he laughed and said, “These have got to go.”

Two William Speers Photos of Bare-Chested Elvis

 

In a 1987 column in the New York Daily News, columnist Liz Smith called one of the brooding shirtless poses “the most beautiful photo ever taken of Elvis.” I’m guessing she referred to the last one above.

Here are a few quotes by William Speer and his wife Vacil about the memorable photo session with Elvis.

William: “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but what a place and what a time! I’d never heard of him to tell you the truth, but as soon as I sat him in front of the camera I knew he had it.”

Vacil: “It felt like an electrical charge in the room, an animal magnetism. You can tell the famous ones or the ones who are going to be famous. They stand out in a room without you even knowing who they are.”

William: “When he first stepped in front of the camera, I told him, ‘You sure would make a wonderful actor.’ [Elvis] looked like Burt Lancaster. He could have played his brother in the movies. He came off that dead film like dynamite. Either you’ve got it or you haven’t.”

Vacil: “There he stood in the doorway, long, lean, with big blue eyes and soft full lips. “I opened the doors and it was magic. I checked him head-to-toe and said ‘Wow.’”

William: “Even though he was shy, it was obvious Presley liked being photographed.”

Vacil: “Somebody said, ‘Why didn’t you take his pants off while you were at it?’ I could have been worth a fortune by now.”

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Congratulations to the folks who chose William Speer’s photo for the new Elvis stamp. ElvisBlog will present Part 2 of the stamp story next week.

 

 

© 2015 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

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Postal Service Skips Five Rockers with their Music Icons Stamps

This is the new Jimi Hendrix stamp, issued on March 13 as part of the USPS Music Icons series.

 Jimi Hendrix Stamo 2014

Later this year, Janis Joplin will also be honored with a stamp.

Janis Joplin

It’s interesting to note the Postal Service chose to introduce Hendrix and Joplin stamps in the same year. They both died of drug overdoses within sixteen days of each other in 1970.

 

The Music Icons series debuted in 2013 with Ray Charles and Johnny Cash stamps.

Ray Charles Stamp

 Johnny Cash Stamp

 

As mentioned on ElvisBlog two weeks ago, Elvis will be honored with a Music Icon stamp in 2015, as will James Brown.

James Brown

Also chosen for future Music Icon stamps (year-to-be-determined) are Sam Cooke and Roy Orbison.

 Sam Cooke

Roy Orbison

 

So, you have to acknowledge that the Postal Service has made some good picks as Music Icons:

Elvis Presley
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin
Ray Charles
Johnny Cash
Sam Cooke
Roy Orbison

 

However, it’s a mystery to me why they never continued with their Legends of American Music collection that came out in 1993. In addition to Elvis, this set included:

Bill Haley Stamp

Clyde McPhatter Stamp

Buddy Holly Stamp

Otis Redding Stamp

Ritchie Valens Stamp

 

For twenty years, no additional Legends of American Music stamps were issued. No more rockers honored. Now, two decades later, this omission is being rectified with the new Music Icon series.

But, what mystified me the most was why five charter members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are not included in either series. Why are they ignoring the following inductees from the 1986 inaugural class?

 

Chuck Berry

Fats Domino

Jerry Lee Lewis

The Everly Brothers

Little Richard

 

I’m fine with Hendrix, Joplin, Cash, Charles, Brown, Cooke and Orbison getting new stamps.

But, why would the Postal Service skip over five of the most important figures in the birth of rock and roll? It took me a while to figure it out. Every person honored or scheduled to be honored in the Music Icon series is deceased. The same thing was true for the Legends of American Music set when it came out.

So, the answer to my quandary seems to be that the five Hall of Fame pioneers (except for Phil Everly) are still alive. For some reason, the Postal Service chooses to create stamps only for dead rock stars. I’m not sure this makes good sense. The omitted early rockers are now all over eighty years old. What’s wrong with exalting them on a stamp while they are still around to appreciate it?

So, Postal Service, how about honoring these originators of rock and roll in the Music Icon stamp series as soon as possible:

Chuck Berry
Fats Domino
Jerry Lee Lewis
Everly Brothers
Little Richard

You can’t get more iconic than these guys.

