Cost to collect 2023 U.S. stamps $17 more than 2022

By Jay Bigalke

The cost to collect one each of every United States stamp and postal stationery item issued in the past year increased by $17.60 compared to 2022, while the total number of stamps issued increased by 11. The increased cost piggybacks on the $33 increase in 2022.

The total single-stamp cost for collectors was $126.44 in 2023, compared to $108.80 in 2022 and $75.34 in 2021.

The 2023 increase can be attributed to the forever stamp rate that began the year at 60¢, changed to 63¢ in late January, and then moved to 66¢ in July. A $10 high denomination stamp, in addition to the Priority Mail rate stamps, also pushed costs higher.

Before 2021, where there was a drop, the total cost to collect had remained surprisingly stable for the previous six years, never varying more than $6 between any two consecutive years and just over $9 between the highest of those years ($105.04 in 2020) and the lowest ($95.75 in 2018). The 2023 total bucks this trend with its almost $20 jump.

Over the past 33 years, the annual cost has ranged from a low of $36.21 in 1993 to a high of $172.42 in 2007.

The per-year average since Linn’s Stamp News began tabulating the annual cost to collect U.S. stamps in 1991 is $89.55.

Collectors recognize that U.S. post offices and the Postal Service’s Stamp Fulfillment Services retail division often cannot or will not sell single stamps of certain new issues, so the cost to obtain those single stamps can be multiplied by the various formats in which they were issued.

For example, it was possible to purchase one nondenominated (63¢) Women’s Soccer forever stamp at the post office, but to obtain one nondenominated (66¢) United States OSIRIS-REx: Return to Earth forever stamp, the Postal Service required the purchase of a full pane of 20 stamps, at a cost to the collector of $13.20.

In some instances, collectors are required to purchase as many as 25 coil stamps from Stamp Fulfillment Services to obtain a single stamp. And for this year’s 40¢ Red Fox coil stamp, the minimum was a whopping 500.

The net cost to obtain one each of every stamp in the smallest format offered by the Postal Service in 2023 was $667.46. That’s a big jump of $221.55 from the 2022 total of $445.91 to buy the smallest post office format of each stamp. In 2021, the cost to collect for the smallest format was $242.58.

Collectors often try to mitigate the inflated cost of buying stamps in the full format by trading with other collectors who also need single stamps or certain configurations of multiples. Remainder stamps from larger formats can be used for postage as well.

A few more definitive and high-denomination stamps contributed to the increase in the number of stamps issued this year.

In 2023, the Postal Service issued 132 different stamps, including 80 commemoratives. The 2022 output was 121 different stamps, including 71 commemoratives.

The definitives total edged up by six: 42 in 2023 compared to 34 in 2022.

The 33-year average for the number of stamps issued annually is approximately 157.

The largest commemorative stamp sets issued in 2023 were the Endangered Species and Life Magnified issues of 20 different stamps (Scott 5799, 5802) and a 12-stamp Waterfalls issue (5800).

The largest commemorative stamp sets in 2022 were the National Marine Sanctuaries issue of 16 different stamps (Scott 5713) and two issues of 10 stamp designs each: Mighty Mississippi (5698) and Charles M. Schulz (5726).

The uncut press sheets offered for sale by the U.S. Postal Service are not figured in the totals in the two tables, but details of the collecting cost for press sheets are also tabulated by Linn’s.

In 2023, the Postal Service issued 17 press sheets in various sizes, including 16 commemorative issues and one special stamp (Love).

The cost totaled $1,388.94 for the collector who chooses to add one of each press sheet with die cuts to his or her collection.

That cost for press sheets with die cuts represents an increase from the cost of $1,354.40 for the 18 press sheets issued in 2022.

In 2023, the issuance of no-die-cut press sheets continued. If a collector were successful in the task of getting one of each die-cut and no die-cut press sheet in 2023, the cost of press sheets for the year 2023 would be $2,777.88, double the aforementioned total of $1,388.94.

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