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Collect the first 176 Years of United States Stamps! Click here to get started!
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2015 USPS Stamp IssuesLearn everything you need to know about First Day Covers and how to order them by visiting our First Day Coverspage including an updated First Day Cover Ordering Calendar, complete with ordering addresses and deadlines. TBD = To Be Determined; PSA = Pressure-sensitive Adhesive; A Forever stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate when used on a one-ounce envelope. Stamp Issues:
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Stamp Issues 2015 |
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Geometric Snowflakes In nature, millions of ice crystals form unique patterns. This infinite variety inspired Snowflakes stamp designers to experiment with different graphic shapes. In 2013 a set of five Presort Standard rate Snowflakes stamps were issued and in 2014 two of these were brought back on Forever Rate envelopes. This year, we have a set of four different Forever rate Snowflakes stamps. For the 2015 Holiday season the Postal People have found a broader use for Snowflakes themed stamps. |
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A Charlie Brown Christmas Forever Stamps On December 9, 1965, millions of Americans viewed for the first time A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first animated special featuring characters from Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, which aired that year on CBS. Over the years, watching the beautifully understated tribute to the holiday season has become an annual tradition. The program now airs every year on ABC. The stamp art features 10 still frames from the program, starting with Charlie Brown holding the sapling that eventually becomes his Christmas tree and ending with him decorating the tree in front of the prize-winning lights display on Snoopy's doghouse. |
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Paul Newman Forever Stamp Paul Newman earned stamp honors for many reasons. As an actor he received 10 Academy Award nominations and won an Oscar for his role in "The Color of Money." Among his many other interests, he took up auto racing in his 40s and stayed active, including some race car driving when he was 82. As part of his funding of many charities, Newman's SeriousFun Children's Network has helped more than 600,000 children and families. Some of the funding came from the "Newman's Own" food company that he founded in 1982, and which has donated more than $430 million to thousands of charities. In 2006, he co-founded the Safe Water Network, which provides market-based safe water solutions to people in the developing world. For his many contributions, Paul Newman was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscars in 1994. SeriousFun Children's Network, which is highlighted on the back of the stamp pane, is offering a limited supply Paul Newman stamp pin to anyone who makes a minimum donation of $35 to SeriousFun. Details about the pin are available at SeriousFun's website, www.seriousfunnetwork.org. |
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Neon Celebrate Forever Reissue The Neon Celebrate! stamp, first issued in 2011 is designed to be used for various happy occasions. The first stamp art to be made with neon, the design is reminiscent of a fireworks display with brilliantly colored images of swirls, circles, and dashes that erupt from the ground to illuminate the darkness. |
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World Stamp Show 2016 (Click to see Pane of 20 ) Once every ten years a massive Stamp International is held in the United States. This year, New York is the host city, and the U.S. Postal Service will release its first postage stamps promoting the show, two same-design stamps in different colors. World Stamp Show 2016 will be held May 28 through June 4, during which time the show organizers look forward to a quarter of a million people to visit the show, which will host about 200 dealers, dozens of postal administrations, beginner activities, 3,800 frames of competitive exhibits, a Court of Honor that includes the $9.48 million British Guiana One Cent Magenta, and more. Click for World Stamp Show - NY 2016 - Special Editions - Historical coverage of U. S. International Philatelic Exhibitions starting with 1913—The First U. S. International and current information about the World Stamp Show - NY 2016! Click for NORDIA, the Nordic Stamp Exhibition - World Online Philatelic Agency (WOPA) |
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Ingrid Bergman Forever Stamp (Click to see stamp sheet.) The U.S. Postal Service and the Swedish Post Office will jointly issue stamps to honor award-winning actress Ingrid Bergman as the 19th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series. A 2005 joint issue with Sweden featured Greta Garbo. The U.S. stamp art features a circa 1940 image of Bergman taken by Laszlo Willinger, known for his portraits of celebrities. The Swedish version of that photo is an engraved version of the portrait. A second Swedish stamp is based on a watercolor illustration of the Swedish born star, who won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for best actress. |
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Elvis Presley Music Icon The 1993 Elvis Presley single stamp was an all-time best seller for the USPS, so the only surprise about Elvis being added to the Music Icons series is "what took so long" to add him to a series that began in May 2013 and already includes Lydia Mendoza, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Shown here is an Elvis image that will be on the back side of the stamp sheet. In keeping with past Music Icons stamps, the final design of the stamp will resemble a 45 RPM record jacket. |
