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Collect the first 176 Years of United States Stamps! Click here to get started!
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2023 USPS Stamp IssuesAll are First Class Forever Rate stamps unless indicated. For each of these issues, the deadline is 120 days after the issue date. 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 2023 |
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Winter Woodland Animals Forever Stamps
Connect to the natural beauty of the winter season and celebrate four species that make their homes in the woodlands of North America. Among the most familiar of wildlife, deer, rabbits, owls and foxes are found across much of the American landscape. This booklet of 20 stamps features graphic illustrations of these four animals in different woodland settings in winter. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps with Katie Kirk, who illustrated the stamps. |
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg Forever Stamp This stamp honors Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020), the 107th Supreme Court Justice of the United States. It also marks a break from the usual guideline that people be honored no sooner than five years after they died. After beginning her career as an activist lawyer fighting gender discrimination, Justice Ginsburg became a respected jurist whose important majority opinions advancing equality and strong dissents on socially controversial rulings made her a passionate proponent of equal justice and an icon of American culture. The stamp features an with an intricate white collar. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with art by Michael J. Deas, based on a photograph by Philip Bermingham. |
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OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Mission Forever Stamp With this new stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates NASA’s seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission to study and map the asteroid Bennu and deliver a sample of the surface to Earth, landing in the Utah desert on September 24, 2023. The sample will help scientists learn how the solar system formed. OSIRIS-REx–a collaboration between NASA, the University of Arizona, and Lockheed Martin–exemplifies American ingenuity, perseverance, and teamwork. The remarkable journey is described in the attached article below. Click for Osiris-Rex article [pdf document] |
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Snow Globes Forever Stamps Beloved by children and adults alike, snow globes can be miniature works of art, kitschy souvenirs or anything in between. Celebrating the spirit of the holidays, the Postal Service captures the playful pleasure of Christmas snow globes on four new stamps. Painting in oil, the artist created spherical snow globes featuring icons of the season: a snowman wearing a jaunty red-and-white scarf; Santa Claus on a rooftop preparing to climb down the chimney; a reindeer standing in a snowy forest; and a snowy tree decorated with colorful ornaments. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with original art by Gregory Manchess. Per Wikipedia, "At the end of the 19th century the Austrian Erwin Perzy, a producer of surgical instruments, invented the so-called Schneekugel (snow globe) and got the first patent for it. Originally his goal was to develop an extra bright lightsource for use as a surgical lamp. As he tried to intensify the candlepower of a so-called Schusterkugel (a water-filled flask used to focus light since the Middle Ages) with particles made out of different materials for reflection purpose, the effect reminded him of snowfall. He then built his first scene globe. Because of the great demand, Perzy and his brother opened a shop in Vienna, where the production continues today as a family business exporting throughout the world. The material and methods used to make the particles for Perzy globes is a family production secret." |
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Piñatas Forever Stamps
Celebrate the fun and tradition of piñatas with a colorful new booklet of 20 stamps. The stamp art features four lively, digital illustrations of two traditional piñata designs–a donkey and a seven-point star. The bright, saturated color palette was inspired by Mexican culture, including the vibrant colors of small-town houses, traditional hand-sewn dresses, handmade toys and flowers, and classic piñatas themselves. Víctor Meléndez created the original art and designed the stamps. Antonio Alcalá was the art director. The 36th annual Piñata Festival will be held by the Roswell, N.M., Hispano Chamber of Commerce. Described as a family friendly event with lots of vendors, food, and fun, it will be on the Chaves County Courthouse Lawn on September 8, 9, and 10, with a dedication ceremony of the new USPS Piñata stamps at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 8. |
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Bridges Presorted First-Class Mail Stamps Four new Presorted First-Class Mail stamps will be available for purchase by bulk mail users in coils of 3,000 and 10,000. The stamps feature existing photographs of four different bridges that range from modern to historic, pedestrian to car-carrying, but all are important landmarks in their communities. They are the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, Conn.; the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge in Omaha, Nebr.; the Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City; and the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge in Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Ill. |
