Voting opens in Linn’s 2025 U.S. stamp popularity poll

By Charles Snee

In 2025 the United States Postal Service issued 147 varieties of stamps, five fewer than the 152 stamps that were issued for the 2024 program, but 21 more than the 126 issued in 2023. Of the 2025 total, 83 are commemoratives, 63 are definitive (regular-issue) and special stamps, and one is a postal stationery item issued in two formats: a postal card and paid reply postal card featuring the same design.

For comparison, 121 were issued in 2022, 112 in 2021, 117 in 2020 and 2019, 105 in 2018, 128 in 2017 and 154 in 2016.

Special stamps are issued to recognize occasions such as weddings and the Christmas holiday season. In addition to stamped envelopes, postal stationery includes postal cards. The Postal Service last issued a postal card in 2021. That nondenominated (36¢) card pictures a male (drake) mallard duck.

Among the standout subjects honored on 2025 stamps are musician Alan Toussaint, the Appalachian Trail, TV star Betty White, battlefields of the American Revolution, Native American powwows, first lady Barbara Bush, Benjamin Franklin, conservative author William F. Buckley Jr., and Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel.

Unless stated otherwise, the stamps described are denominated “forever,” meaning they will always satisfy the current first-class mail rate for a 1-ounce letter. The current first-class letter rate, 78¢, went into effect July 13.

COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS

The Postal Service kicked off its 2025 commemorative offerings with a familiar subject: the Lunar New Year.

The Postal Service inaugurated a new 12-stamp Lunar New Year series Jan. 11, 2020, when it issued a single commemorative celebrating the Year of the Rat. The Year of the Ox was featured on the 2021 Lunar New Year stamp, the 2022 Lunar New Year stamp welcomed the Year of the Tiger, the Year of the Rabbit was celebrated on the 2023 Lunar New Year stamp, and the 2024 Lunar New Year stamp celebrated the Year of the Dragon. The series continued this year with the Year of the Snake commemorative issued Jan. 14.

All six stamps issued thus far feature a three-dimensional ceremonial mask by Camille Chew, who has been tapped to create mask artwork for all 12 stamps in the series.

The series chronicles the full zodiac cycle of lunar years observed in many Asian cultures. Each year in the repeating cycle is identified and characterized by a specific animal.

A Lunar New Year stamp for the Year of the Horse is expected early in the 2026 program. The Year of the Horse will start Feb. 17, 2026, and end on Feb. 6, 2027.

The 48th stamp in the Postal Service’s long-running Black Heritage commemorative series celebrated Allen Toussaint (1938-2015), a virtuoso pianist, singer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer.

The stamp features a photograph taken of the acclaimed rhythm and blues artist by photographer Bill Tompkins in New York City in 2007, with Toussaint seated at the piano in a black suit against a black background with purplish lighting.

The 13¢ Harriet Tubman stamp (Scott 1744) inaugurated the Black Heritage series in 1978. Ernest J. Gaines, the son of sharecroppers on a Louisiana plantation who went on to critical literary acclaim, was honored on last year’s Black Heritage stamp.

The series has commemorated individuals from the worlds of sports, civil rights activism, politics, business, literature and the arts, and more.

On Feb. 28 in Dawsonville, Ga., the Postal Service celebrated the centennial of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail with a pane of 15 nondenominated (73¢) forever stamps picturing views from the 14 states through which the trail passes, from Maine to Georgia, showcasing the trail’s scenic variety. Dawsonville marks the southern terminus of the trail.

The trail was first conceived in 1921 by forester Benton MacKaye, who planned a trail that would connect a series of farms and wilderness camps along the Appalachian mountains from Mount Washington in New Hampshire to Mount Mitchell in North Carolina.

On March 13 in Springfield, Mo., the Postal Service issued a set of five stamps illustrating popular freshwater fishing lures.

The five stamps show Sarah Cramer Shields’ photos of five different lures: crankbait, popper, spoon, spinner and wakebait. Note that the stamps picturing the popper and spinner lures are somewhat longer than the other three stamps.

