USPS 2025 Stamp Releases: Complete Dates and Designs
The 2025 U.S. stamp program ranged from Love, U.S. Flag and floral designs to military anniversaries, popular culture, postal history and holiday issues. The chronological tables below replace a sample-only list with the confirmed official release record.
January Through March 2025
| Date | Issue | Postage category | Design or subject | First-day city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 14 | Lunar New Year: Year of the Snake | Forever | The sixth design in the current Lunar New Year series uses a decorative mask motif associated with the color and movement of holiday parades. | Boston, MA |
| Jan. 17 | Love 2025 | Forever | The annual Love issue provides a cheerful, all-purpose design for affection, weddings, anniversaries, friendship notes and other personal correspondence. | Kutztown, PA |
| Jan. 21 | Spiral Galaxy, Priority Mail | Priority Mail | A James Webb Space Telescope image of spiral galaxy NGC 628 turns a deep-space observation into the year's Priority Mail stamp. | Big Sky, MT |
| Jan. 21 | Star Cluster, Priority Mail Express | Priority Mail Express | This companion high-value issue uses Webb telescope imagery of a distant star cluster for Priority Mail Express postage. | Big Sky, MT |
| Jan. 24 | 1794 Compass Rose, Global | Global Forever | A 32-point compass rose drawn in 1794 by 10-year-old Lucia Wadsworth in her school geography notebook gives the international-rate stamp a documented navigation and exploration theme. | Peachtree Corners, GA |
| Jan. 30 | Black Heritage: Allen Toussaint | Forever | The Black Heritage series honors the New Orleans pianist, songwriter, arranger and producer whose work shaped American popular music. | New Orleans, LA |
| Feb. 21 | American Vistas, presorted-standard | Presorted Standard | Designed for presorted standard-mail use, this issue presents stylized American landscapes rather than a one-ounce letter denomination. | San Diego, CA |
| Feb. 28 | The Appalachian Trail | Forever | A scenic set celebrates the famous long-distance trail and the varied landscapes encountered along its route from Georgia to Maine. | Dawsonville, GA |
| March 13 | Freshwater Fishing Lures | Forever | Five familiar fishing lures are photographed as colorful pieces of sporting history, giving the pane an outdoors-oriented theme. | Springfield, MO |
| March 14 | Vibrant Leaves, postcard rate | Postcard | Photographs of leaves from five trees—aspen, sassafras, oak, maple, and sweetgum—identify this as the year's postcard-rate issue rather than a standard one-ounce Forever stamp. | Strongsville, OH |
| March 27 | Betty White | Forever | A warm portrait commemorates the television performer and animal-welfare advocate whose career reached audiences across several generations. | Los Angeles, CA |
April Through July 2025
| Date | Issue | Postage category | Design or subject | First-day city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 16 | Battlefields of the American Revolution | Forever | The pane combines paintings and present-day site photography to revisit five consequential Revolutionary War battlefields. | Concord, MA |
| April 25 | Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture | Forever | Four original paintings by Cochiti Pueblo artist Mateo Romero show dancers in regalia and emphasize the movement and living culture of powwows. | Albuquerque, NM |
| April 26 | Dahlias | Forever | Close-up flower photography highlights the varied colors and forms of dahlias in a practical, year-round floral issue. | Burlingame, CA |
| May 2 | Goodnight Moon | Forever | Artwork associated with the classic children's picture book brings its familiar bedtime world to a commemorative pane. | North Kansas City, MO |
| May 16 | U.S. Army 250th | Forever | The Army service mark appears against a clean white field to commemorate 250 years since the Continental Army was established in 1775. | Washington, DC |
| May 16 | U.S. Navy 250th | Forever | A Navy emblem and anniversary inscriptions mark 250 years since the Continental Navy was established. | Washington, DC |
| May 16 | U.S. Marine Corps 250th | Forever | The Marine Corps emblem anchors this separate anniversary issue recognizing the service's origins in the Revolutionary era. | Washington, DC |
| May 23 | Baby Wild Animals | Forever | Ten stylized digital illustrations by Tracy Walker show young wild animals with details suggesting their habitats and behavior. | Aurora, CO |
| June 7 | U.S. Flag | Forever | A photograph of Old Glory against a bright white background continues the long-running flag series in panes, booklets and coils. | Three Oaks, MI |
