1990 25c Plastic Flag
# 2475 - 1990 25c Plastic Flag
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US #2475
1990 Plastic Flag
- Experimental stamp used in ATMs
- Made of polyester film
- One of the first self-adhesive stamps
Stamp Category: Definitive
Value: 25 ¢, First-class mail rate
First Day of Issue: May 18, 1990
First Day City: Seattle, Washington
Quantity Issued: 36,168,000
Printed by: Avery International
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 12 from printing cylinders of 180
Perforations: Die Cut
Material: polyester film
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was produced as a test to see if customers would buy stamps through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). It sold for six months at the Seattle Frist National Bank as an experiment.
About the stamp design: The flag design was chosen for its simplicity. Working with a new printer and new materials, the USPS wanted an uncomplicated stamp to make that aspect of printing easier. New York artist Herry Zelenko created the concept design, which was then worked on by John Boyed of Anagraphics, Inc. to make the perfect design.
Special design details: The backside of the liner paper had a message informing customers not to wet the stamp because of the self-adhesive gum.
About the printing process: Due to its special purpose, this stamp was produced differently from all previous stamps. Rather than using traditional gum, the stamps were self-adhesive and adhered to a backing sheet. In order to made the stamp the same thickness as a dollar bill, it was made of a polyester film (plastic). The printer, Avery International Corporation, manufactured pressure-sensitive labels, so it was familiar with self-adhesive products.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Columbia Seafirst Center in Seattle, Washington. This was one of 10 banks that sold the stamps through their ATMs.
History the stamp represents: On May 18, 1990, the United States Postal Service began a six-month marketing test to sell stamps through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). For this test, the USPS developed a stamp that was radically different from any it had previously issued. To meet the strict engineering requirements of ATMs, the stamps were made of a specially formulated polyester film. The panes of 12, which were the same size and shape as a dollar bill, were dispensed from the ATMs just like cash. In addition to offering customers the convenience of round-the-clock access to stamps, the ATM issues also offered the ease of peel-and-stick application with no licking or tearing.
First USPS ATM Stamp
On May 18, 1990, the USPS issued an experimental plastic stamp to test the popularity of selling stamps through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). While the plastic stamp proved unpopular, especially with environmentalists, the ATM format proved to be a success.
While this was a first for the USPS, two years earlier a private company tested a similar idea. On December 14, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Equibank ABMs dispensed regular US coil stamps under a system they called The Stamp Shop. The stamps were sold in groups of nine, affixed to carrier paper that was in the same size and shape of a dollar bill.
The USPS ATM stamp was born out of the development of pressure-sensitive stamps in 1986. They weren’t specifically thinking about ATMs at the time – that development came in November 1987. At that time, they began working on a vending machine program and workers found themselves constantly thinking about the different things offered by vending machines. Then in March 1988, someone said in passing that “One of these days it might be possible to make stamps that ATMs could dispense like currency.” The new postmaster general, Anthony Frank, had come from the banking industry and was immediately intrigued. He told his team to see if they could do it.
Partnering with Seattle First National Bank (Seafirst), the Postal Service’s Stamp and Engineering Divisions joined forces to develop a stamp sheet that could be dispensed from ATMs. Because the machines depended on the exact thickness of currency (to prevent “double-vending”), the new ATM stamps had to be exactly the same shape and thickness as US paper currency.
To achieve this, the USPS first tried a stamp made of conventional paper. They found that unlike currency paper, stamp paper would not allow the precise depth control needed for ATM use. The idea of using plastic came from pharmaceutical labels. Plastic proved to be a good product as far as depth control was concerned, and plastic took gravure printing extremely well. The USPS proceeded with a plastic, die-cut, imperforate sheet of 12 stamps, attached to a self-adhesive backing, in the exact shape of paper currency.
The USPS displayed specimens of the new stamps at World Stamp Expo in late 1989. They brought an ATM into the convention center to show how the stamps would be vended. The stamps were also included in a video presentation on the “Post Office of the Future.” In announcing the stamps, the postmaster general said that postal customers would have “round-the-clock access to stamps.” And that “For years, customers have enjoyed the convenience of ‘banking by mail.’ Now they will have the convenience of ‘mailing by bank.’”
Under this plan, cardholders could select the stamps from a menu of banking options. The cost of the stamps would be deducted from their account and the stamps would be dispensed just like money. Customers would also receive a bank receipt showing the date, location, and transaction account. Some collectors would keep their receipts in their albums alongside the stamps.
The first plastic flag stamps were issued at five ATMs on May 18, 1990, at the Seattle Columbia Seafirst Center during the stamp’s First Day Ceremony. The following day, the ATM stamps were also sold at another 22 ATMS in 10 Seattle locations. Although born of a good idea – to offer 24-hour service to postal customers – the stamps were not without their critics. Environmentalists were against them because they were made of plastic, and recyclers warned they would make paper envelopes useless for recycling. The USPS said that if the test proved successful, they would find ways to make future ATM stamps recyclable.
By the following year, the first class rate was changing, and the ATM experiment was still on-going. The USPS would have liked to have developed the recyclable paper stamps, but hadn’t quite done it yet. So, on January 22, 1991, they issued an “F” rate non-denominated stamp to meet ATM customers’ needs.
But the work was on-going, and on June 25, 1991, the USPS issued the 29¢ Liberty Torch stamp on 50% recycled paper. It was still part of the test phase and was only available in select ATMs in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The following year, the USPS issued a Christmas stamp for ATMs that reproduced one stamp from the block of four issued in other formats. They did the same in 1993, but in 1994, issued an ATM Christmas stamp with an original design. The popularity of these stamps has led the USPS to regularly issue patriotic definitives and holiday stamps for use in ATMs ever since.