Greg Breeding, an art director for the USPS, designed the Freshwater Fishing Lures stamps using Shields’ photos. He was attracted to the project (which he received in spring 2023) because of his experiences with fishing.

“Although I am no longer an active fisherman, I grew up going fishing with my dad,” Breeding said. “His tackle box was filled with lures, including most of those in this issuance, but he wouldn’t let me use them. He insisted that I fish with earthworms. But I always had my eye on those fishing lures!”

On March 27 at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Los Angeles, Calif., multitalented television entertainer Betty White (1922-2021) was honored with a nondenominated (73¢) forever stamp sold in panes of 20.

USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the new Betty White stamp using a digitally created portrait by artist Dale Stephanos based on a 2010 reference photograph by Kwaku Alston.

“Often called the first lady of television, her pioneering broadcasting career spanned more than eight decades,” the Postal Service said. “White achieved great fame with The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls — a couple of TV history’s most beloved and groundbreaking situation comedies — and remained phenomenally popular as an entertainer well into her nineties.”

On April 16 in Concord, Mass., the Postal Service honored five battlefields of the American Revolution with 15 nondenominated (73¢) forever commemorative stamps issued in a pane of 15. The pane includes watercolor paintings featuring scenes of five battlefields appearing beside more recent photographs of the historic sites.

Designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes, the pane includes five rows of three stamps each, with each row showing one of the five battles of the Revolutionary War: Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Saratoga and Yorktown.

In the blue selvage area of the pane, the name and date of each battle appear to the right of each row of stamps. In the upper right corner of the pane is a Dec. 18, 1776, quote from Thomas Paine from his essay “The American Crisis,” which reads: “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

“Many battlefields have been preserved or restored as national, state, or local parks, or as private sites open to the public,” the USPS said. “Each one offers a profound and highly personal opportunity to retrace the steps of those who fought, hear echoes of hard-won victories and devastating losses, and keep their memory alive.”

Four stamps honoring Native American powwows debuted April 25 in Albuquerque, N.M. The stamps and pane of 20 were designed by USPS art director Antonio Alcala and feature powwow dancers performing the Crow Hop, Women’s Traditional, Women’s Fancy Shawl and Men’s Hoop.

Powwows include traditional and competitive dancing, singing, pageantry, the honoring of ancestors, arts and crafts, and gifts of support for those in need. Powwows take place every weekend in the United States, with the largest powwow being the annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque.

Traditional powwow dancing, performed by members of a particular community, is passed down from generation to generation, along with the music and dance traditions of that tribe.

Clement Hurd’s charming illustrations for the 1947 bedtime story Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown are featured on eight commemorative forever stamps issued May 2 in a pane of 16.

“Goodnight Moon revolutionized children’s publishing when it debuted in 1947 and has since become favorite bedtime reading for millions of families around the world,” the Postal Service said in its announcement of the stamps in the March 20 issue of the Postal Bulletin. “The story allows children to imagine themselves in the cozy bedroom of a young bunny, saying goodnight to everything they see.”

A trio of forever commemorative stamps celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps were issued on May 16 in Washington, D.C.

“These stamps honor the enduring legacy and unwavering commitment of the men and women who have served and continue to serve,” the USPS said in an April 16 press release. “Each branch plays a crucial role in safeguarding American interests, standing as symbols of strength and resilience, upholding core values such as loyalty, duty, honor, and courage.”

Postal Service art director Antonio Alcala designed the three stamps. He took satisfaction knowing that the three designs represented the three services well.

“I was pleased we were able to find a solution that all service branches were happy with representing their anniversary,” Alcala told Linn’s. “We worked closely with representatives of each branch to make sure they were happy with our design.”

More than 122 years after the United States issued a postage stamp picturing Martha Washington, the first presidential first lady, the U.S. Postal Service paid tribute to Barbara Bush (1925-2018), the wife of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States. The nondenominated (73¢) Barbara Bush forever commemorative stamp was issued June 10 in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Bush served as first lady during her husband’s administration from 1989 to 1993. She was also the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd president (2001-09).

