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Collect the first 176 Years of United States Stamps! Click here to get started!
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2019 USPS Stamp IssuesIn announcing the 2019 program, USPS Executive Director Mary-Anne Penner said, “The miniature works of art illustrated in the 2019 stamp program offer something for everyone’s interest about American history and culture. From legendary poet Walt Whitman to the entertainment genius of Gregory Hines to the majestic beauty of our Wild and Scenic Rivers, this program is diverse and wide ranging and tells America’s story on stamps.” 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 for 2019 |
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Healing PTSD Semi-Postal Stamp This new semi-postal stamp will help raise funds for those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The illustration of a green plant sprouting from the ground, which is covered in fallen leaves, symbolizes the PTSD healing process. Tens of millions of Americans will experience PTSD in their lifetimes. The condition develops in some children and adults who have survived a traumatic event. Experiences such as a natural disaster, car accident, physical or sexual assault, abuse, and combat, among others, can trigger PTSD. While post-traumatic disorders have long been a subject of study, PTSD was not officially added to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until the late 20th century. Today, the nation is increasingly dedicated to compassionately treating this mental health issue. The Healing PTSD semi-postal stamp will be sold for 65 cents. The price includes the first-class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase (now 55¢) plus an amount to fund PTSD research. The 1998 Breast Cancer stamp was the first U.S. semi-postal. Others issued were the 2002 Heroes of 2001, 2003 Stop Family Violence, 2011 Save Vanishing Species and 2017 Alzheimer’s semi-postal stamps. |
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Holiday Wreaths Forever Stamps The 2019 contemporary holiday stamps will highlight wreaths inspired by the holiday decorating traditions of early America. Wreaths are often made from materials easily found during the winter months, including pinecones, dried flowers and berries. In clockwise order from upper left: |
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Spooky Silhouettes Forever Stamps This new set of four stamps celebrates Halloween, a holiday that lets children and adults delight in the things that scare us. With the approach of autumn, Spooky Silhouettes stamps will offer fun, frightful scenes that symbolize this annual celebration. The stamps feature digital illustrations in which traditional Halloween motifs are rendered as black silhouettes in eerily backlit windows. In 2016, in anticipation of the holiday that year, the USPS issued a set of four stamps picturing brightly lit Halloween Jack-O’-Lanterns. |
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Purple Heart Forever stamp The Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military with the issuance of the Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp that depicts the medal suspended from its ribbon within a purple border matching the purple of the medal and its ribbon. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action. It was established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War and shows a profile bust of Washington beneath his family coat of arms. The original Purple Heart, designated as the Badge of Military Merit, was established by George Washington—then the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army—by order from his Newburgh, New York headquarters on August 7, 1782. |
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Winter Berries Forever stamps Winter Berries, in a booklet of 20 stamps, celebrates four of winter’s small yet vibrant offerings: the winterberry (Ilex verticillata), the juniper berry (Juniperus communis), the beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and the soapberry (Sapindus saponaria). The stamp art features highly detailed botanical portraits of each plant that highlight the bold colors and rich textures of their berries. Artist Steve Buchanan worked with art director Antonio Alcalá to create these four new stamps. |
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Walt Whitman Three Ounce stamp Walt Whitman is the 32nd honoree in the Literary Arts series, on the bicentennial of his birth. The stamp features a portrait of Whitman based on a photograph taken by Frank Pearsall in 1869. In the background, a hermit thrush sitting on the branch of a lilac bush recalls “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d,” an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln written by Whitman soon after Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. Considered by many to be the father of modern American poetry, Whitman broke away from dominant European poetic forms and experimented with free verse and colloquial expressions, writing powerfully about nearly every aspect of 19th-century America. The artist for the stamp was Sam Weber. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp. The words “THREE OUNCE” on this stamp indicate its usage value. Like a First Class Forever stamp, this stamp will always be valid for the rate printed on it. |
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Tyrannosaurus Rex Forever stamp With this pane of 16 stamps, the Postal Service brings Tyrannosaurus rex to life some 66 million years after its demise. One design illustrates a face-to-face encounter with a T.rex approaching through a forest clearing; another shows the same young adult T.rex with a young Triceratops, both dinosaurs shown in fossil form. The third and fourth stamps depict a newly hatched T.rex covered with downy feathers and a bare-skinned juvenile T.rex chasing a primitive mammal. Described as “the Nation’s T.rex,” the young adult depicted on two of the stamps, was discovered on federal land in Montana and is one of the most studied and important specimens ever found. Its remains will soon be on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original artwork by Julius T. Csotonyi, a scientist and paleoartist. |
