All articles tagged with #stamp
Facing a $9 billion loss in 2025 and a looming cash crunch, the USPS proposed raising the first-class stamp price from 78 cents to as much as 95 cents, arguing higher prices on mail and packages could largely erase its controllable losses; Postmaster General David Steiner told a House committee that without broader reforms—plus a higher borrowing limit and pension flexibility—the agency could run out of cash within a year.
The USPS will release a 4-cent stamp called Angel’s Trumpets on January 9, as part of its Low Denomination Flowers series, featuring photographs by Harold Davis and designed by Ethel Kessler, available in various formats at post offices and online.
The cost of a U.S. postage stamp increases by five cents from 73 to 78 cents, effective Sunday, as part of a 7.4% overall increase in postal service prices to ensure financial stability.
The first known piece of mail sent using a prepaid stamp, a Penny Black, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York and could fetch up to $2.5 million. Dated May 2, 1840, the letter's original recipient was the manager of a Victorian iron works in England, and the sender remains unknown. The letter was enclosed in an ornate Mulready envelope, which revolutionized correspondence at the time. The Penny Black stamp was conceived to standardize postal rates and was a significant leap forward in human communication, while the Mulready envelope was withdrawn after public ridicule.
Chief Standing Bear, a leader of the Ponca tribe, who fought for Native American legal rights in the US, has been honored with a Forever stamp featuring his portrait. His 1879 lawsuit ensured that Native Americans were considered persons with inherent rights under the law. The illustrated portrait on the stamp was based on a black-and-white photograph taken in 1877. The stamp serves as a symbol of pride and perseverance for all members of the Ponca tribe and etches his legacy in the national consciousness.