The Winter Olympics are fast approaching, with just 58 days left. Even sooner ? only 28 days away ? is the release of four new postage stamps from the U.S. Postal Service devoted to the Winter Olympics.
The stamps, the first new ones of 2002, will be previewed in Park City on Jan. 8 and make their public premiere at post offices nationwide on Jan. 9.
The stamps depict ski jumping, snowboarding, ice hockey and figure skating. However, they do not specifically refer to the 2002 Games, nor Salt Lake City.
The 34-cent stamps will have a sneak preview on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 10:30 a.m. at the Legacy Lodge, 1310 Lowell Ave., at Park City's Mountain Resort. This event, organized by SLOC, will be open to the public and will include opportunities to have the stamps canceled with a first-day issue mark. Related Olympic envelopes will also be available. Some celebrities will also be involved in the premiere.
One day later, on Wednesday, Jan. 9, the stamps will be available to the public at all U.S. post offices.
According to Brian Sperry, U.S. Postal Service spokesman for the Western region, it is only fitting that the new stamps premiere at one of the venues of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
He said 80 million copies of the stamps are being printed, so supplies should be ample. The stamps are expected to remain on sale through the Olympics and even afterward, while supplies last.
The U.S. Postal Service has issued collector Olympic stamps since 1932, when a two-cent stamp depicted a ski jumper.
"We always salute Olympic sports," he said.
Thelxi Hauenstein, customer relations coordinator at the Salt Lake City post office, said Salt Lake postal officials are very excited about the new stamps.
"We're very pleased with the design and think the stamps are beautiful. They'll make great keepsakes for the Olympic Games."
SLOC's Cultural Olympiad director, Raymond T. Grant, said he's gotten good vibes from the stamp collector market on the new stamps.
"The images are sharp and modern," he said. "What I especially like is it enables a wonderful contrast with high-tech."
The design of the stamps came from a citizen committee appointed by the U.S. Postal Service.
With the Winter Olympics coming every four years and the Summer Games every four years, that equals a lot of commemorative stamps of the Olympic Games during the past 70 years.
The new stamps will be available in packets of 20, self-adhesive, for $6.80 each.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com