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Woodstock Forever stamp Woodstock celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held in the small farming community of Bethel, New York, in August 1969. It was the most famous rock festival in history and an expression of the youth counterculture of the 1960s. The stamp art, designed by art director Antonio Alcalá, features the image of the dove from graphic artist Arnold Skolnick’s promotional 1969 poster for the festival along with some of the poster’s words: “3 Days of Peace and Music.” In the stamp art the words are stacked in the background in brilliant colors along with the year 1969, USA, and Forever (the value of the stamp). The white dove stands in the foreground. |
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Military Working Dogs Forever stamp The Postal Service honors the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs with this new booklet of 20 stamps. Each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of four breeds—German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd—that commonly serve in America's armed forces. The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A small star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios, a Los Angeles studio with a focus on the music and entertainment industries. |
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State and County Fair Forever stamps State and County Fairs are seen in four whimsical se-tenant stamps that celebrate the fun of America’s state and county fairs. The stamps were designed to work together as a panorama of fair activities, while each stamp also works as an individual picture. The stamp on the far left shows farmers unloading produce behind a white fence. In the second stamp, a child holding a chicken sits atop the same fence, with carnival rides—a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round—in the background. Those rides can be seen in the third stamp, where some fairgoers admire the livestock behind the fence while others walk, balloons in hand, toward a sweets stand. The last stamp shows children at the stand buying treats from the vendor. The art director was Greg Breeding. Mike Ryan designed the stamps with original art by Mick Wiggins. |
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Moon Landing Forever stamp As expected, the U.S. Postal Service has announced that they will be releasing an issue to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. There will be two different stamps. In an understandable departure from their “no living American” rules, one stamp features a photograph of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in his space suit on the surface of the moon. The image was taken by astronaut Neil Armstrong. Despite much better alternatives, the other stamp reproduces a photograph of the moon taken in 2010, showing a dot to indicate the landing site of the lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility. The Postal People state that the selvage of the sheet will include an image of the lunar module, but have not yet provided the sheet image. The stamp will be issued on July 19, rather than on July 20 when the Lunar Module Eagle touched down, or July 21 when Neil Armstrong took that historic “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” |
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Frog Forever stamps Frogs are seen on four new stamps in a booklet of 20, featuring digital illustrations of four North American frogs: the Pacific tree frog, the northern leopard frog, the American green tree frog and the squirrel tree frog. Working with a primarily green color palette and touches of brown, artist Nancy Stahl captured the essence of each animal with enough important defining features to make each recognizable. Art director William J. Gicker designed the stamps. |
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Sesame Street Forever stamps With this issue the USPS honors Sesame Street on its 50th Anniversary. One of the most popular television programs ever created, the series has provided educational programming and entertainment for generations of children—and young at heart adults—throughout the country and around the world. The first episode of Sesame Street aired on November 10, 1969. From the beginning, Sesame Street was like no other children’s program. Human characters, often children themselves, interacted with the Muppets of Sesame Street. In 2018, it was estimated that 86 million Americans had watched the series as children. As of 2018, Sesame Street has won 189 Emmy Awards and 11 Grammy Awards, more than any other children’s show. The program continues to evolve as, in recent years it has brought to its audience characters with autism and, most recently, a foster child character. |
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George H. W. Bush Forever stamp While this stamp continues a tradition of honoring deceased American Presidents, George Herbert Walker Bush also is a deserving subject based on his lifetime of service to his country. His accomplishments were far more than many citizens realized until he was eulogized by people of all persuasions in the days after his death. Postponing his college studies after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the service upon turning 18 in 1942, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action after his plane was shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire. He later served two terms as a Representative to Congress from Texas, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and President Ronald Reagan’s Vice-President. Elected President, he served from 1989 to 1993. As a result of his service he is regarded as one of the best prepared people to assume the office of the President. During his Presidency, he guided the United States through the end of the Cold War and drove the creation of a multinational coalition that successfully forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War. Despite being defeated by Bill Clinton in his run for re-election, after leaving office in 1993, George H. W. Bush remained active in humanitarian activities, at times alongside Clinton, his former opponent. The stamp art is based on a 1997 photograph. |
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The USS Missouri Forever stamp The USS Missouri (BB-63), America’s last battleship, is the subject on an issue that coincides with the 75th anniversary of the ship’s commissioning on June 11, 1944. The stamp art depicts Missouri in the disruptive camouflage she wore from her commissioning until a refit in early 1945. Missouri earned numerous combat awards and citations during her decades of service, which include World War II, the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. She played a momentous role when she hosted the ceremony marking Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. Designed by art director Greg Breeding, the stamp features a digital illustration by Dan Cosgrove. |
