US Stamps

U.S. Stellar Formations series of Priority Mail stamps to double in size Jan. 21

Jan 21, 2025, 2 PM
On Jan. 21 in Big Sky, Mont., the United States Postal Service will issue $10.10 Priority Mail and $31.40 Priority Mail Express stamps featuring dramatic photos of a spiral galaxy and star cluster taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

By Charles Snee

On Jan. 21, the United States Postal Service will issue two new stamps for expedited mail.

The preliminary images of the Spiral Galaxy and Star Cluster stamps shown nearby show a specific denomination. The USPS proposed a $10.10 denomination for the Spiral Galaxy stamp and a $31.40 denomination for the Star Cluster stamp. Both of those proposed denominations received approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission.

Preliminary images of the new stamps with “0.00” denomination inscriptions were first shown in the Jan. 6 issue of Linn’s.

The $10.10 Spiral Galaxy Priority Mail stamp and the $31.40 Star Cluster Priority Mail Express stamp are the latest additions to the Stellar Formations series that the USPS launched in 2024 with the $9.85 Pillars of Creation Priority Mail stamp (Scott 5827) and the $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs Priority Mail Express stamp (5828).

Although no official USPS first-day ceremony is planned for the two stamps, the designated first-day city is Big Sky, Mont., an appropriate location, given the vastness of the stamps’ subjects.

Kim Frum, a senior public relations representative for the Postal Service, told Linn’s Dec. 22 that no first-day event or ceremony is planned in Big Sky.

Both stamps should be available for purchase at the Big Sky post office on the Jan. 21 first day.

Both stamps are to be issued two days after new postal rates go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Flat-rate Priority Mail postage rose from $9.85 to $10.10. The increase in the flat rate for Priority Mail Express was just under $1, jumping from $30.45 to $31.40. Postage for a first-class letter remained at 73¢.

The $31.40 Star Cluster now has the highest face value of any regular postage stamp issued by the United States. It dethrones the $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs (Scott 5828) issued Jan. 22, 2024.

All stamps in the series illustrate dramatic photos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The new $10.10 Spiral Galaxy Priority Mail stamp will feature “an extremely high-definition image of a spiral galaxy 32 million light-years from Earth,” according to the Postal Service.

Pictured on the $31.40 Star Cluster Priority Mail Express stamp is a star cluster roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth, the USPS said.

Both stamps were designed by USPS art director Greg Breeding using photos credited to several sources.

“From the beginning, we’ve been interested in showcasing the incredible new images from the Webb Telescope (JWST) and we’ve been working with NASA to acquire new imagery,” Breeding told Linn’s Stamp News. “As we review new images on NASA’s website, we are also looking for what might make good stamp images.”

Breeding eventually settled on photos of a …

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