STEVENS POINT, Wis., October 31, 2007 - The Speciality Papers' Stevens Point Mill of Stora Enso North America joined forces with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) in dedicating a pane of 20 Yoda commemorative stamps last week at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Stora Enso's Stevens Point Mill supplied OptiLabel Stamp face paper and LumiSil Stamp release liner for the Yoda stamp issue. Stevens Point Mill provided the same papers for the full Star Wars stamp collection, released earlier this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars film.
The 900 year-old Jedi Master Yoda is the only Star Wars character to receive his own stamp issue. His selection came after the USPS invited the public to vote for its favorite Star Wars character. More than a half-million votes were cast - Yoda edged out Darth Vader for individual honors.
The full Star Wars stamp collection, which depicts 15 images from the movie series, will remain on sale until May 25, 2008, for $6.15 through the USPS. The 20-stamp sheet of the Yoda 41-cent commemorative stamp is available for $8.20 through October 25, 2008.
The Yoda stamp issue follows on the heels of the recent release of the commemorative Alpine Tundra stamp issue, the ninth in an educational series designed to promote appreciation of major plant and animal communities in the United States.
Stora Enso's OptiLabel and LumiSil help highlight a beautiful acrylic painting depicting more than 24 animal and plant species, illustrating the diversity associated with the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park. A description of alpine tundra and a numbered key to the artwork appear on the back of the pane, along with a corresponding list of common and scientific names for 24 species. The 10-stamp Alpine Tundra sheet is available for $4.10 through the USPS.