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The Ellsworth Kelly Forever stamp This set honors artist Ellsworth Kelly. Per the Postal People, “Kelly pioneered a distinctive style of abstraction based on real elements reduced to their essential forms.” His artworks include paintings, sculpture and works on paper. The 20 stamps on the pane feature 10 pieces, each represented twice: Yellow White (1961), Colors for a Large Wall (1951), Blue Red Rocker (1963), Spectrum I (1953), South Ferry (1956), Blue Green (1962), Orange Red Relief (for Delphine Seyrig) (1990), Meschers (1951), Red Blue (1964) and Gaza (1956). A detail from Blue Yellow Red III (1971) appears in the selvage (not shown here). Derry Noyes served as art director and designer for this issue. |
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Wild and Scenic Rivers celebrates Wild and Scenic Rivers exceptional American streams that run freely through natural landscapes without man-made alterations. The pane of a dozen different designs features photographs that represent the more than 200 rivers or river segments designated within the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. First row, left to right: Merced River (Michael Melford, photographer), Owyhee River (Michael Melford, photographer), Koyukuk River (Michael Melford, photographer) Second row, left to right: Niobrara River (Michael Melford, photographer), Snake River (Tim Palmer, photographer), Flathead River (Tim Palmer, photographer) Third row, left to right: Missouri River (Bob Wick, staff photographer for Bureau of Land Management), Skagit River (Tim Palmer, photographer), Deschutes River (Bob Wick, BLM, photographer) Fourth row, left to right: Tlikakila River (Michael Melford, photographer), Ontonagon River (Tim Palmer, photographer), Clarion River (Bob Wick, BLM, photographer). Small type on the bottom of each stamp indicates the name of the river. Michael Melford’s photograph of the Merced River is featured again in the selvage. Art director Derry Noyes designed the pane using existing photographs. |
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Transcontinental Railroad Forever stamps Three new stamps in a pane of 18 mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a massive engineering feat that reduced travel time across the country from as many as six months to about one week and made the American West an integral part of the nation. Two different stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. 119 locomotives that powered the trains carrying the officers and guests of two train companies to the "Golden Spike Ceremony," held when the two rail lines were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah. A third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was used for the historic final connection, and was a prominent part of the ceremony. Art director Greg Breeding designed the issuance. Michael J. Deas painted the Jupiter and No. 119 stamps. Kevin Cantrell illustrated the stamp depicting the ceremonial golden spike and did the border treatments and typography for all three |
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"Little Mo" Forever stamps This issue honors tennis champion Maureen Connolly Brinker. The stamp art features an oil-on-linen painting of the tennis star by Gregory Manchess. Based on a black-and-white photograph taken in 1952, the portrait is described as “a colorful interpretation” of Connolly hitting a low volley. Nicknamed "Little Mo," the 5-foot-4-inch dynamo used powerful groundstrokes to become, in 1953, the first woman to win all four major tennis tournaments in a calendar year. Her tennis career was ended in 1954, at the age of 19, when her right leg was injured in a horseback riding accident. The stamp will be issued at Southern Methodist University. She and her husband, Norman Brinker—a member of the 1952 Olympic equestrian team for the United States—settled in Texas, where she established the Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation to promote junior tennis. Starting in 1964 she attended SMU, but was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1966 and died in 1969. |
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Post Office Mural Forever stamps Post Office Murals is a pane of 10 stamps that features five different murals designed to add a touch of beauty to Post Office walls and help boost the morale of Americans during the era of the Great Depression. On the stamp art, the town or city and state in which the work of art is located is printed underneath each mural. The murals included are: “Kiowas Moving Camp” (1936) Anadarko, Oklahoma; “Mountains and Yucca” (1937) Deming, New Mexico; “Antelope” (1939) Florence, Colorado; “Sugarloaf Mountain” (1940) Rockville, Maryland; and “Air Mail” (1941) Piggott, Arkansas. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps. |
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Marvin Gaye Forever stamp Marvin Gaye is the subject on the latest stamp in the Music Icons series, The “Prince of Soul”—one of the most influential music performers of his generation is seen in a portrait of Gaye inspired by historic photographs. The stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps, brief text about Gaye’s legacy, and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. Another portrait of Gaye, also inspired by historic photographs, appears on the reverse along with the Music Icons series logo. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp pane with original art by Kadir Nelson. |
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Coral Reefs Postcard Rate (35¢) stamps Coral Reefs are the subject of four new postcard stamps that celebrate the beauty and wonder of coral reefs. Each stamp depicts a type of stony coral, along with associated reef fish, in a highly stylized manner: elkhorn coral, shown with two French angelfish; brain coral, with a spotted moray eel; staghorn coral, with bluestriped grunts; pillar coral, with a coney grouper and neon gobies. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps. Tyler Lang created the stamp art.
