Significant increase in 2022 cost to collect U.S. stamps

By Jay Bigalke

The cost to collect one each of every United States stamp and postal stationery item issued in the past year jumped by approximately $33 in 2022, while the total number of stamps issued increased by nine.

For the first year since this feature started with the cost to collect 1991 issues, there were no new postal stationery items.

The total single-stamp cost for collectors was $108.80 in 2022, compared to $75.34 in 2021 and $105.04 in 2020.

All of the 2022 increase can be attributed to the new high-denomination stamps for the Priority Mail rates, along with other stamps denominated at $2 and $5.

Before 2021, where there was a drop, the total cost to collect had remained surprisingly stable for the previous six years, never varying more than $6 between any two consecutive years and just over $9 between the highest of those years ($105.04 in 2020) and the lowest ($95.75 in 2018). The 2022 total continues this trend.

Over the past 32 years, the annual cost has ranged from a low of $36.21 in 1993 to a high of $172.42 in 2007.

The per-year average since Linn’s Stamp News began tabulating the annual cost to collect U.S. stamps in 1991 is $88.39.

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