June 14th, 2025

Joining the movement to re-use and revamp resources, we are pulling together ways to economize when sending letters. With the price increase of mailing (First Class stamps will increase a nickel in mid-July to $.78), it’s worthwhile to check your folders and desk drawers for unused postage stamps, including those that preceded the Forever stamps of today. With the first Forever, or nondenominated, stamp introduced in 2007 at $.41, the post office eliminated the need to print large quantities of low-value stamps needed to adjust for any increased rates. Since 2011, all First Class stamps were printed with the “forever” designation and are valid

without regard to the price paid when purchased. It’s also important to know that all unused stamps issued before 2007, displaying a lesser value, can be combined to add up to the current rate of postage.

At Letters Trellis, we have always offered our writers a selection of Forever tamps with varied motifs. This month we will also feature pre-stamped envelopes using a variety of stamps issued before 2007 and calculated to meet the current rate of First Class mail. 

We also refer you to the following excerpt from the June newsletter

of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History at Regis

College in Wellesley, MA. It describes another untapped source of

upcycling through the use of vintage postal stationery:

Have you ever wondered what postal stationery is? It’s a fun and practical way to send mail! Postal stationery refers to items that already have a specific postage rate prepaid, typically with an imprinted stamp or inscription. Some great examples are stamped envelopes, letter sheets, postal cards, letter cards, aerograms, and wrappers. Just like postage stamps, you can find these goodies at post offices, often with a small surcharge to cover the extra cost of the stationery. You can also check them out at the Museum's store!

Postal stationery has a rich history that dates back to at least 1608, with folded letters showcasing the coat of arms of Venice. The first modern postal stationery was introduced in the UK around 1841, and soon after, other countries, including the United States in 1853, followed suit. An exciting

development in 1869 saw Austria-Hungary introduce the postal card, followed by the U.S. in 1873. 

Most collectors love gathering “entires,” which means the whole card, sheet, or envelope. Back in the 19th century, it was also popular to collect "cut squares"; which involved snipping off the embossed or pre-printed designs from postal stationery entires.

And here’s some excellent news! For the whole month of June, our store is having a special sale on all postal stationery! You can enjoy a fantastic 25 percent discount on our already low-priced items. Plus, we’re including any postcards that don’t have a pre-printed stamp. Come on by and explore our

fantastic collection!

https://spellmanmuseum.org/

Please stop by our tent at the Winchester Farmers Market. Letters Trellis continues to provide stationery, envelope, postage, and letter writing consultation for free in order to re-ignite enthusiasm for hand-written communication.

You can find additional ideas and writing on our activity pages prompts  at https://www.letterstrellis.com .

Finally, if you are not interested in calculating and compiling your own assembly of unused old postage stamps, consider donating them to our cause. We will upcycle them for use by our future letter and postcard writers. Thank you!

[2025-06-14 updated]