U.S. Postal Service Issues Postcrossing Stamps

Since 2005, the Postcrossing website has inspired more than 800,000 people in more than 200 countries and territories to send more than 85 million postcards to eager recipients around the world. These four triangular stamps highlight the fun of receiving real, personalized mail, and also celebrate the role of Postcrossing in promoting greater understanding across countries and cultures.

"Postcrossing began with a simple idea: Receiving a postcard in the mail could brighten someone's day. From that one great idea grew a worldwide community built around kindness, curiosity and human connection. But what makes Postcrossing remarkable is not simply the number of postcards exchanged. It's what those postcards represent. Each one reflects time, effort and intention," said Sheila Holman, the Postal Service's vice president of marketing, who dedicated the stamps.

"I think these Postcrossing stamps are arriving at an especially important moment. While technology has transformed the ways in which people communicate, the desire for authentic connection hasn't changed. There's still a very human desire to reach out to one another to share experiences and to learn about people and places that are outside of our own personal worlds," she said.

Ana Campos, the community manager for the Postcrossing website, explained the idea behind the project: Send a postcard to an eager recipient somewhere in the world, and receive one back from someone else.

"In a very online world, Postcrossing is a reminder that the slow things matter. People take the time to write and connect across borders, and that small act is felt and appreciated," she said. "It's hard to describe how happy and proud this makes us. A Postcrossing stamp feels like a little celebration of all the joy and curiosity that travels through the mail every day. This stamp issue is a recognition of the community's passion for postcards, stamps and connection."

Postcrossing was created by Paulo Magalhães, a Portuguese student who found that receiving postcards in the mail made his day a little brighter. With the help of friends, including Campos, he launched Postcrossing on July 14, 2005, hosting the website on an old personal computer in his home.

More than 300,000 Postcrossing postcards are on their way to recipients at any given moment. Members in the United States have sent the second-highest number of postcards, with Germany taking the top spot as the home of the most active postcard senders.

When sending postcards, members often write personalized notes that highlight aspects of their hometown, their interests or their lives. When receiving cards, members are encouraged to enjoy the surprise. They may discover something new about an unfamiliar city, learn more about the history of another country, encounter a work of art for the first time or glimpse a moment in the life of someone on the other side of the world.

A lifelong sender of postcards, Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, was drawn to Postcrossing long before he received this stamp design assignment.

"What a fantastic system: free and fun to get mail from elsewhere!" Alcalá said, recalling that the first Postcrossing postcard he sent went to China and the first card he received was from the Netherlands.

Alcalá knows firsthand that in a digital era, a postcard has become an especially meaningful way to connect with loved ones.

"I do it on every trip away from home — and sometimes even when I haven't gone anywhere," he said. "It's such an easy, personal and fun way to let someone know you are thinking of them. Whenever I get a postcard from someone on their travels, I think, 'Wow, they took time out of their busy vacation to think of me.' That's a pretty special feeling."

As a stamp designer, Alcalá loves to scrutinize the stamps that accompany postcards from overseas. His desire to make the U.S. Postcrossing stamp stand out from other international stamps partly inspired their triangular shape.

"It's an unusual shape and will surely be appreciated by recipients around the globe," he explained. "They will be special."

Numerous countries and postal authorities worldwide have issued Postcrossing stamps since 2011, so Alcalá wanted the U.S. designs to put a unique twist on a theme those stamps typically have in common — letter-writing.

"Additionally, I knew that there was a broad audience for the stamps: Postcrossers run the age gamut from kids to elders. These factors led me to look for someone who could create bright, colorful and fun images about sending mail within a small space."

Alcalá discovered the work of Jackson Gibbs, whose colorful illustrations playfully acknowledge the great distances postcards often need to travel and the efforts of the dedicated workers who help them reach their far-off destinations. The individual figures on each stamp — a rider on horseback in the American West, a diver in scuba gear at the bottom of the sea, an astronaut in space and a figure on a motorcycle — each carry a postcard that bears one of these tiny triangular Postcrossing stamps.

"As far as I'm concerned, his artwork is perfect," Alcalá said. "I can't wait to use these on my international mail."

As Global stamps, the Postcrossing stamps may be used to send a postcard from the United States to any country to which First-Class Mail International service is available.

In addition to adding a fun touch to any postcard, these stamps are also an eye-catching way to spread the word about Postcrossing by using them on international letters. These stamps will have a postage value equivalent to the price of the single-piece First-Class Mail International 1-ounce machinable letter rate in effect at the time of use.

In short, these stamps are similar to Forever stamps, but for use on international letters and cards.

In 2026 and beyond, these stamps are sure to brighten countless postcards as they convey greetings of friendship the world over. News of the Postcrossing stamps is being shared with the hashtag #PostcrossingStamps.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, first-day-of-issue ceremonies and stamp-inspired products can be found at stampsforever.com.

Please Note:

The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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National contact: James McKean
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usps.com/news

Local contact: Judith Ferriera
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service