The design of the stamp, which features a detail of the official White House oil-on-canvas portrait of Bush painted in 2005 by Charles Fagan, was unveiled May 8 in the East Room of the White House during a ceremony hosted by first lady Melania Trump.

On July 23 the Postal Service celebrated its 250th anniversary with a new stamp picturing Benjamin Franklin (1706-90), the nation’s first postmaster general.

The new nondenominated (78¢) Benjamin Franklin stamp was issued as part of a 32-page prestige booklet containing two panes of 10 of the stamp, along with descriptive text and illustrations. The booklet is titled “Putting a Stamp on the American Experience.”

According to the Postal Service, the 2025 Benjamin Franklin stamp features an engraved image based on the 1875 reproduction (Scott 3) of the 1847 5¢ Franklin (1), the nation’s first regular-issue postage stamp. George Washington is the subject of the second U.S. stamp, the 1847 10¢ (2).

“As one of the first two honorees on U.S. stamps, Franklin is a longtime icon of the stamp program, appearing on more than 100 releases in the 178-year history of American stamps,” the USPS said. “Appointed postmaster general of the Colonies by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, Franklin appreciated that the postal system could help unite the Colonies — and the nation they became.”

A pane of 20 interconnected United States “250 Years of Delivering” forever stamps illustrating an aerial view of a dedicated postal carrier on her route through a bustling town in all four seasons was issued July 23 in Washington, D.C.

Created by comic artist Chris Ware and co-designed with USPS art director Antonio Alcala, the pane is laid out in four rows of five stamps and commemorates 250 years of delivering mail by the nation’s postal service while highlighting the organization’s mission of “connecting individuals, communities and businesses through an ongoing exchange of ideas, information and goods … In snow, rain, heat and gloom of night, USPS reliably reaches us where we live and work,” according to the Postal Service.

On Aug. 1 in New York City, the Postal Service issued a set of nondenominated (78¢) forever stamps with four designs in a pane of 16 celebrating the Nickelodeon animated television cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants.

Of the four designs, two bright yellow stamps feature closeups of SpongeBob’s smiling face, one with the character’s mouth open, the other with it closed. A third stamp pictures a host of other characters from the show including from left to right: Sandy Cheeks, Patrick Star, Plankton, Mr. Krabs, SpongeBob, Gary, and Squidward Tentacles.

The fourth stamp shows SpongeBob and Patrick enthusiastically playing on the sandy ocean floor.

“The beloved Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants has left an enduring mark on generations of viewers,” the Postal Service said. “Its unique blend of humor, memorable characters, and universal themes have made it popular with audiences of all ages.”

Nine months before the official start of the Boston 2026 World Stamp Exposition, the USPS issued a pair of nondenominated (78¢) forever stamps in honor of the 12th international philatelic exhibition to be held in the United States.

The Boston 2026 stamps made their debut at the Aug. 14-17 Great American Stamp Show during a first-day ceremony held Aug. 14.

“These two stamps highlight the special role of Boston in the American Revolution as the U.S. Postal Service prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation,” the USPS said.

The Boston 2026 exhibition is planned for May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center in Boston, Mass.

For more information and show details, visit the Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo website, www.boston2026.org, or the expo’s Facebook, X and Instagram pages.

The pair of Boston 2026 stamps picture the Old North Church in Boston and a midnight rider on horseback. USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the pair of Boston 2026 commemorative stamps using digital illustrations by Dan Gretta.

On Sept. 9 in New Haven, Conn., the Postal Service issued a nondenominated (78¢) forever stamp in panes of 20 honoring conservative thinker and spokesman William F. Buckley Jr.

Designed by USPS art director Greg Breeding, the stamp features a black-and-white portrait of Buckley. The artwork was created by artist Dale Stephanos, “using graphite and charcoal on hot-press watercolor paper,” according to the Postal Service, drawn by hand and then refined digitally. Stephanos based the portrait on a photograph taken by photojournalist Steve Schapiro in the 1960s.

William Francis “Frank” Buckley Jr. (1925-2008) was an American conservative writer, public intellectual, political commentator and novelist. “One of the most influential public intellectuals in modern U.S. history, Buckley defined the conservative movement of the mid-20th century and was one of its most recognizable spokesmen,” the Postal Service said.