US #2475
1990 Plastic Flag
- Experimental stamp used in ATMs
- Made of polyester film
- One of the first self-adhesive stamps
Stamp Category: Definitive
Value: 25 ¢, First-class mail rate
First Day of Issue: May 18, 1990
First Day City: Seattle, Washington
Quantity Issued: 36,168,000
Printed by: Avery International
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 12 from printing cylinders of 180
Perforations: Die Cut
Material: polyester film
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was produced as a test to see if customers would buy stamps through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). It sold for six months at the Seattle Frist National Bank as an experiment.
About the stamp design: The flag design was chosen for its simplicity. Working with a new printer and new materials, the USPS wanted an uncomplicated stamp to make that aspect of printing easier. New York artist Herry Zelenko created the concept design, which was then worked on by John Boyed of Anagraphics, Inc. to make the perfect design.
Special design details: The backside of the liner paper had a message informing customers not to wet the stamp because of the self-adhesive gum.
About the printing process: Due to its special purpose, this stamp was produced differently from all previous stamps. Rather than using traditional gum, the stamps were self-adhesive and adhered to a backing sheet. In order to made the stamp the same thickness as a dollar bill, it was made of a polyester film (plastic). The printer, Avery International Corporation, manufactured pressure-sensitive labels, so it was familiar with self-adhesive products.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Columbia Seafirst Center in Seattle, Washington. This was one of 10 banks that sold the stamps through their ATMs.
History the stamp represents: On May 18, 1990, the United States Postal Service began a six-month marketing test to sell stamps through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). For this test, the USPS developed a stamp that was radically different from any it had previously issued. To meet the strict engineering requirements of ATMs, the stamps were made of a specially formulated polyester film. The panes of 12, which were the same size and shape as a dollar bill, were dispensed from the ATMs just like cash. In addition to offering customers the convenience of round-the-clock access to stamps, the ATM issues also offered the ease of peel-and-stick application with no licking or tearing.
First USPS ATM Stamp
On May 18, 1990, the USPS issued an experimental plastic stamp to test the popularity of selling stamps through Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs). While the plastic stamp proved unpopular, especially with environmentalists, the ATM format proved to be a success.
While this was a first for the USPS, two years earlier a private company tested a similar idea. On December 14, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Equibank ABMs dispensed regular US coil stamps under a system they called The Stamp Shop. The stamps were sold in groups of nine, affixed to carrier paper that was in the same size and shape of a dollar bill.
The USPS ATM stamp was born out of the development of pressure-sensitive stamps in 1986. They weren’t specifically thinking about ATMs at the time – that development came in November 1987. At that time, they began working on a vending machine program and workers found themselves constantly thinking about the different things offered by vending machines. Then in March 1988, someone said in passing that “One of these days it might be possible to make stamps that ATMs could dispense like currency.” The new postmaster general, Anthony Frank, had come from the banking industry and was immediately intrigued. He told his team to see if they could do it.
Partnering with Seattle First National Bank (Seafirst), the Postal Service’s Stamp and Engineering Divisions joined forces to develop a stamp sheet that could be dispensed from ATMs. Because the machines depended on the exact thickness of currency (to prevent “double-vending”), the new ATM stamps had to be exactly the same shape and thickness as US paper currency.
To achieve this, the USPS first tried a stamp made of conventional paper. They found that unlike currency paper, stamp paper would not allow the precise depth control needed for ATM use. The idea of using plastic came from pharmaceutical labels. Plastic proved to be a good product as far as depth control was concerned, and plastic took gravure printing extremely well. The USPS proceeded with a plastic, die-cut, imperforate sheet of 12 stamps, attached to a self-adhesive backing, in the exact shape of paper currency.
The USPS displayed specimens of the new stamps at World Stamp Expo in late 1989. They brought an ATM into the convention center to show how the stamps would be vended. The stamps were also included in a video presentation on the “Post Office of the Future.” In announcing the stamps, the postmaster general said that postal customers would have “round-the-clock access to stamps.” And that “For years, customers have enjoyed the convenience of ‘banking by mail.’ Now they will have the convenience of ‘mailing by bank.’”
Under this plan, cardholders could select the stamps from a menu of banking options. The cost of the stamps would be deducted from their account and the stamps would be dispensed just like money. Customers would also receive a bank receipt showing the date, location, and transaction account. Some collectors would keep their receipts in their albums alongside the stamps.
The first plastic flag stamps were issued at five ATMs on May 18, 1990, at the Seattle Columbia Seafirst Center during the stamp’s First Day Ceremony. The following day, the ATM stamps were also sold at another 22 ATMS in 10 Seattle locations. Although born of a good idea – to offer 24-hour service to postal customers – the stamps were not without their critics. Environmentalists were against them because they were made of plastic, and recyclers warned they would make paper envelopes useless for recycling. The USPS said that if the test proved successful, they would find ways to make future ATM stamps recyclable.
By the following year, the first class rate was changing, and the ATM experiment was still on-going. The USPS would have liked to have developed the recyclable paper stamps, but hadn’t quite done it yet. So, on January 22, 1991, they issued an “F” rate non-denominated stamp to meet ATM customers’ needs.
But the work was on-going, and on June 25, 1991, the USPS issued the 29¢ Liberty Torch stamp on 50% recycled paper. It was still part of the test phase and was only available in select ATMs in Washington, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. The following year, the USPS issued a Christmas stamp for ATMs that reproduced one stamp from the block of four issued in other formats. They did the same in 1993, but in 1994, issued an ATM Christmas stamp with an original design. The popularity of these stamps has led the USPS to regularly issue patriotic definitives and holiday stamps for use in ATMs ever since.