What is Forever Stamp?
United States Postal Service (USPS) sold its first Forever Stamp on April 12, 2007, for $0.41, and it featured an image of the Liberty Bell. The stamps were so successful that in 2011 USPS began selling all first-class stamps as Forever Stamps.
Okay, but what exactly are Forever Stamps? And how do they work? What is their value and what’s so dang special about them? Let’s find out below.
How Much Is A Forever Stamp Worth?
Forever Stamps are considered “non-denominated” postage. This means there is no monetary value (or denomination) printed on the stamp to tell you what it’s worth. If you look closely at any currently issued first-class stamp, you’ll see the words “Forever” printed on one side but no dollar value.
This is because the value of a Forever Stamp changes as the cost of first-class postage changes. A Forever Stamp will *forever* be worth the current value of first-class postage. In 2007, the cost of first-class postage was $0.41. In 2020, it was $0.55. Any Forever Stamps purchased before 2020 at a lower rate is now worth $0.55.
Before the existence of Forever Stamps, all stamps had a monetary value printed on them that reflected the current price of first-class postage at the time. For example, in 2006 all new first-class stamps had a value of $0.39 printed on their face. But just one year later, the cost of first-class postage increased to $0.41.
If you wanted to use your stamps from 2006, you had to add an additional $0.02 to your first-class mail. This usually involved going to the post office, buying additional postage and adding it to your envelope to make up the price difference. Not only was this inconvenient for stamp users, it also meant USPS had to spend money printing large volumes of $0.01 and $0.02 stamps. So any time there was a postal rate increase, it was very tedious for stamp users and costly for USPS.
What are the Benefits of Forever Stamps?
Forever Stamps make it easier to send first-class mail, regardless of price fluctuations. If you bought a Forever Stamp in 2007 when it was worth $0.41, you can still use that stamp today (and anytime in the future) to send first-class mail even though the price has increased. No need to add extra stamps to make up for the difference either. Basically, you saved $0.14 by holding on to that stamp for 13 years. SCORE!
Throughout the entire history of USPS the price of first-class postage has only decreased twice — followed quickly by another price increase. So it’s safe to say that the price of first-class mail will only continue to increase. USPS developed Forever Stamps to simplify the process for stamp users during these price fluctuations and to cut down on their stamp production costs.
Forever Stamps are considered “non-denominated” postage. This means there is no monetary value (or denomination) printed on the stamp to tell you what it’s worth. If you look closely at any currently issued first-class stamp, you’ll see the words “Forever” printed on one side but no dollar value.
This is because the value of a Forever Stamp changes as the cost of first-class postage changes. A Forever Stamp will *forever* be worth the current value of first-class postage. In 2007, the cost of first-class postage was $0.41. In 2020, it was $0.55. Any Forever Stamps purchased before 2020 at a lower rate is now worth $0.55.
Before the existence of Forever Stamps, all stamps had a monetary value printed on them that reflected the current price of first-class postage at the time. For example, in 2006 all new first-class stamps had a value of $0.39 printed on their face. But just one year later, the cost of first-class postage increased to $0.41.
If you wanted to use your stamps from 2006, you had to add an additional $0.02 to your first-class mail. This usually involved going to the post office, buying additional postage and adding it to your envelope to make up the price difference. Not only was this inconvenient for stamp users, it also meant USPS had to spend money printing large volumes of $0.01 and $0.02 stamps. So any time there was a postal rate increase, it was very tedious for stamp users and costly for USPS.
What are the Benefits of Forever Stamps?
Forever Stamps make it easier to send first-class mail, regardless of price fluctuations. If you bought a Forever Stamp in 2007 when it was worth $0.41, you can still use that stamp today (and anytime in the future) to send first-class mail even though the price has increased. No need to add extra stamps to make up for the difference either. Basically, you saved $0.14 by holding on to that stamp for 13 years. SCORE!
Throughout the entire history of USPS the price of first-class postage has only decreased twice — followed quickly by another price increase. So it’s safe to say that the price of first-class mail will only continue to increase. USPS developed Forever Stamps to simplify the process for stamp users during these price fluctuations and to cut down on their stamp production costs.
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