A New Face in an Age-Long Tradition

Young John the Baptist Featured on Stamp

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The tender relationship between
mother and child and a prayerful gesture by a young boy will help deliver the
joy of Christmas this season. Featured on the 2008 Christmas stamp is the
Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist painting by Italian master
Sandro Botticelli.

The U.S. Postal Service issues the 42-cent stamp today at a ceremony at the
2008 Fall Postage Stamp Mega Event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

"The new Christmas stamp symbolizes the spirit of the season --- joy and
giving," said Susan M. Brownell, vice president, Supply Management, for the
United States Postal Service, who dedicated the stamp. "We are proud that this
stamp, depicting the loving relationship between mother and child, will
decorate billions of greeting cards, letters and packages this holiday
season."

Since 1978, the theme of the Christmas stamp has been the Madonna and Child,
and the stamps have attracted a devoted following over the years. The 2008
design feature has an added twist with the additional figure of John the
Baptist. The painting, tempera and oil on wood, by Botticelli dates to around
1490 and is now part of the world-renowned collection of the Cleveland Museum
of Art. Although cropped to fit the stamp format, Virgin and Child with the
Young John the Baptist is painted within a round format, or tondo, a popular
shape in Italy in the 1400s and 1500s.

"The Cleveland Museum of Art is known around the world for its encyclopedic
collection of celebrated art," said C. Griffith Mann, chief curator, The
Cleveland Museum of Art. "The Cleveland Museum of Art is committed to sharing
its resources and knowledge of art for the benefit of all and hopes this
cooperation will touch and inspire many during this time of reflection and
charity."

The painting presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art.
Botticelli's work suggests Mary's foreknowledge of Christ's fate. The facial
expression of John the Baptist, seen standing to the side in a prayerful
gesture, also suggests this heightened awareness.

The Virgin's robes, particularly her left arm and the yellow lining of the
sleeve, have been restored. Her face is both the best-preserved portion of the
painting and the area most certainly painted by Botticelli; it is believed
that assistants in his workshop probably were responsible for at least some
other sections.

In addition to the Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp,
four additional holiday stamps will be available nationwide as well: Holiday
Nutcrackers stamps were also issued today; Eid, the Muslim holiday stamp was
issued Sept. 23; Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture;
and Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, stamps will be issued Oct. 24.

The Postal Service printed 2.171 billion holiday stamps: 1.486 billion Holiday
Nutcracker, 600 million Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, 25
million Eid, 35 million Kwanzaa and 25 million Hanukkah.

The Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp goes on sale
nationwide today and also can be purchased online at http://www.usps.com.

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other
media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at
www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery
service that reaches every address in the nation, 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, not tax dollars, to pay for operating
expenses. The Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers
nearly half the world's mail.

Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist Philatelic Fact Sheet

Philatelic Products
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
-- 677961, First-Day Cover, $0.80
-- 677991, Ceremony Program, $6.95
-- 677993, First-Day Cover Keepsake, $9.20

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They
may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, or at The Postal Store web
site at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should
affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to
themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Christmas: Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist Stamp Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B New York, NY 10199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return
the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All
orders must be postmarked by Dec. 24, 2008.

How to Order First-Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues
and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official
first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number
and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request
a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment Dept. 6270 U.S. Postal Service P.O. Box 219014 Kansas
City, MO 64121-9014

To obtain high-resolution images of the stamp, e-mail roy.a.betts@usps.gov

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Roy Betts, +1-202-268-3207, +1-202-256-4174, roy.a.betts@usps.gov or George B.
Flood, +1-212-330-5141, +1-908-477-0404, george.b.flood@usps.gov, both of the
U.S. Postal Service