Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation Series
In Partnership with the United States Postal Service
3rd Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation. Notice Breast Cancer stamp on right. Special Postal Cancellation on left includes 1) Building Bridges of Peace logo and 2) rectangle in center with recognition of event that cancellation is issued at. Signature is from Mayor Gwen Regalia, who was postmaster for the day.
What is a Special Postal Cancellation
The United States Postal Service memorializes significant people, places and events in American History through their stamps and special postal cancellations.
A cancellation is how the post office recognizes a stamp as valid, before delivering the envelope to the person it is addressed to. Cancellations come in a huge variety of designs, shapes, sizes and colors. Modern United States cancellations commonly include the date and post office location where the stamps were mailed, in addition to lines or bars designed to cover the stamp itself. Many stamp collectors and postal history collectors collect cancellations in addition to the stamps themselves.
Special Cancellation: In the United States, official pictorial cancellations are almost invariably applied at special "stations", i.e., post offices existing only for a limited time, usually one day, at special events. They are among what are called special cancellations and are special die-hubs added to machine cancels, which usually contain a slogan and sometimes contain a picture. The Postmaster decides which special cancellations he/she wants to have created for commemorative purposes.
The Building Bridges of Peace Special Postal Cancellation is a numbered series of special postal cancellations chaining significant events and organizations from city to city across the Nation. A new issue in the series is created for each event being recognized and cancels a stamp only on the day and place that it memorializes. Pictorial cancellations like this one can become collector's items for those who possess them.
In 1996, Walnut Creek Main Postmaster Layton Hanson, USPS Pacific Area Corporate Relations Manager Dan Di Miglio and Karen Lile, Building Bridges Executive Director, created the Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation Series. The first three special postal cancellations were issued by the Postmaster Hanson in conjunction with three special events in the city.
The First Series of Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellations in 1996
Building Bridges of Peace 1st Station: May 29, 1996
USPS provided special breast cancer awareness stamp lapel pins and limited edition posters to recognize outstanding contributions or local non-profit organizations and partnerships receiving the Building Bridges of Peace Awards.
Photos of the Building Bridges of Peace Special Postal Cancellation on May 29, 1996 at 1st Walnut Creek Main Post Office.
Building Bridges of Peace 2nd Station: October 24, 1996
Photos, media coverage and more information about the Building Bridges Children's Concerts that were recognized in the 2nd Building Bridges of Peace Postal Cancellation on October 24, 1996.
Building Bridges of Peace 1st Station: October 26, 1996
The Health and Safety Expo was commemorated on October 26, 1996 by a Special Postal Cancellation.
The Health and Safety Expo was commemorated on October 26, 1996 by a Special Postal Cancellation. The Mayor Gwen Regalia was declared Postmaster for the Day at a special ceremony at the event. There was a Postal Station set up at the fair in one of the booths, where people bought the Special Postal Cancellations and had them affixed to their choice of stamp and envelope for two dollars and fifty cents. Proceeds from the sales benefitted a local non-profit cause
Photos, media coverage, and more information about the Health and Safety Expo where the 3rd Building Bridges of Peace Postal Station was established on October 26, 1996