Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The New York Times - November 28, 1993
Barth Healey
The 29-cent stamp, in a vertical format, shows the loop of red ribbon that has become a symbol of AIDS awareness. And to encourage research about the disease and better care for its sufferers, the Postal Service will let nonprofit groups use the stamp design for promotional purposes, on things like printed material, T-shirts and mugs, without paying any licensing fees.
The stamp is available in sheets and booklets; the booklet covers include the National H.I.V./AIDS Hot Line number at the Centers for Disease Control, (800) 342-AIDS or (800) 342-2437, and the address for the American Association for World Health (1129 20th Street NW, Washington 20036).
Besides waiving fees for nonprofit groups, the service said it would help educate postal employees about AIDS, using fees that commercial organizations pay to use the design. More licensing information, for profit or nonprofit groups, is available from Hamilton Projects, 215 Lexington Avenue, New York 10016. Hamilton also has color transparencies of the stamp for reproduction.
In another departure -- though departure is becoming almost a custom itself -- the stamp will be available nationwide on the day of issue; most stamps go on general sale the day after the official "first day."
This will allow collectors and those raising funds to combat AIDS to prepare their own envelopes with the stamps and have them canceled locally on the official first day. There is a steady market for such souvenir covers; fund-raising groups typically sell them for $3 to $10 each.
At 40 post offices, the Postal Service is also offering a special dated rectangular cancellation. It shows a folded ribbon next to the legend "World AIDS Day Station, Dec. 1, 1993," followed by the post office name and ZIP code.
Some of the larger post offices offering the special cancellation are those in Providence, R.I.; Hartford; Rochester; Philadelphia; Washington; Miami; Key West, Fla.; Birmingham, Ala.; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; St. Paul; Little Rock, Ark.; Fort Worth; Boise, Idaho, and Santa Barbara, Calif. A full list was published in Postal Bulletin 21854, dated Nov. 11, which should be available at every post office.
Those wishing to make up first-day covers should use good-quality envelopes made of acid-free paper; each should contain a light, snug-fitting piece of cardboard as a stiffener. After the stamps are affixed and canceled on Wednesday, they can be decorated with artwork or slogans. The market for first-day envelopes with hand-drawn and hand-colored designs, called cachets, has been strong, especially in numbered editions.
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