Ending Denominated Stamps

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: Ending Denominated StampsUSA Today reported on December 28, 2010 that all First Class stamps in 2011 will be forever stamps. Currently, forever stamps are only available in a limited number of generic designs. The switch puts commemorative stamps on a equal competitive plain as more generic stamps sold in booklets and sheets.

The shift reflects a final blow to the traditionalists and penny counters at the Postal Service that held onto denominated stamp concept far beyond the point that it made business sense for either First Class mail or for the Postal Service's commemorative program. For those with some memory of the regulatory process, the forever stamp was pushed for many years by the Postal Regulatory Commission's Consumer advocate and approved in 2007 after long opposition from the Postal Service.