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Coast Guard Forever Stamp (Click to see larger image) The Coast Guard celebrates two anniversaries in 2015. It was founded on August 4, 1790 as the Revenue Cutter Service, part of the Treasury Department to prevent smuggling when import taxes supported most of the federal budget. In 1915 it was merged with the coastal Lifesaving Service to form the modern Coast Guard; the Lighthouse Service was added in 1939. The stamp art, an oil painting by William S. Phillips, depicts two icons of the Coast Guard: the cutter Eagle, a three-masted sailing ship known as "America's Tall Ship," and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, the standard rescue aircraft of the Coast Guard. |
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Fanciful Flowers Stamped Card The Fanciful Flowers Stamped Card is another of the 2015 releases that meet the new rates. The Forever stamped card will always be equal to the value of the First-Class Mail postcard rate in effect at the time of use. The cards currently are sold for 4¢ over the 35¢ postage value, for a total of 39¢ for each card. The card features a stylized illustration of flowers and a bee. The design was created using a process similar to woodblock printing to create the image. |
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Summer Harvest Forever Stamps (Click to see 4 designs) Following up on last year's Farmer's Markets stamps, this new set of four is expected to be popular with mailers. The stamps feature vegetable designs by New York artist Michael Dorat, inspired by vintage produce crate labels from the early 20th Century. |
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$25 Federal Duck Stamp (not a postage stamp) The 2015-2016 Duck stamp features Jennifer Miller's painting of a pair of Ruddy Ducks. Duck stamps are not postage stamps. The Fish and Wildlife Service produces the Federal Duck Stamp, which raises about $25 million each year to provide critical funds for conserving wetlands for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of people. The new stamp is valid from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. In addition to being required by waterfowl hunters age 16 and older, it also is a popular with conservationists and collectors. Purchase Federal Duck Stamps from the USPS |
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Junior Duck Stamp (not a postage stamp) After the controversy a few years ago when a 6-year old was declared the winner of the Junior Duck Stamp contest—and artists everywhere questioned how that was possible—we probably have seen the last of such victories, and, as is usually the case, a teenager will be the winner. For the 2015-16 Junior Duck stamp, Andrew Kneeland, 17, of Rock Springs, Wyo., won the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with his acrylic painting of a pair of wood ducks. Money raised from the sale of the Junior Duck Stamps supports environmental education. Purchase Junior Duck Stamps from the USPS |
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Flannery O'Connor Three Ounce Rate Stamp The 30th stamp in the Literary Arts series honors Flannery O'Connor, who is best known for her darkly comic stories and novels about the potential for enlightenment in the worst possible moments. She described herself as a "pigeon-toed child with a receding chin and a you-leave-me-alone-or-I'll-bite-you complex." At six, when Pathé News filmed "Little Mary O'Connor" with her trained chicken, and showed it in theaters nationwide, she said, "I had a chicken that walked backward and was in the Pathé News. I was in it too with the chicken. I was just there to assist the chicken but it was the high point in my life. Everything since has been an anticlimax." If she were alive today, this stamp just might take a close second. The colorized portrait is based on a black-and-white 1940s photo. The peacock feathers are a symbol often associated with the author. The "Three Ounce" on the stamp indicates its usage value, currently 93¢, which will change whenever the 3-ounce rate changes. |
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Postage Rate Information: A variety of new postage rates effective June 1 do not include an increase in the 1 ounce First Class rate, following a failed attempt by the USPS to get that rate increased to 50¢. New rates in effect Sunday, May 31 are covered by stamps issued June 1. Instead of showing a specific rate, or "Forever" (whose use is now confined to First Class 1 ounce rate stamps) these rate change stamps designate the rate they meet now, or in the future as rates change. |
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Penguins Additional First Class ounce rate stamp This stamp pictures the Emperor Penguin. The largest of the penguin species, the emperor stands over three feet tall and can weigh more than 80 pounds and can dive deeper than any other bird—yes, penguins are classified as birds. The stamp art is a stylized drawing of a pair of emperor penguins, and is based on an illustration by Nancy Stahl, who has designed many of the recent birds and animals stamps. The words "Additional Ounce" indicate its usage value, which will always be equal in value to the extra ounce price, which as of May 31 is 22 cents |
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Vintage Tulip First Class two ounce rate stamp The increase in the additional ounce rate by a penny, from 21¢ to 22¢, obsoleted the 2014 70¢ Tulip stamp, making the new rate 71¢. The new issue uses the same design, but instead of a denomination, it reads Two Ounce, thus eliminating the need to redesign this stamp whenever there is a rate change. The USPS states this stamp is intended " to accommodate the weight of heavy invitations for weddings and other celebrations, greeting cards, and mailings such as small gifts that require extra postage." The Vintage Rose Forever First Class rate stamp is still available for the reply envelope. |
