Elvis Presley fans and stamp collectors flocked to the Cape Girardeau Post Office Friday, buying up more than 39,000 of the commemorative stamps celebrating the "Rock 'n' Roll king."

When the clock struck noon Friday, a postal clerk shoved aside the "closed" sign at his service window at the post office, and accepted the first order for the long-awaited Elvis Presley commemorative stamp.

Gone unless you believe all of those supermarket tabloids but not forgotten was the message delivered by thousands of Americans Friday who flocked to post offices throughout the United States to purchase the stamps. The stamps featured a picture of a young Elvis reminiscent of the lean, mike-cradling, hip-swiveling, lip-curling "king of Rock 'n' Roll."

About 25 people were gathered at the Cape Girardeau Post Office when the clock struck 12, but a half-hour later more than 50 people were lined up at the special window, which was established to sell Elvis stamps.

As the appointed hour approached in many areas, including Cape Girardeau, people vocally counted down the seconds, then chanted, "Stamp! Stamp! Stamp!"

"We started with 40,000 stamps," said Mike Keefe, postmaster at Cape Girardeau. "That was a double order. We usually receive the minimum order of 20,000 on new commemorative stamps. But we wanted enough to go around."

As of Saturday morning, the post office had less than a thousand of the stamps on hand.

"This stamp has created more interest than any previous commemorative stamp," said Keefe. "The Postal Service has printed 300 million of the stamps, the largest commemorative issue ever."

Elvis fans started gathering early at the Cape Girardeau Post Office.

Keith Smith described the day as a "special day."

"I'm buying a sheet for my 8-day-old son, Clayton," said Smith. He said he and his wife, Mimi, were going to put a sheet of stamps in their son's photo album under special events.

"This is a special event," said Smith, who added that he liked Elvis Presley's music.

"I grew up with Elvis' music," said Anita Fahrenkrog of Jackson, who was among the first five in line. "I have several of his records, and I want a sheet of stamps to put with my collection of Elvis memorabilia."

Margaret Beulow of Cape Girardeau, who describes herself as a stamp collector, stood in line to buy the stamps for herself and others.

"I already have my check made out for 10 sheets (400) stamps," she said. "I'm going to keep some, give away some, and use some for mailing. I'm not really a big Elvis fan, but I like his music."

Georgia Burgfeld of Cape Girardeau was second in line. "I'm a stamp collector and an Elvis fan," she said. "I want one sheet (40 stamps) to keep."

Kim Harms of Sikeston was in line early at Cape Girardeau to pick up "two or three sheets of stamps" for her mother, Evelyn Hill of Sikeston.

"I am not an Elvis fan," said Harms. "But my mother is a big fan."

The Postal Service expects to pull a profit in excess of $20 million on the stamps and related souvenirs. Only the 29-cent stamps were available here, but other Elvis stamp products can be ordered by telephone.

They include:

The Elvis Commemorative Album, an exclusive, specially commissioned story of the rock 'n' roll king's life, which includes a hard-cover slip jacket and block of four mint stamps.

An Elvis Limited Edition Print, a full-color 12x12-inch glossy reproduction of stamp artist Mark Stutzman's "Young Elvis," and a stamp with the "first-day issue" cancellation from Graceland, Elvis' Memphis, Tenn., mansion.

An exclusive first-day ceremony program from Graceland, which includes an Elvis stamp with the Graceland cancellation.

The stamp was introduced on what would have been the late singer's 58th birthday.

More than 1,500 people attended a special program Thursday night at Graceland, about 180 miles south of Cape Girardeau, for ceremonies honoring the stamp and Elvis' birthday.

Among the crowd at Graceland were Presley's former wife, Priscilla, and his only child and sole heir, Lisa Marie Keough, who made a rare public appearance.

Although the Presley stamp rush officially began Friday, a post office in Amarillo, Texas, slipped up and sold about 60 of the stamps early.

Many post offices set up mobile stations to meet the heavy demand for the stamps honoring the star whose ever faithful fans call him "the king." Elvis had 110 gold or platinum records, more than twice the total of the second-biggest act, the Beatles.

At Graceland, a half-dozen mobile postal stations were brought in for people wanting to get stamps postmarked. By early afternoon Friday, Graceland had sold out of its 35,000 first-day postal covers displaying the words, "I was there." They went for $5 each.

The stamp's release was scheduled for Presley's 58th birthday and was the focus of a three-day celebration at Graceland. Presley was born in Tupelo, Miss., Jan. 8, 1935, and died at Graceland Aug. 16, 1977.

A nationwide election was held last summer to select artwork for the stamp, and more than 1 million ballots were cast. Fans voted for a portrait of Presley as he looked in the 1950s.

Not all the hoopla Friday, however, was pro-Presley. Several picketers outside a post office in Springfield, Mass. trampled an Elvis poster, and brandished signs with a diagonal slash across his picture, claiming Elvis didn't deserve a stamp because of his use of alcohol and drugs.