Buckley founded the conservative journal National Review in 1955, and as editor in chief he used the journal as a forum for conservative views and ideas. His column of political commentary, “On the Right,” was syndicated in 1962 and appeared regularly in more than 200 newspapers.

On Sept. 17 in New York City, the Postal Service commemorated the legacy of author and activist Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) with the issuance of a nondenominated ($1.07) 2-ounce rate forever definitive stamp. The stamp is the 18th issue in the Distinguished Americans series that began in 2000.

The stamp, designed by USPS art director Ethel Kessler, features a 1999 black-and-white photograph of Wiesel taken by Russian photographer Sergey Bermeniev.

Wiesel was born in the town of Sighet, now part of Romania. During World War II, Wiesel and his family and other Jews from the area were deported to German concentration and extermination camps, where his parents and younger sister perished, while Wiesel and his two older sisters survived.

“Embodying the struggle and urgency of the Holocaust, Wiesel became the voice for victims and survivors, fighting for human rights at every opportunity,” the Postal Service said. After World War II, Wiesel became a journalist, prolific author, professor, and human rights activist.

On Oct. 1 in Atlanta, Ga., the Postal Service issued a nondenominated (78¢) forever stamp in panes of 20 commemorating the 39th president of the United States, James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. (1924-2024) on the 101st anniversary of his birth date.

Designed by USPS art director Ethel Kessler, the stamp features a 1982 oil-on-linen painting by artist Herbert E. Abrams (1921-2003) that was commissioned in preparation for Abrams’ painting of Carter for an official White House portrait.

The stamp design was first revealed at an unveiling ceremony at the Plains High School Visitor Center of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Plains, Ga., on Aug. 16.

The most recent stamp featuring a former U.S. president was for George H.W. Bush (1924-2018), who was honored on a nondenominated (55¢) forever stamp (Scott 5393) in 2019.

DEFINITIVE AND SPECIAL STAMPS

The 2025 slate of definitive and special stamps began Jan. 17 with a nondenominated (73¢) Love stamp featuring an untitled work by Pennsylvania artist Keith Haring (1958-90).

Rendered in Haring’s signature style, the design features a 1985 drawing showing a large red heart with thick black lines radiating from it. Underneath the heart are two nondescript figures raising their hands toward the heart.

According to the Postal Service, “the joyful image allows the viewer to project their own meaning of love in the context of their choosing. Haring’s work is rich in meaning and appeals to people from all backgrounds.”

Most stamps in the Love series have been issued in January or early February so mailers have adequate time to use them on Valentine’s Day letters and cards.

On Jan. 22, 2024, the Postal Service launched a new series of Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps showcasing remarkable photographs of stellar formations taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The 2024 issues were the $9.85 Pillars of Creation Priority Mail stamp and the $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs Priority Mail Express stamp.

In a nod to the subjects portrayed on the high-denomination stamps and others likely to be issued in the future, Linn’s Stamp News dubbed the new series Stellar Formations.

The series doubled in size Jan. 21, 2025, with the addition of two new stamps.

The $10.10 Spiral Galaxy Priority Mail stamp features “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.”

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 issued Jan. 22, 2024.

On Jan. 24 at the Southeastern Stamp Expo in Peachtree Corners, Ga., the Postal Service issued a nondenominated ($1.65) global forever stamp in panes of 10 that pictures a compass rose and can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter to any country for which first-class international mail service is available.

A compass rose, also known as a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a round figure on a compass, map, nautical chart or monument that indicates the cardinal directions orienting users by showing the direction of north and other points of the compass. The cardinal directions are the main compass points — north, south, east and west.

The term “compass rose” comes from the resemblance of the navigational tool’s directional points to the petals of a rose.

The round 32-point compass rose image — pictured on the new issue with brightly colored directional points in blue, red, yellow, and green — is from the collections of the Maine Historical Society. It was drawn by Lucia Wadsworth, the aunt of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in her school geography notebook in 1794, when she was 10 years old.

USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp and said the choice of Wadsworth’s illustration was due to the image’s visual appeal.

“When we research existing imagery, we do our best to honor the color palette in the original artwork,” Breeding said. “One constraint with this project was most of the historic compasses were not very colorful. The 1794 Compass Rose has just a touch of color which makes it a little more special than the rest.”

On Feb. 21 in San Diego, Calif., the Postal Service issued a pair of nondenominated (10¢) coil stamps for use on presorted standard mail.

“American Vistas features illustrations of two iconic American landscapes: mountains and beach,” the USPS said in its announcement of the stamps in the Jan. 9 issue of the Postal Bulletin. “The stylized and minimalist scenes were created as vector illustrations, which were then turned into screen prints, using just three colors: yellow, blue, and navy.”

Postal Service art director Greg Breeding designed the two American Vistas coil stamps using existing art produced by DKNG Studios in Los Angeles, Calif.

“Dan Kuhlken and Nathan Goldman from DKNG have been design icons since they began in 2005,” Breeding said. “They have been prolific in creating fresh and vibrant art and design ever since, and I’ve always wanted to work with them.”

According to Breeding, DKNG Studios provided art for two previous U.S. issues: the 2019 nondenominated (55¢) Military Working Dogs stamps (Scott 5405-5408) and the Kudos Pinback Button stamp (Scott 5923) from the 2024 nondenominated (73¢) Pinback Buttons set of 10 (5919-5928).

On March 14 the Postal Service issued five stamps featuring photographs of leaves set against a white background. Each stamp shows a single leaf from the following trees: aspen, sassafras, oak, maple and sweetgum.

The nondenominated (56¢) Vibrant Leaves forever postcard-rate stamps were issued during a local first-day ceremony on the first day of the March 14-16 Garfield-Perry stamp show in Strongsville, Ohio, near Cleveland.

USPS art director Antonio Alcala designed the Vibrant Leaves stamps using existing photos from Marie-France Belanger, Olga Mitryaeva, Vladimir Pomortsev, Adobe stock and Paulina Wessel.

“The white background allows the viewer to focus on the shape of the leaf as well as clearly see the color without other background distractions,” Alcala told Linn’s. “The white background also lends a more contemporary appearance to the stamp.”

Beautiful dahlia blossoms in a rainbow of colors burst forth on 10 definitive forever stamps issued April 26 at the Westpex stamp show in Burlingame, Calif.

The stamps feature close-up photographs of dahlias that were taken by Denise Ippolito. Breeding served as both art director and designer.

“Because flowers are so very popular with the public, I decided to research photographers with a little different approach to the subject matter,” Breeding told Linn’s. “Denise’s photographs are beautiful but almost abstract and I had a hunch that this more detailed but soft style might be appealing.”

“Denise’s work tends to be very tightly cropped so that the stamps themselves became little details of the flowers,” Breeding said.

Digital illustrations of baby wild animals created by artist Tracy Walker of Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada, appear on 10 definitive forever stamps issued May 23 at the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Aurora, Colo.

The Baby Wild Animals stamps were issued in double-sided panes of 20 featuring two of each design. The USPS calls this format a convertible booklet because it can be folded into a compact size by removing selvage strips on both sides of the pane. Collectors prefer to collect and mount double-sided panes as issued, with the selvage strips in place.

Breeding worked closely with Walker to bring the Baby Wild Animals stamps to life. The stamps are Walker’s first project for the Postal Service.

On June 7, during an early Flag Day parade celebration weekend, the Postal Service issued a new Flag definitive stamp in Three Oaks, Mich., with a first-day ceremony planned by local postal officials.

Three Oaks was chosen for the first-day location because the Three Oaks Flag Day parade, held annually, stands as a testament to American patriotism and community spirit.

Over the decades, the parade has experienced significant growth. By the 1970s, it expanded to 80 units and was recognized as the nation’s largest Flag Day parade.

