*Forever Letter Stamps: Help Fund Breast Cancer Research
Description
The Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp, originally issued in 1998, is being reissued in 2014. Mandated by Congress in 1997 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, the 1998 Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first semipostal issued by the U.S. Postal Service®. Semipostals are stamps sold at a surcharge to raise money for a particular cause. Purchase of this stamp supports the Breast Cancer Research work of the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense.
The stamp art depicts a woman standing with her right arm raised, reaching behind her head in the position recommended for breast self-examination. The drawing of the woman’s body is set against a background of pastel colors ranging from yellow to violet that cover the entire face of the stamp. Across the top of the stamp are the words “Breast Cancer.” Circling the figure’s right breast are the phrases, in all caps, “FUND THE FIGHT.” and “FIND A CURE.”
Art director Ethel Kessler, herself a breast cancer survivor, faced a challenge in designing the stamp. She wanted a design that brought awareness to the importance of Breast Cancer Research while offering a positive and uplifting image. After working with variations on the theme of pink ribbons-the symbol of breast cancer awareness-and photographs that struck her as too melancholy, Kessler turned to artist Whitney Sherman for other ideas.
Sherman produced many sketches, but one stood out from the others. A woman stands with her right arm raised, reaching behind her head in the position recommended for breast self-examination. The pose reminded the artist of depictions of the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis (Diana to the Romans), reaching back to pull an arrow from the quiver hanging from her shoulder. The archetype represented by Artemis signifies strength, courage, survival, and hope, all the emotions that the art director and artist hoped to capture in the stamp art.
Each Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp is valid for postage at the First-Class Mail®, single-piece, first-ounce rate in effect at the time of purchase. To date, the stamp has raised more than $90.7 million for Breast Cancer Research.
Made in the USA.
USPS purchases cannot be returned and are not eligible for a refund
Shipping
Need it by December 25th? Please place your order by December 15th and choose Priority Mail. After December 15th, please choose Express Mail! Thank you!
Order Fulfillment & Shipping
We handle each order with care! And we are a very small team of just a few real life humans, so it generally takes us 1-4 days to fulfill (pack up and ship out) orders. If your order is urgent (e.g. you're hoping it gets fulfilled and gift wrapped in time for your dinner party tonight, just give us a call at 907-523-5053! Part of the beauty of being a small business is all of this is made up! Lol. Just communicate with us; we will always do our best).
After we pack up your order, we send it via the shipping method you choose at checkout. In general here are time estimates:
Free Local Pickup: these are often ready on the same day, but could take up to a few days if we have high volume in the shop. Call us if you need it asap and we can do that!
First Class: 4-8 Business Days
USPS Retail Ground: 4-8 Business Days if under 13oz, but if it's heavier than that then it goes on a boat and it can take 3-4 weeks to arrive to a destination in the lower 48.
Priority Mail: 3-5 Business Days. We love Priority Mail; it goes on an airplane and arrives to you within a week, generally.
Express Mail: 2 days!
***We cannot be used as a General Delivery pick-up location***
*** We are bonafide shipping nerds, so if you have a question about shipping estimates or times, just call or text us at 907-523-5053 and we can assist you before placing your order! ***
Returns and Exchanges
We want you to be happy with your goods! And, we're a small business, so returns and exchanges can be costly for us. Here's how we currently roll:
1 - We know shopping online is tricky but we are here to help! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions we can answer before you make your purchase, so that we can try to help bridge the gap between online and real life the best that we can! We are available via the chat function, or feel free to call/text/(even facetime us!) at 907-523-5053. We're happy to get you more images or video to help you with your choices!
2 - If there is a problem with your order or you receive an item that was damaged in transit, please contact us so that we can make it right! You can email us at hello@kindredpost.com or call us at 907-523-5053 and we will facilitate a replacement or a refund, and we will cover associated shipping costs.
3 - We accept returns and exchanges within 30 days, as long as the item is still in new, unused condition, with undamaged packaging (basically, can we put it back in our collection?). (We extend the return window to January 15th for all orders placed online between November-December). We don't cover the shipping for these ones, sorry! Please reach out to us so we can help coordinate your return/exchange. hello@kindredpost.com or call us at 907-523-5053.
We are a small team and we are growing and learning about e-commerce; we appreciate your grace and patience when we make mistakes. 🙏🏽