Star Wars Stamp Sheet Available for Pre-Order Today

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2007 -- Can't wait? The U.S. Postal Service announced customers may pre-order the set of 15 Star Wars stamps today.

The stamps will officially go on sale Friday, May 25, following a special dedication ceremony at Star Wars Celebration IV, the biggest Star Wars event in the galaxy, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

For $6.15 customers can ensure they receive these stamps by going to http://www.usps.com or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. All Star Wars stamps pre-orders will be shipped on May 25.

Voting continues for America's favorite stamp

Voting continues through May 23 on http://www.uspsjedimaster.com. The winning stamp will be announced at the first-day-of-issue ceremony of the Star Wars stamp sheet on May 25 during Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles and will be honored with the issuance of a single stamp, which will be for sale later this summer.

Which one is your favorite? Luke Skywalker; Han Solo and Chewbacca; Princess Leia Organa with R2-D2; C-3PO; Yoda; Queen Padme Amidala; Obi-Wan Kenobi as seen in Episodes IV through VI; Anakin Skywalker battling Obi-Wan Kenobi; Darth Vader; Emperor Palpatine; Darth Maul; Imperial Stormtroopers; Boba Fett; the Millennium Falcon; or an X-wing fighter.

Check http://www.uspsjedimaster.com for regular updates on voting -- it's up to America to choose which Star Wars stamp wins the honor of a single-stamp sheet release.

Pre-order the Star Wars pre-paid Express Mail envelopes

This set includes three pre-paid Express Mail envelopes featuring artwork images of Yoda, Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi and the postage will be the Marine One Express Mail stamp. The set of three envelopes costs $48.75 and will be available only from May 6 through Sept. 1. Customers may pre-order the envelope set now at http://www.usps.com, by telephone at 1-800-STAMP-24 and in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. The set is not available in post offices.

Become a Jedi shipping and mailing master to win a trip

Through May 7, customers can enter this sweepstakes by solving six different challenges about Postal Service products and services featuring a Star Wars theme. As each question is answered correctly, customers are automatically moved to the next challenge. At the start of the sweepstakes, customers enter their contact information into a sweepstakes form. There is a limit of one entry per challenge, for a total of six entries.

The Jedi shipping and mailing master challenge is a fun, interactive Web tool that reminds customers of the quick, easy and convenient suite of services available from the Postal Service, including ZIP Code Lookup, International Shipping, Flat-Rate Boxes, Click-N-Ship, Priority Mail and free Package Pickup. The winner of this sweepstakes will receive an all-expenses- paid trip for four to the 30th Anniversary Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles, which runs from May 24 to May 27. (For details, go to http://www.starwars.com/celebration.)

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to cover its operating expenses. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.