Try us out for 4 weeks! Get Postage Stamp Discounts with Stamps. Mail Item Max. Weight Max. Width Max. Length Post Office Rate Stamps. Detailed postage reports Stamps. No more overpaying postage Put an end to guesswork and overspending! Digital Scale with Sign-up. Your Stamps. The postwar boom radically transformed the way many Americans lived, worked, and played. The USPS found itself stretched to the limit as suburban delivery routes grew farther and farther from cities, relying on highways instead of railways to move an ever-growing volume of mail, and building infrastructure to serve these growing communities.
All that cost money, so that August the Postal Service upped the cost of a first-class stamp to 4 cents. Good thing it did: Mail volume rose by some 18 billion pieces during the decade. The USPS raised postage rates by a penny in and again in ' Christmas mail volume in Chicago created such a backlog in that some holiday deliveries didn't arrive at their destinations until February. Three years later, a similar logjam occurred.
The resulting Kappel Commission report was argued over at length from its release in until , when, after lengthy congressional debate and negotiations with postal workers and officials, compromise legislation was signed into law by President Richard Nixon. The USPS was now an independent federal agency whose rates would be set by a board of governors, with a merit-based workforce that had the power of collective bargaining.
The postal system was expected to be run like a private business, no longer supported by public subsidies. The result? Four postal rate increases between and A first-class stamp that cost 6 cents on New Year's Day would cost 15 cents by the decade's end.
The digital age arrived in a big way for the post office during the Reagan era. With mail volume still growing, the USPS turned to computer automation, installing the first optical character readers in These devices could scan a handwritten address, generating a barcode on the envelope that would be used to expedite the mail-sorting process.
A year later, the post office began using ZIP codes that contained an additional four digits, also to make delivery more efficient. All that innovation cost money, and the USPS raised rates four times twice in alone. The final increase in raised first-class postage to a quarter.
The drive to automate continued into the early years of the internet. Some innovations — delivery confirmation, digital self-service kiosks, and print-at-home postage — were customer-focused.
Other transformative changes, such as the use of robots to sort mail starting in , took place behind the scenes. To pay for these endeavors, postage rates were increased three times, in , '95, and ' As the decade and the century closed, a first-class stamp cost 33 cents.
In the wake of the Sept. In and again in , Congress passed sweeping legislation that radically remade how the postal system could manage its finances. Postcard Stamps. The word "Postcard" on the stamp indicates their usage value. Stamps that are valued at amounts varying from 1-cent to Priority Mail Express, with the value printed on the face of the stamp.
Non-Denomination Stamps. Stamps that do not have a visible face value. Stamped envelopes and cards. All commemorative stamps, which celebrate distinguished artists, athletes, historic milestones, natural wonders, and more, are issued as Forever Stamps. The Postal Store has a wide selection of Forever Stamps available for purchase.
Back to top. Global Forever stamps can be used to mail a postcard or 1-ounce letter-size mailpiece anywhere in the world. In addition, mailers may use a Global Forever stamp as postage for any type of single-piece international or domestic mailpiece.
The Global Forever Stamp cover up to 2 ounce letters when used to send to Canada. All other countries require Additional Ounce postage to a max of 3. What are semipostal stamps? Prices are adjusted in increments of five cents. By law, revenue from sales minus postage and the reasonable costs of the Postal Service is to be transferred to a selected executive agency or agencies.
What are NetStamps? NetStamps are used like regular stamps and never expire. NetStamps are Denomination stamps with the value printed on the face of the stamps.
For additional information, visit the Stamps. For information on Stamps to Go, please visit www. What should I know about U. Postal Stamps? All postage stamps issued by the United States since are valid for postage from any point in the United States or from any other place where U.
Mail service operates. You may use any Denomination stamp s to equal the total postage affixed. Total postage affixed must equal at least the postage charge for the class of the mail.
The USPS does not exchange stamps solely because of new postage prices. As mentioned above, postal stamps do not expire and can be used indefinitely. In the event of a price increase, customers can purchase Denomination Stamps to make up the price for postage or use Forever Stamps. You can use Denomination stamps of that value. Stamps which are mutilated or defaced are not valid for U. S domestic or U. However, a minor tear at the corner of a stamp does not render a stamp invalid.
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