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Thinking of You Forever Stamps Capturing the excitement and delight of receiving a card in the mail meant just for you, Thinking of You features five stamps in a pane of 20 and a host of die-cut, self-adhesive messages–perfect to accompany letters or cards sent to brighten someone’s day. Each stamp is designed in fun colors with different whimsical images, including flowers, balloons, cute animals, sweet treats and symbols of good luck. Words of encouragement and thoughtful affirmations surround the stamps on the pane. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original artwork by Ellen Surrey. |
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Life Magnified Forever Stamps These stamps reveal life on Earth as many have never seen it. Twenty stamps feature 20 different images taken with microscopes and highly specialized photographic techniques that capture details of life undetectable by the human eye. The images show the phenomena of life in exquisitely fine detail. While stunning on their own as works of art, these images also hold scientific significance. |
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John Lewis Forever Stamp This stamp celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis (1940-2020) of Georgia. Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s. Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 arrests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call “good trouble.” The stamp features a photograph of Lewis taken by Marco Grob on assignment for the August 26, 2013, issue of Time magazine. The selvage showcases a photograph of Lewis taken by Steve Schapiro in 1963 outside a workshop about nonviolent protest in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Continue Reading: John Lewis [PDF Document] |
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Northern Cardinal Stamped Envelope The Northern Cardinal stamped envelope–corner indicia shown–features one of the most beloved and popular songbirds native to North America. The art features a male cardinal, immediately recognizable by its crimson-colored feathers and black facial markings. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamped envelope with Kandis Vermeer Phillips’s highly realistic illustration. The Northern Cardinal was featured by the USPS in 2016 as one of four Winter Songbirds stamps as well as on a stamped envelope. |
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Waterfalls Forever Stamps Among nature's most beautiful wonders, waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes, from serene cascades to mighty cataracts. The Postal Service celebrates the variety and beauty of American waterfalls with 12 new stamps. Each stamp features a photograph with the name of the waterfall and state in which it is located. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps and pane with existing photographs. |
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Endangered Species Forever Stamps Under the Endangered Species Act, which marks its 50th anniversary in 2023, more than 1,300 imperiled plant and animal species are safeguarded to increase their chances of survival. With this pane of 20 stamps, the Postal Service presents a photographic portfolio of 20 representative endangered animal species. Those featured are found within the 50 states and U.S. territories and possessions or living near U.S. borders. The images are among more than 13,000 in photographer Joel Sartore’s “Photo Ark,” his project to document as many animal species as possible. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with Sartore’s existing photographs. Shown to the left, the Black-footed ferret is one of the species featured in this issue. In what is known as the Conata Basin region of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in Wall, South Dakota, the most successful Black-footed ferret reintroduction program was undertaken by the federal government, establishing a small but sustainable population of these mammals that had ceased to exist in that area. |
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Chief Standing Bear Forever Stamp This stamp issuance honors Chief Standing Bear (ca. 1829-1908), who won a landmark court ruling in 1879 that determined that Native Americans were persons under the law with inherent rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The stamp features a portrait of Chief Standing Bear by Thomas Blackshear II, based on a black-and-white photograph taken in 1877. The color of Standing Bear's attire was based mainly on contemporary descriptions. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp. Standing Bear was Chief of the Ponca tribe and led their court fight. The landmark case was motivated by a move of the Nebraska-based tribe to a reservation in Oklahoma, when the tribe thought they were being moved to Omaha, Nebraska. It resulted in the restoring the Ponca Tribe to northeastern Nebraska, while also retaining a Ponca Tribe in Oklahoma. In Lincoln, Nebraska, there is a city park located in the southwest area of town named "Standing Bear Grounds". One issue that his 1879 trial had raised was finally resolved in 1924 when Congress adopted the Indian Citizenship Act, which conferred citizenship on all Native Americans born in the United States. |
