The stamp issuance follows Alton Mayor Tom Hoechst's trumpeting of the news at the 2012 Miles Davis Jazz Festival that a life-sized statue of the icon would be placed in the heart of Downtown's entertainment district on Third Street.
The U.S. Postal Service issued the stamps featuring Davis and French singer Edith Piaf in a partnership with La Poste of France.
"Miles Davis was one of the great innovators in American jazz, but he was also extremely popular in France, where he performed frequently," said U.S. Postal Service Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman at the special dedication ceremony held at the Rubin Museum of Art - The Theater in New York.
"Likewise, Edith Piaf, one of France's best-loved singers, became an icon in the United States," Stroman said. "These musical greats never performed alongside each other - so the United States Postal Service and France's La Poste are now bringing them together on these new stamps.
"With our Miles Davis and Edith Piaf stamps, our goal is to encourage more people to learn about these artists and the unique form of musical diplomacy they practiced," he said. "Like the music of Miles and Edith and like the friendship between America and France, these stamps will last forever."
The stamps are sold in self-adhesive sheets of 20 that will include 10 of each design.
Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. At the time of issuance, the Edith Piat and Miles Davis stamps are being sold at a price of 45 cents each, or $9 per sheet.
This is the first time the United States and France have jointly issued a stamp since 1989, when both countries honored the bicentennial of the French Revolution, according to the postal service.
The Miles Davis and Edith Piaf stamps also feature another historic first: a QR code is printed on the back of the stamps that can be scanned with a smart phone.
A landing page opens with an option to listen to music from Davis while viewing photographs and a timeline of the lives of both Davis and Piaf, according to the Postal Service.
"Davis epitomized 'cool' style and was one of the most important musicians of his era; the stamp art depicts him in a kinetic performance pose, suggesting his extraordinary, charismatic intensity," the postal service said.
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling (800) STAMP-24.
According to the postal service, customers 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: Miles Davis/Edith Piaf Stamp, Postmaster, 421 Eighth Ave., Room 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 Aug. 12.
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Read more: http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/davis-71552-stamps-postal.html#ixzz1xn4lCHmh
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