posted 04-27-2017 09:55 AM               

Total Eclipse of the Sun to be commemorated on a Forever Stamp

One Stamp: Two Images

The Postal Service will soon release a first-of-its-kind stamp that changes when you touch it. The Total Solar Eclipse Forever stamp, which commemorates the August 21 eclipse, transforms into an image of the Moon from the heat of a finger. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtag #EclipseStamps.

Tens of millions of people in the United States hope to view this rare event, which has not been seen on the U.S. mainland since 1979. The eclipse will travel a narrow path across the entire country for the first time since 1918. The path will run west to east from Oregon to South Carolina and will include portions of 14 states.

The June 20, 1:30 p.m. MT First-Day-of-Issue ceremony will take place at the Art Museum of the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie. The University is celebrating the summer solstice on June 20. Prior to the event, visitors are encouraged to arrive at 11:30 a.m. to witness a unique architectural feature where a single beam of sunlight shines on a silver dollar embedded in the floor, which occurs at noon on the summer solstice in the UW Art Museum's Rotunda Gallery.

Thermochromic Ink

The stamp image is a photograph taken by astrophysicist Fred Espenak, aka Mr. Eclipse, of Portal, AZ, that shows a total solar eclipse seen from Jalu, Libya, on March 29, 2006.

In the first U.S. stamp application of thermochromic ink, the Total Solar Eclipse stamps will reveal a second image. Using the body heat of your thumb or fingers and rubbing the eclipse image will reveal an underlying image of the Moon (Espenak also took the photograph of the Full Moon). The image reverts back to the eclipse once it cools.

Thermochromic inks are vulnerable to UV light and should be kept out of direct sunlight as much as possible to preserve this special effect. To help ensure longevity, the Postal Service will be offering a special envelope to hold and protect the stamp pane for a nominal fee.

A total eclipse of the Sun occurs when the Moon completely blocks the visible solar disk from view, casting a shadow on Earth. The 70-mile-wide shadow path of the eclipse, known as the "path of totality," will traverse the country diagonally, appearing first in Oregon (mid-morning local time) and exiting some 2,500 miles east and 90 minutes later off the coast of South Carolina (mid-afternoon local time).

A total solar eclipse provides us with the only chance to see the Sun's corona — its extended outer atmosphere — without specialized instruments. During the total phase of an eclipse the corona appears as a gossamer white halo around the black disk of the Moon, resembling the petals of a flower reaching out into space.

Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamp.

The Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp, which is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

posted 05-11-2017 07:00 PM               

There are also digital color and black and white pictorial postmarks.

posted 06-20-2017 09:15 PM               

Jim Cochrane, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer of the United States Postal Service dedicated the first-of-its-kind Forever stamp which transforms the solar eclipse image into the Moon from the heat of a finger. The Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp commemorates the upcoming Aug. 21 eclipse.

Cochrane was joined by NASA and University of Wyoming officials, and astrophysicist Fred Espenak, aka Mr. Eclipse, at the June 20 First-Day-of-Issue ceremony, which took place at the Art Museum of the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie.

L to R: David Wilson, Postmaster Laramie, WY Peter Parolin, Department of English, UW Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta, Astrophysicist, NASA James P. Cochrane, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer and Executive VP, USPS Fred Espenak, photographer Dr. Michael Pierce, Department of Physics and Astronomy, UW Kevin Romero, Acting District Manager, CO/WY, USPS

Fred Espenak and his wife buy stamps at the event.

posted 07-25-2017 08:39 AM               

Along with selling stamps, the post office is offering an Aug. 21 postmark showing the sun in eclipse and the dome of the Missouri state capitol.

It's the first 2017 eclipse postmark announced for the actual day of the eclipse, though others might be on the way from additional locations.

To obtain the postmark, address your request to:

CAPITAL ECLIPSE Station, April Burger, 131 W. High St., Room 104, Jefferson City, MO 65101-9998, Aug. 21.

posted 08-19-2017 09:43 PM               

LINCOLN CITY, OR Station, Postmaster, 1501 SE East Devils Lake Road, Lincoln City, OR 97367-9998, Aug. 21. ("Great American Eclipse - Landfall.")

JOHN DAY, OR Station, Postmaster, 151 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845-9998, Aug. 18. ("Total Eclipse of the Sun," seven phases of total eclipse.)

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Station, Postmaster, 1234 Commercial Blvd., Herculaneum, MO, 63048-9998, Aug. 18-21. (Path of eclipse totality through outline map of Missouri.)

FERNBANK SCIENCE CENTER Station, Manager, 3900 Crown Road, Atlanta, GA 30304-9998, Aug. 19. (Eclipse phases, science center insignia.)

CRETE, NE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Crete, NE 68333-9998, Aug. 19 and 21. ("Saline Solar Shadow," with eclipse diamond ring substituting for the "o" in "Solar.")

WILBER, NE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Wilber, NE 68465-9998, Aug. 19. ("Saline Solar Shadow," with eclipse diamond ring substituting for the "o" in "Solar.")

TOTAL ECLIPSE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Columbia, SC 29223-9998, Aug. 19. ("Solar Eclipse Stamp Show" text between horizontal bars.)

SECRET CITY TOTAL ECLIPSE Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Oliver Springs, TN 37840-9998, Aug. 19. (Dark disk, rounded design.)

STATION OF THE TOTAL ECLIPSE, Postmaster, 501 E. Main St., Riverton, WY 82501-9998, Aug. 19. (Text only, in box.)

LAKE SPRING, MO Station, Postmaster, Box 9998, Lake Spring, MO 65532-9998, Aug. 19. ("Total Eclipse of the Sun," seven phases of total eclipse.)

LAS VEGAS, NV Station, Postmaster, 1001 East Sunset, Las Vegas, NV 89199-9998. ("Total Eclipse of the Sun," seven phases of total eclipse.)

DAWSON SPRINGS, KY Station, Postmaster, 101 W. Ramsey St., Dawson Springs, KY 42408-9998, June 21. ("Total Eclipse of the Sun," seven phases of total eclipse.)

posted 07-25-2025 12:52 PM               

To celebrate the organization's 250th anniversary, and gear up to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary, the public is invited to select a stamp pane from the past for re-printing as part of the 2026 Stamp program.

The Postal Service chose 25 stamp panes from some of its bestselling and most popular stamp issuances of the recent past. Voting is open through Sept. 30, both online and by mail. You can view the official rules and vote online, or print a paper ballot from the website and mail it in.

This is an open invitation — everyone is welcome, and you can vote as many times as you want.

The Postal Service plans to announce the winning stamp design in May 2026 at the Boston 2026 World Expo to coincide with America's 250th anniversary celebrations.