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You don't need to be a stamp collector to enjoy the whimsy of what the U.S. Postal Service brings to your mailbox—there's a stamp for everyone.
Right now, the USPS is struggling with a huge decrease in mail volume. In fact, its postmaster general and CEO says it'll have a net operating loss by more than $22 billion over the next eighteen months, and by more than $54 billion in the long term. The agency, which employs 630,000 workers, is asking Congress for $89 billion, according to the New York Times.
Seeing this, people across the U.S. have been buying up books of stamps to help support the USPS as much as they can. We've gone through its stock of options, which range in price, to bring you some of the best ones available to buy right now, from stamps honoring the Harlem Renaissance to space-themed postage that celebrates the first moon landing.
1. For the dog lover
Military working dogs are honored through four stylized stamps—a German shepherd, a Labrador retriever, a Belgian Malinois and a Dutch shepherd—that serve in the armed forces. A book of 20 is $11.
2. For the dinosaur enthusiast
The terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex takes center stage on these stamps and they're only $8.80 for a book of 16.
3. For the patriot
The USPS describes this Statue of Freedom stamp as a "modern take on vintage patriotic stamp art" and it certainly conveys that. There are three choices for this stamp—$1, $2 and $5. Each book is $20.
4. For the Hot Wheels collector
You may have been a collector as a child or have a kid who is—either way, these Hot Wheels stamps bring some serious nostalgia and fun with them. A book of 20 is $11.
5. For the anti-Tiger King
The net proceeds from the sale of the Save Vanishing Species stamp, which features a striking illustration of an Amur tiger cub, go toward the African Elephant Conservation Fund, the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, the Great Ape Conservation Fund, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund and the Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. A sheet of 20 is $13. Who knew that buying stamps could help you save an endangered animal?
6. For the gardener
The USPS has no shortage of floral postage, from orchids to dainty boutonnieres. But the American Gardens stamps show off our country's most stunning plant and flower collections, from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to the Biltmore. It's $11 for a sheet of 20.
7. For the space nerd
Commemorate the incredible moment we landed on the moon with the epic 1969: First Moon Landing stamp. It features that famous photo of the moon reflected in the astronaut's helmet and a beautiful closeup of that marble-like space rock. It's $13.20 for a book of 24.
8. For Harlem Renaissance connoisseurs
Four literary figures are honored on the Voices of the Harlem Renaissance stamps—novelist Nella Larsen; historian Arturo Schomburg; writer, philosopher and educator Alain Locke; and poet Anne Spencer—to celebrate the Harlem Renaissance, which was one of the greatest arts movements in American history. Beautiful and haunting, these stamps are some of the coolest we've seen around. A sheet of 20 is $11.
More stamps are on the way, too! The U.S. Post Service just released Earth Day stamps and will be offering hip-hop, 19th Amendment: Women Vote and Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor postage later this year. Check the schedule for specific release dates and browse through the colorful guide about what's coming and how to order via phone.