Refresher Course

Nondenominated stamps have values too

By Rick Miller

None of the United States postage stamps pictured on this page bears a denomination. On most stamps, the denomination represents the postage value indicated by numerals printed as part of the design of the stamp.

Sometimes U.S. stamps are printed without a denomination because the U.S. Postal Service does not know well enough in advance what value the stamps will have.

When the Postal Service seeks an increase in domestic postal rates, it must wait for a review and recommendation from the Postal Rate Commission, an independent agency of the federal government.

Once a rate change plan is reviewed, the Postal Service may choose to put the new rate into effect very quickly. Therefore, it prints hundreds of millions of nondenominated stamps well in advance that it can sell at the new rate as soon as it goes into effect.

The subjects of these stamps are usually generic so that they can be called into duty at any time. At times, however, the looming rate change has produced nondenominated Christmas stamps and Love stamps (for Valentine's Day).

Other nondenominated stamps include what are called "service-inscribed" stamps. These stamps have printed on them the specific mailing class that they fulfill, such as bulk rate, presorted or nonprofit.

This page shows all nondenominated U.S. regular postage stamps, and it provides the face values, Scott catalog numbers and issue dates for each.

In addition to regular postage stamps, the United States has issued nondenominated semipostal stamps, Official stamps and stamped envelopes and postal cards.

Nondenominated U.S. Regular Postage Stamps
10¢ Scott 1579 Oct. 14, 1975	10¢ Scott 1580 Oct. 14, 1975	15¢ Scott 1735-36, 1743 May 22, 1978	18¢ Scott 1818-20 March 15, 1981	20¢ Scott 1946-48 Oct. 11, 1981	20¢ Scott 1939 Oct. 28, 1981
20¢ Scott 1940 Oct. 28, 1981	22¢ Scott 2111-13 Feb. 1, 1985	25¢ Scott 2277, 2279, 2282 March 22, 1978	29¢ Scott 2517-20 Jan. 22, 1991	4¢ Scott 2521 Jan. 22, 1991	29¢ Scott 2522 Jan. 22, 1991
29¢ Scott 2578 Oct. 17, 1991	29¢ Scott 2579-81 Oct. 17, 1991	29¢ Scott 2582 Oct. 17, 1991	29¢ Scott 2583 Oct. 17, 1991	29¢ Scott 2584 Oct. 17, 1991	29¢ Scott 2585 Oct. 17, 1991
10¢ Scott 2602-04, 2907, 3270-71 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998	3¢ Scott 2877-78 Dec. 13, 1994	20¢ yellow background Scott 2879-80 Dec. 13, 1994	32¢ white background Scott 2881-87, 2889-92 Dec. 13, 1994	25¢ blue background Scott 2888 Dec. 13, 1994	5¢ green background Scott 2893 1995
5¢ Scott 2902, 2902B March 10, 1995; 1996	10¢ Scott 2905-06 March 10, 1995; 1996	15¢ Scott 2908-10 March 17, 1995; 1996	25¢ Scott 2911-12B, 3132 March 17, 1995; 1996; 1997	32¢ Scott 2948-49 Feb. 1, 1995	5¢ Scott 2903-04B March 16, 1996; 1997
5¢ Scott 3207, 3207A June 5, 1998; Dec. 14, 1998	25¢ Scott 3208, 3208A June 5, 1998; Sept. 30, 1998	33¢ (postage value) Scott B1 July 29, 1998	10¢ Scott 3228-29 Aug. 14, 1998	1¢ Scott 3257-58 Nov. 9, 1998	33¢ Scott 3260, 3264-69 Nov. 9, 1998
10¢ Scott 3447 Nov. 9, 2000	34¢ Scott 3448-50 Dec. 15, 2000	34¢ Scott 3451-53 Dec. 15, 2000	34¢ Scott 3454, 3458, 3465 Dec. 15, 2000	34¢ Scott 2455, 3459, 3464 Dec. 15, 2000	34¢ Scott 3456, 3460, 3462 Dec. 15, 2000
34¢ Scott 3457, 3461, 3463 Dec. 15, 2000	34¢ Scott 3496 Jan. 19, 2001	10¢ Scott 3520 June 29, 2001	15¢ Scott 3522 Aug. 3, 2001	37¢ Scott 3620-25 June 7, 2002	37¢ Scott 3626 June 7, 2002
37¢ Scott 3627 June 7, 2002	37¢ Scott 3628 June 7, 2002	37¢ Scott 3629 June 7, 2002	5¢ Scott 3693, 3775, 3785 Oct. 21, 2002, 2003	25¢ Scott 3792-3801 June 26, 2003