Lunar New Year Stamps: Mailing and Collecting Guide

Answer first: The 2025 Lunar New Year stamp celebrates the Year of the Snake with a three-dimensional paper-mask design. It was issued as a Forever Stamp in panes of 20 and can be used on qualifying one-ounce First-Class Mail letters, including greetings and invitations, after the finished envelope is checked.

Updated July 7, 2026 by the USPSPERFACT Editorial Team. USPSPERFACT is an independent retailer and is not the official USPS website.

Official issue details

USPS unveiled the Year of the Snake stamp on January 14, 2025. The design was created for the Lunar New Year series by USPS art director Antonio Alcalá with artist Camille Chew; Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the finished paper mask. The pane contains 20 Forever Stamps.

The official details and artwork description are available in the USPS newsroom release. This citation identifies the primary source and does not imply a partnership between USPS and USPSPERFACT.

Using the design thoughtfully

Lunar New Year is observed across multiple cultures and communities. A themed stamp is most appropriate when it fits the recipient, event, and message. It can complement family greetings, community invitations, thank-you notes, cultural-program mail, customer cards, and collector correspondence.

The stamp artwork includes symbolic colors and a mask inspired by paper-craft traditions used around Lunar New Year celebrations. When writing about the design, describe the official artwork and source rather than presenting a generic cultural claim as universal.

Forever value does not cover every envelope

A Forever Stamp remains valid for the mail class and weight represented by the stamp, but a standard stamp is not automatically sufficient for every card. Square envelopes, rigid inserts, unusual thickness, clasps, wax seals, and excess weight can require additional postage.

Build one complete sample with all inserts and closures. Weigh and measure it, then confirm current requirements before preparing the full mailing. International destinations require a different postage calculation.

Planning the quantity

Count greetings, invitations, reply envelopes, thank-you cards, and keepsake copies separately. Add a reserve for address corrections, damaged envelopes, late additions, and testing. For a community or business mailing, reconcile the final list before choosing the package quantity.

Storage and handling

Keep panes flat, dry, and protected from excessive heat. Leave stamps on their backing until application and avoid bending or compressing the pane. If the stamps will be divided among several people, record how many panes each person receives so the mailing total remains controlled.

Coordinate envelope design and addressing

A decorative stamp should not crowd the delivery address, return address, or barcode-clear zone. Use an envelope color and ink combination with strong contrast, and keep labels, seals, and illustrations away from the areas needed for sorting. When a community organization has several volunteers preparing mail, provide one approved sample so placement stays consistent across the batch.

Record the tested envelope weight and approved postage with the project notes.

Related collections

Explore the 2025 stamp collection, celebration and thank-you stamps, holiday stamps, or all Forever Stamps. Review the Forever Stamps FAQ before a large mailing.