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Yes, I Do First Class two ounce rate stamp If a mailer prefers a more specific design for a Wedding invitation, this stamp can be used to carry the invitation and reply card and envelope (for which there still is a "Where Dreams Blossom" Forever First Class rate stamp with a similar design. The design on the Yes, I Do stamp is the same as that issued in 2013, but with "two ounce" instead of a specific denomination. The rate as of May 31, 2015 is 71¢. |
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Wedding Cake First Class two ounce rate stamp And if a mailer prefers something more formal for their Wedding invitations, the Postal People have this Wedding Cake stamp. It's a repeat of the design first introduced in 2009, with "Two Ounce" instead of a specific denomination. Pastry chef Peter Brett created and designed the cake. The matching First Class rate stamp would be the Wedding Roses Forever stamp first issued in 2011. The rate as of May 31, 2015 is 71¢. (Warning to mailers: plan ahead because these Wedding stamps may not always be available at your local post office, and might have to be ordered from the USPS Fulfillment Center.) |
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Stamp The USPS continues this series of stamps for use on envelopes that require additional postage because the size might meet the one ounce weight, but does not meet their machine-processing specifications. The stamp art is a stylized depiction of the butterfly, which is named for the black "tiger" stripes along the upper surfaces of its wings. Unlike the four previous Butterfly stamps in this series, instead of a specific denomination, the stamp uses the words "Non-Machineable Surcharge." This rate as of May 31, 2015 is 71¢. |
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Coastal Birds Postcard rate stamps The Postal Service did get approval for a 1¢ increase in the Postcard rate, to 35¢ effective May 31, 2015. The four birds pictured are the red knot, king eider, roseate spoonbill, and frigatebird. The stamps feature highly stylized, digital portraits of each bird. Again, as with the other rate change stamps, instead of a specific denomination, the stamps use the word "Postcard". |
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Medal of Honor: Vietnam War (Click to see 3 designs) In this third Medal of Honor prestige folio, the format consists of a large sheet folded to form four separate pages. The first and fourth pages (front and back) display photos of the 48 living recipients who agreed to be part of the stamp issue. Those photos surround a group of 12 Forever stamps (24 total), consisting of designs, for the Army, Navy (which also is presented to members of the Marine Corps) and Air Force Medals of Honor. The previous, World War II and Korean War, folios did not include an Air Force Medal of Honor, which was launched after those two wars. Page two contains selvage text and a key to the individuals pictured. Page three has an alphabetical listing of those living individuals who agreed to be included as well as those of deceased Medal of Honor recipients from the Vietnam War. |
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Forget Me Not: Missing Children (Forever) This public service message stamp features forget-me-nots flowers that are the symbol for International Missing Children's Day. It is intended to make the public more aware of ways they can assist in helping find Missing Children and offer hope to the families of missing children as they continue their search. The issue date, May 25, is National Missing Children's Day and International Missing Children's Day. Since 1984, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has helped law enforcement recover more than 205,000 missing children. The recovery rate for missing children continues to increase, thanks to greater public awareness, law enforcement training, laws, and technology. |
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Forget Me Not: Missing Children Stamped Envelope (Forever) In conjunction with the release of the Forget Me Not stamps, the Postal People also use the same design on a stamped envelope that will be sold in packs of 10, will include matching seals, and will be premium priced for $9.95. |
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Special Olympics Stamp (Click to larger image) The 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games will be held July 25 to August 2, 2015 in Los Angeles. The 2015 Games will feature competitions in aquatics, gymnastics, track and field, basketball, football (soccer) and many other summer sports involving 7,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from around the world. The stamp features the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles logo. The symbolic celebratory figure is placed with a circle to represent acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The colors are taken from the flags of participating countries. |
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Water Lilies Stamped Envelopes At the ASDA Spring Postage Stamp in New York, the Postal People converted two of the four Water Lilies stamp designs (see March 20 for the stamps) to Forever rate envelopes. They will be sold in packs of 10, will include colorful seals, and will be premium priced for $9.95. |
