Commemorative Forever Stamps

These commemorative stamps honor writers, artists, leaders and cultural traditions and include five years of Lunar New Year sheets, all unused USPS Forever postage. USPS prints commemoratives in smaller quantities and usually only once; ours come from business surplus and estate lots.

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Commemorative vs Definitive Stamps

Commemorative stamps honor people, events and subjects from American life and culture. USPS prints them in smaller quantities as part of a yearly program, usually just once, while everyday mail-use stamps such as flags are printed in large runs and often reprinted.

Because each design is usually printed only once, an issue from a few years back can be hard to find at a post office. Both kinds stay valid, and a Forever commemorative covers a one-ounce letter at the current rate whatever year it came out.

Our guide to commemorative vs definitive stamps covers when each type makes more sense for your mail.

Lunar New Year Forever Stamps

The current Lunar New Year series shows each zodiac animal as a decorated three-dimensional mask, patterned with motifs drawn from Asian textiles. All twelve animals are drawn along the border of every sheet of 20, so a pane doubles as a chart of the cycle.

We stock five consecutive years, from the Rat in 2020 through the Dragon in 2024, including the Year of the Rabbit from 2023. Each animal comes round every twelve years, so the next Rabbit year falls in 2035.

Lunar New Year mail is concentrated in the two or three weeks before the holiday, which falls between late January and mid-February. Red-envelope cards and invitations go out in that window, so have sheets on hand by early January.

U.S. Commemorative Stamps Honoring People

Chief Standing Bear honors the Ponca leader whose 1879 court case established that a Native American was a person under the law. Thomas Blackshear II painted the portrait from an 1877 photograph, with the clothing colors reconstructed from written accounts.

The Saul Bellow stamp from the Literary Arts series is a three-ounce stamp, always worth the three-ounce letter price. It covers a letter up to three ounces with one stamp.

Other sheets honor a children's author, a cartoonist's centennial, a Cuban American painter and a marine biologist known as the Shark Lady, along with Western wear and Day of the Dead traditions.

Commemorative Stamp FAQ

What commemorative stamps are available now?

Our current stock includes the Lunar New Year series from Rat to Dragon, plus stamps honoring Charles Schulz, Shel Silverstein, Chief Standing Bear, Emilio Sanchez, Eugenie Clark and Saul Bellow. Since we buy surplus lots, the selection shifts as sheets sell.

Are commemorative stamps still legal?

Yes. Forever commemoratives never expire and cover the current one-ounce letter price, and older issues with a printed cent value keep that value and can be combined to reach the rate.

Is it safe to buy US postage stamps online?

It is when the seller lists genuine, unused stamps and stands behind them. We inspect every sheet by hand, with authenticity checks that include UV light, and offer a 30-day return window.