2026 Current Face Value Crab Nebula Priority Mail Stamps Postage Stamps

The James Webb Space Telescope's image of the Crab Nebula, on a Priority Mail stamp designed by Greg Breeding. The Crab is the remnant of a star that exploded in 1054 - Chinese and Japanese astronomers recorded it at the time as a new star bright enough to see in daylight - and it is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. Webb's infrared view picks up filaments and dust structure that earlier telescopes could not resolve. Face value is $11.95, sold in panes of four.

Priority Mail stamps are denominated rather than Forever, so this one is worth exactly $11.95 toward postage; if the Priority rate has risen since it was printed, you add the difference and the stamp still does most of the work. The practical use is avoiding the counter - weigh the box at home, apply the stamps, drop it off. Collectors buy the pane of four and keep it whole, which is the other half of the demand for these.