| June 10 | Barbara Bush | Forever | A detail from the former first lady's official White House portrait accompanies an issue recalling her public service and literacy advocacy. | Kennebunkport, ME |
| June 27 | Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation | $25 conservation stamp | The 2025–2026 federal duck stamp features a spectacled eider and serves a conservation-license purpose; it is not ordinary letter postage. | Stuttgart, AR |
| July 18 | Schooner stamped card | Stamped-card postage | A two-masted schooner appears on postal stationery with postage already printed on the card, so this entry is not a separate adhesive stamp. | Crystal, MN |
| July 23 | Putting a Stamp on the American Experience | Forever | A prestige booklet revisits the visual language of early United States postage and the place of stamps in the American experience. | Washington, DC |
| July 23 | 250 Years of Delivering | Forever | Twenty interconnected designs by Chris Ware follow a mail carrier through a town and the seasons while marking the Postal Service's 250th anniversary. | Washington, DC |
August Through October 2025
| Date | Issue | Postage category | Design or subject | First-day city |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 1 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Forever | Four designs feature SpongeBob and other Bikini Bottom characters in a colorful pane celebrating the animated series. | New York, NY |
| Aug. 14 | Boston 2026 World Stamp Show | Forever | Two blue intaglio designs depict the Old North Church and a colonial midnight rider while previewing the 2026 international exhibition. | Schaumburg, IL |
| Aug. 16 | Luna Moth, nonmachinable surcharge | Nonmachinable surcharge | A detailed pale-green luna moth identifies postage intended for eligible irregular envelopes that require the nonmachinable surcharge. | Schaumburg, IL |
| Sept. 9 | William F. Buckley Jr. | Forever | A black-and-white portrait honors the writer, editor and public intellectual in the centennial year of his birth. | New Haven, CT |
| Sept. 13 | Holiday Cheer | Forever | Four collage-style designs show amaryllis, a wreath, an evergreen branch and cardinals for seasonal correspondence. | Washington, DC |
| Sept. 17 | Elie Wiesel, two-ounce | Two Ounce | The Distinguished Americans series honors the author, humanitarian and Holocaust survivor on a stamp for the two-ounce letter category. | New York, NY |
| Sept. 19 | Winter Landscapes | Forever | Five quiet winter scenes offer a seasonal option without limiting the designs to a single religious or cultural holiday. | Danville, IN |
| Oct. 1 | Jimmy Carter | Forever | A painted portrait commemorates the 39th president and his long post-presidential work in peace, democracy, human rights and public service. | Atlanta, GA |
How the Record Was Verified
Dates were consolidated from the annual program announcements, individual Stamp Announcements and later schedule notices. The official issue date controls; an earlier publicity date or a later retailer listing does not change the first day of issue.
The completed sequence contains 33 numbered announcements. That total does not mean 33 individual stamp designs: one announcement can contain several designs, while the federal duck stamp and the Schooner stamped card appear in the official sequence even though neither is ordinary one-ounce letter postage.
What Was Released in April 2025?
Three issues were released during April. Battlefields of the American Revolution arrived on April 16, followed by Powwows: Celebrating Native American Culture on April 25 and Dahlias on April 26. The group illustrates how one month can combine very different subjects: American history, living Native American culture and an everyday floral design.
The date alone does not identify the best choice for a mailing. Someone selecting postage for invitations may focus on the Dahlias artwork, while a collector may be more interested in the historical or artistic context of the other two issues. All three must still be checked for their printed postage category and the package format being offered.
Notable Themes Across the Year
People, culture, and anniversaries
The program included portraits and commemorative subjects spanning music, television, public service, literature and political thought. Allen Toussaint continued the Black Heritage series; Betty White, Barbara Bush, William F. Buckley Jr., Elie Wiesel and Jimmy Carter appeared at different points in the year. Battlefields of the American Revolution and the separate Army, Navy and Marine Corps 250th-anniversary issues connected the schedule with major national anniversaries.
