The United States Postal Service today marked its 250th anniversary by unveiling two new Forever stamps at its Washington headquarters. One design honors the agency’s deep history, while the other highlights its daily presence in American life. Postmaster General David Steiner called the occasion “a milestone 250 years in the making” and urged citizens to “use the mail to stay connected, especially when we feel ourselves starting to drift apart.”
Founded in 1775, the Postal Service laid the groundwork for national unity and today employs about 640,000 people. More than half of those are letter carriers who brave rain, snow, heat and darkness to deliver mail six or seven days a week. In many neighborhoods they are familiar faces—and in some cases local heroes—alerting authorities to emergencies or restoring mail service quickly after disasters to help communities recover.
The first issued stamp pane, titled “250 Years of Delivering,” consists of 20 stamps that together tell the story of a mail carrier’s route across the four seasons. Designed by cartoonist Chris Ware and co-directed by USPS art director Antonio Alcalá, the panels feature collection boxes, postal riders on horseback and delivery trucks. Each Forever stamp will always equal the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate. Collectors and postal patrons can follow the release under #250YearsOfDelivering as the agency celebrates a quarter-millennium of reliable, affordable, universal service.