Postal Service to Finish Leftovers

WASHINGTON — The Postal Service said Tuesday it would postpone the introduction of this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas stamps and instead use leftover stocks of last year’s holiday stamps. Some will be reprinted as needed.

“We believe it is a good business decision to exhaust our current inventories of 1999 holiday stamps and supplement them with a small reprint of one design,” said James Tolbert, executive director of stamp services.

He said the stamps to be postponed are the Thanksgiving stamp, a traditional Christmas stamp depicting Jan Gossaert’s painting “Madonna and Child” and a contemporary Christmas design featuring four images of Santa Claus.

Tolbert said last year’s leftover stamps include Bartolomeo Vivarini’s “Madonna and Child.” The contemporary, stylized antique-gold deer set will be reprinted, officials said.