The 1980s saw the event evolve from a single-day affair to a three-day celebration, incorporating various community activities. Today, the parade boasts more than 100 units, including veterans, color guards, musical marching bands, clowns, equestrian groups, drill teams, antique cars and trucks, drum and bugle corps, and antique tractors, all proudly displaying and honoring Old Glory.

On Aug.16 at the Great American Stamp Show in Schaumburg, Ill., the Postal Service issued the nondenominated ($1.27) Luna Moth nonmachineable surcharge definitive stamp.

The $1.27 nonmachineable surcharge rate includes the standard 78¢ first-class mailpiece rate plus a 49¢ nonmachineable surcharge. A nonmachinable surcharge is applied to first-class mail that cannot be processed by postal machines due to their shape, size or other characteristics.

The new Luna Moth nonmachineable surcharge stamp was designed by USPS art director Derry Noyes from a 2001 image of a pale green Luna moth (Actias luna) created by retired Alfred University (Alfred, N.Y.) professor of print media Joseph Sheer.

Sheer’s original artwork “was created using a high-resolution scanner with extended focus, which was programmed in a variety of depths of field at exact points above the scanner glass,” the USPS said. “As many as 32 layers of the preserved Luna moth were scanned individually to ensure that all parts of the preserved moth would appear in sharp focus.”

For the final image, Sheer then combined each of these layers, resulting in a highly detailed stamp image.

Luna moths, also known as American moon moths, are identifiable by their striking lime-green color and the moon-like eyespots that appear on each of their four large wings. In fact, it is these moon-shaped eyespots that reminded scientists of Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon, which led to their distinctive name.

A set of four nondenominated (78¢) definitive forever stamps ushered in the holiday mailing season on Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.

The four Holiday Cheer stamps feature vibrantly colored illustrations of three amaryllis flowers, a holly wreath, an evergreen branch decorated with fruit, and cardinals perched on mistletoe.

“The images were created using a collage technique with gouache and acrylic paint on background paper from a vintage gardening book,” the Postal Service said. “The shapes for each image were then cut out and pasted onto an archival cotton board. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps with original artwork by Denise Fiedler.”

Noyes told Linn’s she enjoyed her collaboration with Fiedler.

“She was a delight to work with, very quick to understand the assignment and willing to make any and all changes recommended,” Noyes said.

“We communicated easily back and forth,” Noyes said. “Our personalities clearly clicked, which is a blessing. It’s not always the case, so I am very grateful when this happens. Her collages are well suited for this small format. There’s a spontaneity that comes through and brings joy.”

“These stamps are meant to be used during the winter holidays but not affiliated with any particular holiday,” Noyes said. “The idea was to be bright, colorful, lighthearted, and cheerful, evoking the spirit of the season.”

On Sept. 19 in Danville, Ind., the USPS issued five definitive stamps featuring vibrant photographs of snowy landscapes from around the United States.

The nondenominated (78¢) Winter Landscapes stamps were issued in double-sided panes of 20.

The stamps were designed by USPS art director Ethel Kessler using existing photos taken by Mike Blottenberger, John Moore, Carson O’Ffill, Juanita Phillips and Katherine Plessner.

The nature of the stamps’ subject made it easy for Kessler to opt for photographs as the main design element.

“Sometimes, USPS asks for a booklet … sometimes they ask for a specific subject … like winter landscapes,” Kessler told Linn’s. “I just figured if they want Winter Landscapes, the images should look COLD, and the best way for me to find those kinds of images is to look through stock photos. Once I saw the gorgeous images, there was no need to commission illustration.”

POSTAL STATIONERY

The Postal Service issued one postal stationery item in two formats in 2025: a single nondenominated (61¢) postal card and a nondenominated (61¢+61¢) paid reply postal card, both of which feature the same illustration of a schooner in the indicium (stamp imprint). However, for voting purposes, the Schooner postal cards will count as one item. As such, the Schooner issue is eligible only for the overall favorite issue of 2025.

Images of all the 2025 stamps are presented on pages 12 and 13 of the Dec. 15 issue. The ballot for casting your vote in the 2025 stamp poll is found the same issue. Readers wishing to vote online may do so at www.linns.com. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Feb. 28, 2026.

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