Nature and outdoor subjects
The Appalachian Trail, Freshwater Fishing Lures, Vibrant Leaves, Dahlias, Baby Wild Animals, Luna Moth and Winter Landscapes created a strong nature thread. They are visually related, but they are not interchangeable postage. Vibrant Leaves was issued for postcards, Luna Moth for the nonmachinable surcharge category, and the federal duck stamp serves a conservation and licensing purpose rather than ordinary mail.
Postal history and popular culture
Putting a Stamp on the American Experience and 250 Years of Delivering approached postal history in different ways, while Goodnight Moon and SpongeBob SquarePants brought familiar entertainment subjects into the program. The Boston 2026 issue previewed an international stamp exhibition. These examples also show why collectors should distinguish an issue name from its number of designs, panes or retail products.
How to Read and Use the Release Table
The issue date is the official first day of release, not a guarantee that every Post Office or retailer stocked the item that day. Use the issue name and date to identify the release, read the design-or-subject column for a concise artwork summary, and use the postage-category column to determine whether it is an ordinary Forever stamp, postcard stamp, two-ounce stamp, service-specific issue, or another postal product.
An issue can contain several designs and can appear in a pane, booklet, coil, or other format. The year identifies the release program; it does not state the package quantity, current inventory, or seller price. For actual mail, classify the finished mailpiece first and match its required postage to the stamp category.
How the 2025 Program Breaks Down
- Everyday and definitive issues: designs intended for recurring mailing use, sometimes offered in more than one format.
- Commemorative issues: people, events, culture, history, or anniversaries released as named programs.
- Nature and seasonal issues: flowers, wildlife, landscapes, holidays, and other occasion-oriented designs.
- Other postage categories: postcard, additional-ounce, international, or service-specific issues whose value is not the ordinary one-ounce Forever rate.
The artwork does not determine postage value. Read the printed denomination or category and verify the rate that applies on the mailing date.
Historical List vs. Current Shopping Catalog
This page is a historical release guide, not a promise that every 2025 issue is currently for sale here. A product may be unavailable, sold in a different package, or represented by a separate product page. Before ordering, confirm the exact issue, category, number of individual stamps, book/sheet/roll format, current price, and stock on the live listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a 2025 issue date change a Forever stamp's value?
No. A valid unused ordinary Forever stamp follows the current one-ounce stamped-letter rate when used. The year identifies the issue, not an expiration date.
Were all 2025 releases ordinary Forever stamps?
No. A yearly program can include ordinary Forever stamps and other categories or postal products. Check each entry rather than assuming one value for the entire year.
Why can one issue have several designs?
Some named issues are released as sets. Count the official issue as one program while recording the number of individual designs separately.
Are all releases listed here available in the shop?
No. The historical record is broader than current inventory. Use the live product page to verify availability and package details.
Can the release record change?
Corrections or newly verified details may require an update. The review date and cited annual program records indicate the version used.
The release record documents 2025 issues; current availability should be checked separately in the current stamp selection.
Sources and Scope
- Postal Bulletin 2025 Annual Index, which maps Stamp Announcements 25-1 through 25-33 to the individual issue records and later updates.
- Stamp Announcement 25-3 for the Lucia Wadsworth school-notebook source of the 1794 Compass Rose.
- Stamp Announcement 25-10 for the five photographed leaves in the Vibrant Leaves issue.
- Stamp Announcement 25-19 for Tracy Walker's Baby Wild Animals illustrations.
- Stamp Announcement 25-22 for the Stuttgart, Arkansas, first-day city of the 2025–2026 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamp.
- USPS Notice 123 for the distinction among current postage categories and values.
- Sales Discount Stamps live product records for current local availability only; inventory is not used to define the historical release list.
Reviewed September 17, 2026. The annual index is the traceable starting point for checking each numbered announcement; corrections in later Postal Bulletins take precedence over earlier previews.