The new United States 2001-02 $15 federal duck stamps were issued June 29 during a brief ceremony held at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. The new duck stamps were issued in two formats: panes of one self-stick and panes of 20 with water-activated gum. Only the self-stick duck stamp was available for sale following the ceremony. The new 2001-02 duck stamp portrays Bob Hautman's painting of a single Northern pintail gliding across the water. Hautman, a resident of Delano, Minn., was present to sign autographs after the first-day ceremony. The only souvenier-type card to be issued this year by the duck stamp office is a so-called artist's commemorative card. This card bears the new $15 Northern pintail stamp and a 1998-99 $15 Barrow's goldeneye stamp, Scott RW65. Both stamps bear a June 29, 2001, cancellation - the first day of sale for the new stamp and the last day of sale for the 1998-99 stamp. Only 500 cards will be issued, according to the federal duck stamp office. Cards, at $50 each, can be purchased from the Federal Duck Stamp Office, 1849 C Street N.W., Room 2058, Washington, DC 20240. (click here to order) Only the self-adhesive pane of one stamp and the artist's commemorative cards will be handled by the duck stamp office. (click here to order) Collectors desiring to have both formats of the new duck stamp can buy them from the U.S. Postal Service, phone 800-782-6724; from Amplex, phone 800-382-54499; from philatelic windows at selected post offices; or from stamp dealers. Amplex runs the federal duck stamp consignment program. Anyone wishing to obtain a 2001-02 duck stamp signed by the artist (click here to order) should send one of the new mint stamps and an addressed envelope franked with first-class postage to Bob Hautman, 2251 110th St. S.E., Delano, MN 55328. Hautman will sign stamps free of charge for up to one year after the issue date. Thereafter, requests for signatures are subject to a signing fee. The duck stamp office offers only artist-signed, self-stick stamps. The charge is $15, plus a fee of $2 per stamp that goes to the migratory bird fund. In the past 10 or so years, the first-day event for a new federal duck stamp has been supplemented by an event in the artist's hometown. This event usually took place a week or two after the official first-day event in Washington, but this year it may be held late, if at all. Bob Hautman told me an event was possible, even probable, and was being handled by representatives of the Minnesota Waterfowl Association. In early September, the association will host an event called Prairie Pothole Days, and his hometown event could be held at that time. The Prairie Pothole Days event is called the "Duck Factory," because results can be directly seen from acreage converted or reclaimed for wildlife in Minnesota's highly productive areas. In late spring, J.R. Wooton released the much anticipated and needed 2001 edition of The Streamside Catalogue of Fish and Game Stamps. (click here to order) While the catalog delves deeply into many game stamps, only overlapping sportsman and similar-type stamps involve duck hunting stamps. Those that are listed are important and noteworthy. The last catalog of this type was E.L. Vanderford's 1973 Handbook of Fish and Game Stamps. In that work, some 1,570 stamps were listed and described. (click here to order) The Wooton catalog lists and describes the colors for 6,670 stamps, both text-only and pictorial issues. General waterfowl stamps are not specifically listed, because Wooton feels they are, in his words, "adequately cataloged elsewhere." Although the listings and values are extensive, the author points out that a number of state listings need additional work, such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Georgia and California. In addition, Wooton notes that Colorado and Louisiana have issued a large number of stamps during the past 10 years that require more study. Wooton obtained his catalog values from various auction results. Wooton states: 'Listed prices are only given as a guide, and are for sound stamps without faults of any kind. Stated prices for mint stamps are for hinged stamps prior to 1976, and never-hinged thereafter." The softbound catalog consists of 220 pages with a splashy cover. Stamps issued for the year 2001 are included. The book sells for $41.95, plus postage, and is available from various stamp literature dealers, or from Streamside Press Inc., Box 74, Tate, GA 30177. Numerous dealers and collectors will peruse the catalog to identify the stamps they've been hoarding, and when these stamps enter the marketplace, some prices will go up and others will go down -- that is a given. I applaud Wooton's achievement. It takes extensive effort to attempt such a venture and fortitude to list prices. Perhaps many dealers have bought and sold some of these stamps, but for one reason or another, have not published comprehensive price lists. The fish and game area of wildlife stamps was basically drifting in the dark. But with the Wooton catalog available with hard data for all to see and critique, the market will be smarter, and stamp values eventually will find their correct levels.