2017-10-03 Tue

The US Postal Service will be releasing a semipostal stamp in November to raise funds for combating and Alzheimer’s disease. The amount raised would be donated to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The date, location and initial stamp design has not yet been disclosed.

The new release is a part of a five-stamp series which would be released over a period of 10 years. Each stamp would be sold for two years only. The next in the series is a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder semipostal stamp which will be will be issued in 2019. The subjects for the next three stamps in the series have not yet been decided. Semipostal stamps have a 60¢ rate and can be used on first-class letter mail which is worth 49¢. The extra funds collected would be donated to a specified cause or organisation.

The new stamp is the fifth U.S. semipostal stamp to be issued. The first one was released to support breast cancer research on 29th July 1998. The second one was the Heroes of 2001 semipostal that was released in 2002, the third was the Stop Family Violence semipostal that was issued in 2003 and the fourth one was the Save Vanishing Species semipostal that was released in 2011. In 2014, a Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp with a modified design was also released. Semipostals are issued after laws were passed by Congress and signed by the president.

For the first time ever the USPS discretionary program would be releasing a stamp in the form of Alzheimer’s semipostal. A 42¢ postage stamp was issued on 17th October 2008 with the subject Alzheimer’s Awareness. Although, unlike the new stamp to be released in November, the 2008 stamp did not raise funds for the cause.