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Tomie dePaola Forever Stamp This stamp honors prolific children’s book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola (1934-2020), whose extraordinarily varied body of work encompasses folktales and legends, informational books, religious and holiday stories, and touching autobiographical tales. The stamp art features a detail from the cover of “Strega Nona” (1975), the Caldecott Honor winning first book in the series. Set in southern Italy, the gently humorous story focuses on Strega Nona, “Grandma Witch,” who uses magic to help with matters of the heart and to cure her neighbors’ ills. dePaola’s paternal grandparents came to the U.S. from Calabria, which is why he set Strega Nona in southern Italy. dePaola spent much of his life in New Hampshire from the 1970s till he died in 2020. The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester exhibited more than 100 of his illustrations in 2020 and 2021 and recently established the Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund to support art education for young people of all backgrounds. |
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Roy Lichtenstein Forever Stamps The work of the iconic American artist of the pop art movement, Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) is celebrated with a stamp issuance in his honor. Each of the five stamps in this pane of 20 features one work of art by Lichtenstein: "Standing Explosion (Red)" (porcelain enamel on steel sculpture, 1965); "Modern Painting I" (oil and magna on canvas, 1966); "Still Life with Crystal Bowl" (oil and magna on canvas, 1972); "Still Life with Goldfish" (oil and magna on canvas, 1972); and "Portrait of a Woman" (oil and magna on linen, 1979). A native New Yorker, Lichtenstein’s works were previewed and displayed at the Leo Castelli Gallery in Manhattan, where many were acquired by leading collectors and museums. The selvage will feature a photograph of Lichtenstein by Bob Adelman with the artist’s face framed by a model of his 1983 sculpture Brushstrokes in Flight, which stands at the John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. Derry Noyes served as art director and designer for this issuance. |
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U.S. "Freedom" Flag Forever Stamp The Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating the U.S. flag with this stamp, available in panes of 20, booklets of 20, and coils of 100, 3,000 and 10,000. The stamp art bears a straightforward graphic design of OId Glory. Providing a solid foundation for the flag are the word “FREEDOM” in gray and, below it, “FOREVER/USA.” Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with existing art by Hong Li. |
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Tulip Blossoms Forever Stamps Americans love tulips, but these spectacular flowers have roots in Central Asia. Traded along the Silk Road, they were first cultivated in 10th-century Persia and, by the 16th century, were all the rage in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). In fact, “tulip” derives from a Turkish version of the Persian word for “turban,” an allusion to the flower’s shape. After diplomats in Constantinople shipped bulbs home to western Europe, the Dutch developed effective ways to cultivate and market the flower. The tulip trade remains an important part of their nation’s economy 400 years later. Dutch immigrants brought tulip bulbs to America, perhaps as early as the 1600s. The flower has become a dazzling part of the landscape here, and the United States now imports more than 1 billion bulbs per year. Tulips can be grown in most of the country, outside of the Deep South, and gardeners can choose among thousands of varieties. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps with existing photographs by Denise Ippolito. Ippolito photographed the 10 different tulips in gardens and parks she encountered while traveling. A single flower, shot in close-up, fills almost the entire frame of each stamp, with just the top of the stem showing. The tulips are various shades of yellow, orange, pink, green and violet. |
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Art of the Skateboard Forever Stamps These four stamps celebrate the Art of the Skateboard with vibrant designs that capture skateboarding’s excitement. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp issuance using photographs of skateboards created by Crystal Worl, an Alaskan whose blue and indigo salmon formline design expresses her Tlingit/Athabascan heritage; William James Taylor Jr. of Virginia, who created an energetic red and orange graphic abstraction; Colombian-born, Washington, D.C. muralist MazPaz (Federico Frum), who painted a stylized jaguar; and Di’Orr Greenwood of Arizona who represents her Navajo culture with a turquoise-inlaid skateboard that features eagle feathers and colors of the rising or setting sun. Di’Orr Greenwood’s design is shown to the left (presumably being held by Di’Orr.) |