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Star Ribbon Forever stamp The Star Ribbon is a First Class Forever rate stamp designed to meet the needs of business mailers. The artwork features a digital illustration of a star made of red, white and blue ribbon. The white space in the middle of the ribbon creates a second smaller star. According to the Postal People, “the tri-colored ribbon, folded into a patriotic symbol, is intended to evoke the connectedness of the American people.” The stamp will be sold in coils of 10,000 and in panes of 20. Greg Breeding was the art director. Aaron Draplin designed the stamp and created the artwork. |
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Alabama Statehood Forever stamp Alabama Statehood celebrates the bicentennial of Alabama statehood. Alabama became the 22nd state in the Union on Dec. 14, 1819. The stamp art is a photograph taken at sunset in Cheaha State Park. Alabama photographer Joe Miller took the picture from the park’s Pulpit Rock Trail. With Pulpit Rock in the foreground, most of the area in the valley below the overlook is part of the Talladega National Forest, which surrounds the state park. The art director is William J. Gicker. Greg Breeding designed the stamp with Miller’s existing photograph. |
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Cactus Flower Forever stamp Cactus Flowers celebrates the beauty of cactus flowers with a booklet of 20 stamps. Each stamp depicts a photograph of the flower of one of these ten cacti: Opuntia engelmannii, Rebutia minuscula, Echinocereus dasyacanthus, Echinocereus poselgeri, Echinocereus coccineus, Pelecyphora aselliformis, Parodia microsperma, Echinocactus horizonthalonius, Thelocactus heterochromus and Parodia scopa. Within the booklet, each stamp design is featured twice. With new DNA studies, botanists sometimes reclassify plants. As of the printing of these stamps, the scientific names were accurate. Cacti also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer. |
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Gregory Hines Forever stamp Gregory Hines is honored on the 42nd stamp in the Black Heritage series. His unique style of tap dancing injected new artistry and excitement into a traditional American form. A versatile performer who danced, acted and sang on Broadway, on television and in movies, Hines developed the entertainment traditions of tap into an art form for a younger generation and is credited with renewing interest in tap during the 1990s. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp, which features a 1988 photograph by Jack Mitchell. |
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Uncle Sam's Hat Additional Ounce (15¢) Rate stamp Among the 2019 postal rate changes, the additional per ounce rate for First Class was reduced from 21¢ to 15¢ per ounce. To meet this rate, the Postal Service brought back the design that was first used in 2017, when the add-on rate was 21¢. The primary difference will be that it will bear a 2019 year date instead of the previous 2017 date. Known especially for his large top hat decorated in varying patterns of stars and stripes, Uncle Sam has symbolized the American spirit for more than 150 years. The Postal People tell us, “The stamp features eight graphic top hats in Uncle Sam’s signature style, with red and white vertical stripes above a blue band with a white star and a gray brim. Beneath each hat is an oval shape representing a face, each in a different shade, meant to suggest the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States.” |
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The U.S. Flag on the new 2019 stamp features the most recognizable symbol of the United States as it can be seen on one of several of the flagpoles near the end of Chicago’s Navy Pier, waving in a May breeze. The photograph was taken by art director Antonio Alcalá. |
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California Dogface non-machineable Butterfly stamp California Dogface graces the seventh non-machineable butterfly stamp for use on irregularly sized envelopes, such as square greeting cards, invitations or announcements. The stamp art was digitally created using images of preserved butterflies as a starting point. The result is a highly stylized, simplified image of a California dogface (Zerene eurydice) rather than an exact replica. Nationally known artist Tom Engeman created the stamp art. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp. |
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Joshua Tree $7.35 Priority Mail stamp Joshua Tree celebrates the desolate beauty of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) and its distinct desert environment. This new Priority Mail stamp depicts a common scene throughout much of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Using the bold colors of the sun’s reflection off of the trees, rocks, and other shrubby vegetation, artist Dan Cosgrove illuminates the desert scene in warm, golden hues. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp. |
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Bethesda Fountain $25.50 Express Mail stamp Bethesda Fountain, on the new Priority Mail Express stamp, commemorates the Bethesda Fountain, one of Central Park’s most iconic structures. Dedicated in 1873, the fountain is a gathering place beloved by New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors alike. The stamp art features a stylized depiction of the fountain. The illustration was first rendered as a pencil sketch and then scanned and finished digitally. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove. |
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Year of the Boar Forever stamp The Year of the Boar is the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Boar begins on Feb. 5, 2019, and ends on Jan. 24, 2020. The stamp art depicts several bright pink peach blossoms on a branch. Peach blossoms, which often bloom just in time for Lunar New Year, mark the beginning of spring in Chinese culture. Artist Kam Mak created this original painting. Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps—Clarence Lee’s cut-paper design of a boar and the Chinese character for “boar,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — to create continuity between the series. |
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Hearts Blossom Forever stamp Hearts Blossom is the latest stamp in the Love series. The stamp art features the word “Love” in cursive script below 12 colorful hearts meant to visually express love’s joyful, bountiful nature. The color palette — red, purple, orange and pink — is intended to create a happy and positive feeling. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp. |
| Stamp images provided by the United States Postal Service. Copyright © 2019 USPS. All Rights Reserved. |
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