I guess I wasn't paying attention last April 12 when the U.S. Postal Service announced planned issue of the "Forever Stamp."
It came out in time for the rate hike last May from 39¢ to the present 41¢ for a one-ounce first class letter.
The rates are going up again this May. The one-ounce first class rate will creep up by a penny to 42¢.
The deal with the Forever Stamp is that it sells for whatever is the current one-ounce first class rate, making it possible to continue mailing at the present rate as long as your supply of Forever Stamps holds out.
“The Postal Service developed the Forever Stamp for consumers to ease the transition during price changes,” said Postmaster General John Potter. “We encourage Americans to buy Forever Stamps now for 41 cents, because like the name suggests, they are good forever.”
The Postal Service has sold 5 billion Forever Stamps since the launch last April and plans to have an additional 5 billion in stock to meet the expected demand before the May price change.
Your recollection of the basic postal rate is a pretty good way to gauge your age. I'm old enough to remember the 3¢ letter and the 1¢ postcard.
Here's a chronology of basic U.S. postage rates:
| July 1, 1885 | .02 |
| Nov. 3, 1917 | .03 |
| July 1, 1919 | .02 |
| July 5, 1932 | .03 |
| Aug. 1, 1958 | .04 |
| Jan. 7, 1963 | .05 |
| Jan. 7, 1968 | .06 |
| May 16, 1971 | .08 |
| March 2, 1974 | .10 |
| Dec. 31, 1975 | .13 |
| May 29, 1978 | .15 |
| March 22, 1981 | .18 |
| Feb. 17, 1985 | .22 |
| April 3, 1988 | .25 |
| Feb. 3, 1991 | .29 |
| Jan. 1, 1995 | .32 |
| Jan. 10, 1999 | .33 |
| Jan. 7, 2001 | .34 |
| June 30, 2002 | .37 |
| Jan. 8, 2006 | .39 |
| May 14, 2007 | .41 |
| May 12, 2008 | .42 |
Notice that the rate actually decreased once - in 1919. Don't expect to see that happen again.
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