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Railroad Stations Forever Stamps Noteworthy railroad stations began brightening the American landscape by the 1870s and, although many were torn down once they had outlived their original purpose, hundreds survived. This issuance of 20 stamps features five architectural gems that continue to play important roles in their communities: Tamaqua Station in Pennsylvania; Point of Rocks Station in Maryland; Main Street Station in Richmond, VA; Santa Fe Station in San Bernardino, CA; and Union Terminal in Cincinnati, OH. Passenger trains stop at all of them except Tamaqua. Derry Noyes served as art director. Down the Street Designs created the digital illustrations and typography. |
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Toni Morrison Forever Stamp Author Toni Morrison (1931-2019) is honored in this stamp issuance. Her artfully crafted novels explored the diverse voices and multifaceted experiences of African Americans. Known for such books as "The Bluest Eye," "Song of Solomon" and "Beloved," Morrison was the rare author who achieved both bestseller status and critical success. In 1993, she made history as the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The stamp features a photograph of Morrison taken in 2000. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with photography by Deborah Feingold. From 1989 until her retirement in 2006, Morrison held the Robert F. Goheen Chair in the Humanities at Princeton University. She conceived and developed the Princeton Atelier, a program that brings together students with writers and performing artists. Together the students and the artists produce works of art that are presented to the public after a semester of collaboration. |
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Patriotic Block Stamp - nonprofit-price stamp Patriotic Block will be a new nondenominated, nonprofit-price stamp intended for bulk mailings by authorized nonprofit organizations and will be sold in self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000. This stamp displays the components of the American flag–the stars and stripes–arranged in a four-quadrant block on a white background. Carol Beehler designed the stamp with art direction by Antonio Alcalá. Continue reading: Patriotic Block Issued March 1 [PDF Document] |
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$10 Floral Geometry Stamp A new Floral Geometry stamp, denominated at $10, will be available for purchase, complementing the similarly designed $2 and $5 stamps issued in 2022. The stamps lend an elegant and contemporary appearance to packages, large envelopes and other mailings. The stamp art features a series of overlapping geometric shapes that mimic the symmetry of floral patterns found in nature. According to the Postal People, “the watercolor background and the glimmer of the foil-stamped design and typography create a sophisticated look.” The stamp will be issued in panes of four. The stamps were designed and created by the firm Spaeth Hill. Antonio Alcalá was the art director. |
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Women's Soccer Forever Stamp This stamp issuance celebrates women’s soccer in the United States. From youth leagues to the elite world champion U.S. national team, millions of girls and women throughout the country participate in this fast-paced, competitive sport. The graphic stamp artwork depicts a female soccer player in action, walloping a ball with a side volley. Conjuring the aesthetic of mid-century print design, the illustrator used simplified shapes and bold colors to convey the high energy and fast motion of the sport. Per the Postal People, “The somewhat grainy rendering lends a timeless quality to the design, evoking not just a single all-star athlete or era but the entire legacy of women’s soccer.” Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with an original illustration by Noah MacMillan (1988-2022). |
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Ernest J. Gaines Black Heritage Forever Stamp The 46th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Ernest J. Gaines (1933-2019). Best known for such novels as "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" and "A Lesson Before Dying," Gaines drew from his childhood as the son of sharecroppers on a Louisiana plantation to explore the untold stories of rural African Americans, adding a vital voice to American literature. The stamp features an oil painting of Gaines, based on a 2001 photograph. Mike Ryan designed the stamp with art by Robert Peterson. Greg Breeding served as art director. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is home to the Ernest J. Gaines Center, which offers scholars valuable archival resources to conduct their research, as well as educational tools that provide historical resources about Gaines that in a digital archive that allows research of Gaines' work possible from around the globe. |