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Gifts of Friendship Joint Issue with Japan In this USPS and Japan Post joint issue there are two stamp designs for each country, one featuring the dogwood and the other featuring the cherry blossom. The U.S. pane will have four each of the two U.S. designs(Lincoln Memorial and U.S Capitol) and one each of the two Japan designs. The Japan pane will one each of the U.S. and Japan scenic designs (National Diet and Memorial Clock Tower) and two each of three different blossoming flowers designs. All of the stamps on the U.S. pane, including the Japan designs, will be U.S. Forever rate denominated stamps. All of the Japan stamps bear 82 yen denominations. The issue coincides with the Centennial of President William Howard Taft's gift of 50 flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan in 1915. Earlier, in 1912, Tokyo gave the city of Washington, D.C., more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees, the centennial of which was celebrated on a 2012 USPS pair. Click for article: "U.S., Japan, Share Gifts of Friendship Stamps" |
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Civil War: 1865 (Forever) (Click to see full sheet front, back) In this final installment in the five-year Civil War series, one of the stamps reproduces the 1895 painting "Peace in Union" by Thomas Nast, depicting Robert E. Lee's surrender. The other, for the Battle of Five Forks, reproduces a painting, circa 1885. This climactic battle and Lee's subsequent surrender took place within 25 miles of each other. The front and back of the souvenir sheet includes a photo of Federal rifles stacked in the vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia, during the siege as well as comments on the war by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and Union General Joshua L. Chamberlain, plus lines parodying the lyrics of the Civil War song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." |
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Maya Angelou Forever Stamp As an author, poet, actress, and champion of civil rights, Maya Angelou was one of the most dynamic voices in 20th-century American literature. She is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. Her book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiographical account of her childhood, gained wide acclaim for its vivid depiction of African-American life in the South. She also was active in the Civil Rights movement, and, was regarded as a spokesperson for black people and women. Click for article USPS Honors Maya Angelou [PDF Document] |
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From Me to You Letter Writing (Click to see sheet) April is National Letter Writing Month, and San Francisco artist Michael Osborne has created one of the simplest stamp designs ever to encourage folks to write letters to loved ones. The decals and labels around the pane are intended to be used as decorations on the envelope or letter.
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Ferns Forever Stamps This is a new printing of the March 6, 2014 Forever rate issue, produced by a different printer and using an offset process instead of the previous gravure engraved process. (We show the 2014 image here pending receipt of a 2015 image.) A favorite with gardeners and florists, the approximately 380 different species of ferns found in North America range from tiny moss-like plants to giants as tall as trees. The name of each fern is placed vertically in capital letters along one edge of the stamp. Designed to be used by businesses, they are being issued in large self-adhesive coils. |
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Martin Ramirez Forever Stamps (Click to see 5 designs) This set of five honors artist Martin Ramirez. Per a 2007 New York Times review of a Folk Art exhibition, in which he was described as “simply one of the greatest artists of the 20th century,” Mexican-born Martin Ramirez came to the U.S. to work on the railroads that were being built in Northern California, was found to suffer from schizophrenia in the 1930s and confined to State Hospitals for the rest of his life. Fortunately, a psychologist and artist, Tarmo Pasto, discovered Ramirez and began to save the large drawings he was making on bits of paper glued together from a paste made of bread or potatoes and saliva. The issue site is the Ricco/Maresca Gallery, where some of his work is on display. Other art stamp issues you may be interested in:
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Water Lilies (Click to see 4 designs) This set of four stamps features close-ups of classic garden water lilies, based on photos from the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington by Cindy Dyer. Water lilies are aquatic herbs that live in both temperate and tropical climates around the world; they are found in still freshwater habitats. There are more than 50 species in the water lily family and hundreds of hybrids. Their flowers sit at or slightly above the water's surface. Although delicate looking, the flowers are tough, and grow well throughout the U.S. Water lilies are featured often in the art of the Maya, the ancient Mesoamerican culture. Some of the most well-known paintings of French impressionist Claude Monet were of water lilies; the artist dedicated the last decades of his life to capturing the beauty of the lily pond on his estate in Giverny, France. |
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Stars & Stripes Presorted Standard (Click to see 3 designs) Many business and personal mailers prefer using stamps featuring the American Flag. To meet volume business use, the U.S. Flag theme is played out in a Stars and Stripes issue featuring three stamps that together form elements of a waving flag. The stamps feature wavy red and white stripes, a blue field, and five-pointed stars. Along the bottom of each stamp are the words “USA Presorted Standard.” Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps illustrated by Nancy Stahl. |