 

© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

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The Elvis Stamp Has Not Left the Building

 Both Designs for Elvis Stamp

The US Postal Service issued the famous Elvis stamp twenty-one years ago, so you wouldn’t expect it to be back in the news today. However, last week, the Washington Post blog leaked news about the images to be featured on future commemorative stamps. These selections are made by the independent Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee. What image will be on future stamps is kept top-secret, in part so postal officials can create a buzz when they announce new subjects. Without explaining how they got the information, the Post trumpeted their scoop of this news.

Washington Post Top Secret Scoop

 

The Post revealed that upcoming stamps in 2014 include, among other subjects:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Charlton Heston
Jimi Hendrix
Wilt Chamberlain
Janis Joplin

Then they said: “Some of the highlights for 2015 – soul singer James Brown, late-night TV host Johnny Carson, and a reissue of Elvis Presley, the Postal Service’s top-selling stamp, released with a value of 29 cents in 1993.”

I wondered how they could reissue a stamp that said 29¢ on it. Maybe they would remove the price and replace it with “Forever,” the way they now designate stamps no matter what the rate gets raised to.

 Elvis Stamp from Legends of American Music

The Postal Service has already messed with the Elvis stamp once before. After selling 129 million of the stamp with ELVIS on it, they came back with one that had ELVIS PRESLEY on it.

 

Elvis in Rock 'n Roll-Rhythm and Blues Stamps

You couldn’t buy that one individually, only as part of a 35-stamp-sheet they called the “Legends of American Music Collection: Rock & Roll – Rhythm and Blues.”

 

However, reading further in the Washington Post blog, I came to the complete list of new stamps for the next two years. Please note the two items I have underlined.

 Elvis on Top Secret List of Upcoming Stamps

The two items I’ve underlined are interesting. At the bottom, in red, it says Music Icons: Elvis Presley. Now look at the top underline. It says Red = In Design Development. So, maybe the Washington Post misinterpreted their top-secret scoop when they said a reissue of the 1993 stamp was coming
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Here’s something to think about. Back in 1992, the Postal Service held a contest to see which of two very different Elvis images was the most popular with the public.

 Elvis Stamp Balloting Poster

This poster was prominently placed in every post office in the country, as well as in the April 13, 1992 issue of People magazine.

 

 Ballot for Elvis Stamp

Voting for your favorite required you to go to the Post Office and ask for ballots. They were self-addressed postcards showing the two competing drawings, with boxes to check for your choice. I got ten ballots, sent in seven (voting for choice A), and kept three as collectibles.

So, what if this current “design consideration” is just a code to hide the fact they are going to use the alternate image they already own the rights to? After all, the Postal Service is losing millions every year, and this would save the money they’d have to spend on a new drawing.

Drawing for Alternate Elvis Stamp

The winner (taking 75% of the vote) back in 1993 was called the “Young Elvis” stamp, and unfortunately, the other was derisively called the “Older and Wider Elvis” or even worse, the “Fat Elvis” stamp. That really wasn’t fair. John Berkley, the artist who painted it, drew Elvis very similar to a shot from the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV special.

 1973 Elvis Aloha Photo Basis for Stamp

 

Here’s what artist John Berkley said about the Elvis he painted. “As a matter of fact, he weighed 160 pounds and was 38 years old at the time. That’s not fat and that’s not old.”

If the Postal Service wants to bring back the Aloha Elvis (or whatever appropriate name they want to call him), I’m all for it.

It’s fun to do this kind of speculation, although my track record is not so good. I predicted that the planned Elvis show by Cirque ‘du Soleil would be called either “E” or “TCB,” but they picked “Viva Elvis.”

So, to improve my chances of making an accurate prediction on the new Elvis stamp, I’ll add another one.  If the Postal Service is soliciting new Elvis images to use for the 2015 stamp, here is my favorite.

 

68 Comeback Elvis

Let’s see the skeptics try to call this Old Elvis or Fat Elvis. Do you think the fans would buy 129 million of a new bad-ass black leather Elvis stamp?

I do.

 

© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net

 

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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.