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Sailboats Postcard Rate Stamps Sailboats stamps celebrate a favorite American outdoor activity with two colorful new postcard stamps. They feature abstract illustrations that are intended to capture the joyful sensation of being on the water on a beautiful day. The graphic art was designed and created by artist Libby VanderPloeg, who also created the lettering for the word "postcard," freehand on a digital tablet. Antonio Alcalá was art director for the project. Lahaina's popularity as a tropical getaway has made its real estate some of the most expensive in Hawaii; many houses and condominiums sell for more than $5 million. Its small boat harbor is home to many sail boat tours and activities. |
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Great Smoky Mountains Stamp (Priority Mail Express) Home to the most visited national park in the United States, the Great Smoky Mountains boast extensive national forests and a vast array of native plants and animals. Equally rich in history, folkways and culture, they are an American treasure, which the Postal Service celebrates with this new Priority Mail Express stamp. The stamp art captures an iconic mountain scene located near Newfound Gap between Gatlinburg, TN, and Cherokee, NC. In the foreground, a red-tailed hawk flies over the landscape. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove. One of the main entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in Gatlinburg. It is located at the base of Mount Le Conte, the tallest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains range, rising 5,301 feet from its base to its 6,593-foot summit. |
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Florida Everglades $9.95 Priority Mail Stamp Spanning some 2 million acres in southern Florida, from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay, the Everglades is one of the largest wetlands in the world and the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America. This new Priority Mail stamp celebrates the Florida Everglades with stamp art that shows a sawgrass marsh as seen at sunset from the edge of a cypress dome. Designed by art director Greg Breeding, the stamp showcases a digital illustration by Dan Cosgrove. The Florida Everglades Priority Mail stamp will be issued in Homestead, Fla., on Jan. 22 without a ceremony. The Everglades National Park’s Visitors Center is named after Ernest F. Coe, who was a leading advocate for the establishment of the Everglades National Park. |
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Love Forever Stamps Celebrate 50 years since the first Love stamp was issued with two new Love stamps, one featuring a kitten and the other a puppy with their front paws resting atop a big heart. The word “LOVE” is featured in all caps behind each animal. The stamp designs were painted with oils on wood panel, then scanned and edited digitally. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with original art by Chris Buzelli. |
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Year of the Rabbit Lunar New Year Forever Stamp
The first commemorative to be released in the Gregorian calendar new year will be the Year of the Rabbit stamp—for the Lunar Year that runs from January 22, 2023 until February 9, 2024. San Francisco was chosen for the First Day of Issue because it has a large Asian population that will be celebrating the Lunar New Year. Calling to mind the elaborately decorated masks used in the dragon or lion dances often performed in Lunar New Year parades, this 3-dimensional mask depicting a rabbit is a contemporary take on the long tradition of paper-cut folk-art crafts created during this auspicious time of year. This is the fourth of 12 stamps in the latest USPS Lunar New Year series, as well as in the Chinese Zodiac. The 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac are, in order, the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. |
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Red Fox 40¢ Stamp
This 40-cent stamp is intended for use by bulk mailers for items such as circulars, newsletters, and catalogs. It can also be used by customers who enjoy placing a variety of stamps on their envelopes and packages. The stamp art features a pencil-and-watercolor illustration of the face of a red fox from preexisting artwork by wildlife illustrator Dugald Stermer (1936–2011). The Red Fox is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed, throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere. Due to its presence in Australia, it is included on the list of the world’s 100 worst invasive species. Despite that status, the Red Fox is a popular subject for U.S. stamps, having been featured previously on a $1 1998 stamp, and one of the eight stamps in the 1975 CAPEX souvenir sheet. |
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School Bus Non-Denominated Additional Ounce Stamp This stamp celebrates the iconic yellow school bus and its role in ensuring that millions of children get to school and home again every day. The stamp features a stylized illustration of a 21st century yellow school bus, in profile in front of a silhouetted schoolhouse that is intended to be evocative of an earlier era. The first day site, High Point, NC, is the home of Thomas Built Buses, Inc. One of the leading bus manufacturers in the USA, the firm on its website proudly tells us, “Today, one in every three children in North America who rides a bus to school or an activity rides a Thomas Built bus.” |
| Stamp images provided by the United States Postal Service. Copyright © 2022 USPS. All Rights Reserved. |
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