20 Cent Stamps
A stamp printed "20 cents" contributes twenty cents toward postage. It is not a Forever stamp and normally must be combined with other valid postage to meet a current mailing price.
What a 20-Cent Stamp Pays
The printed denomination remains $0.20. For a current $0.82 one-ounce stamped letter, one 20-cent stamp alone leaves $0.62 unpaid. You may combine valid denominations as long as the total meets or exceeds the required postage and the mailpiece otherwise qualifies.
Calculate a Combination
- Classify the completed mailpiece.
- Find the current price for that category and date.
- Add the printed values of fixed-denomination stamps.
- Add other valid postage until the required total is reached.
Using more postage than required is allowed, but excess postage is not normally refunded just because too much was applied.
Identification and Collecting
"20 cent stamp" can describe many different historical issues. Identify country, formal issue, year, design, printing, condition, and whether it is used before discussing collectibility. Twenty cents of postal value does not establish a twenty-cent market price.
Research Other Fixed-Denomination Issues
The printed amount is only the beginning of historical identification. The 10-cent Special Delivery stamp guide shows how service wording, design, printing, condition, and cover context can distinguish similar-looking issues.
Sources and Scope
U.S. Postal Service Notice 123 and Domestic Mail Manual postage-payment rules; Smithsonian National Postal Museum identification guidance.
Current price, postage value, and inventory must be checked again before ordering or mailing.