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Bobcat 1¢ This is a reissue of the stamp that was first issued in 2012. The bobcat traces back to around 1.8 million years ago. Adaptable to many environments,it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental U.S. About twice as large as the domestic cat, it has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby tail, from which it derives its name. Though the bobcat prefers rabbits and hares, it will hunt anything from insects and small rodents to deer. It stalks its prey and then ambushes it with a short chase or pounce. |
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Vintage Rose Forever Stamp (Click to see larger image) Not to be confused with the 2015 additions to the Love stamp series, this engraved Vintage Rose stamp is part of the separate, Wedding series. Jeanne Greco created the stylized black-and-white illustration of a rose, with a small pink heart. The artwork features details from an engraved plate from the early 1700s. |
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Vintage Tulip 70¢ (Click to see larger image) Despite being issued on February 14 and incorporating a red heart in the design, the Vintage Tulip stamp is not an addition to the Love series. Instead, it is part of the Postal Services Wedding series. This 70¢ stamp is intended to be used on the larger Wedding invitation envelope, and the Forever rate Vintage Rose would be used for the enclosed RSVP envelope. The artwork features details from an engraved plate from the early 1700s. Both stamps will be issued at the APS AmeriStamp show. |
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Robert Robinson Taylor Forever Stamp - Black Heritage The 38th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors architect and educator Robert Robinson Taylor (1868–1942). For more than three decades, Taylor supervised the design and construction of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama while also overseeing the school's programs in industrial education and the building trades. He is believed to have been both the first black graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the country's first academically trained black architect. The stamp features a photograph of Taylor taken circa 1890, when he was around 22 years old and a student at MIT. |
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Lunar New Year: Year of the Ram Forever Stamp The Year of the Ram begins on February 19. In time to use for mailing greetings, the Postal Service issues the 2015 stamp in San Francisco. New York artist Kim Mak once again brings us a design that features a traditional form of celebration, a wooden candy tray, known as the chuen-hop or "Tray of Togetherness." The tray is filled with dried fruits, candies, and other treats to provide a sweet beginning to the New Year. The stamp design incorporates two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps: the intricate cut-paper design of a ram by artist Clarence Lee, and the Chinese character for "ram," drawn in grass-style calligraphy by the late Lau Bun. The images on the lid of the tray were inspired by a Ming Dynasty cabinet decoration. |
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$2 Patriotic Waves Stamp The first round of high denomination Waves stamps were issued in December 2012.The new, red-white-blue designs are intended to lend a patriotic appearance to packages and other mailings that need extra postage. The $2 Patriotic Waves stamp features red and blue intersecting lines on a white background in an abstract pattern reminiscent of billowing flags. A portion on the lower right side of the stamp provides white space to display the dollar sign and the numeral 2. |
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Love Hearts Forever Stamps These two new Love stamps are intended depict the ancient association between eternal love and the heart. Lacy lettering in the shape of a heart spells out the word 'Forever' on two stamps. Artist Jessica Hische created the lettering that forms the heart, first drawing her designs by hand and then finishing the stamp art digitally.
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$1 Patriotic Waves Stamp The first round of high denomination Waves stamps were issued in December 2012.The new, red-white-blue designs are intended to lend a patriotic appearance to packages and other mailings that need extra postage. The $1 Patriotic Waves stamp features red and blue intersecting lines on a white background in an abstract pattern reminiscent of billowing flags. A portion on the lower right side of the stamp provides white space to display the dollar sign and numeral 1. |
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Bank Swallow Envelope The 2013 Bank Swallow stamped envelopes will be issued using the same design, but with a different manufacturer logo and identification, to reflect the change in ownership of the company that manufactures the envelopes. The Bank Swallow, the smallest swallow in North America, is pictured on the envelope. Like all swallows, bank swallows are agile songbirds that specialize in catching insects in midair. They use their beaks and feet to dig burrows in sandy banks overlooking lakes and streams. |
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Folk Art Eagle Envelope The 2013 Folk Art Eagle stamped envelopes will be issued using the same design, but with a different manufacturer logo and identification, to reflect the change in ownership of the company that manufactures the envelopes. |
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War of 1812 Forever Stamp |
| Stamp images provided by the United States Postal Service. Copyright © 2015 USPS. All Rights Reserved. |
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