Antonio Alcalá is one of four US Postal Service art directors tasked with designing US postage stamps — including the new Postcrossing stamps coming out later this month! 😍 For 35 years, his Virginia-based studio, Studio A, has also designed books, exhibits, and more—winning local, national, and international awards for design excellence.
Sometime ago, Antonio answered some of Clarisse’s (aka CStar9) questions about USPS stamp design, shared his thoughts on the important role of stamps in society, and described his first official postcard exchange as a postcrosser!
- You’ve described stamps as “one of the few ways that our country officially brands itself.” I agree! What’s it like to be in the kitchen where the soup is made?
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Antonio was both artist and designer for this 2020 stamp. Being in the kitchen is exciting and exhilarating, but also complex and challenging. We may work on a single “recipe” for years and not be able to discuss any of the process except with our USPS colleagues.
And yes, stamps are a kind of brand. A brand is the outward projection of a company or organization’s personality: What do they represent? What do they want to project in terms of values?
In the case of the United States, we use the flag and our currency to communicate the ideals we want people, regardless of where they are, to associate with our country. Stamps work similarly. They are official, US-approved images that go everywhere in the nation to announce, “These are the people and subjects we feel represent the best of America.”
The stamps get produced in the tens of millions and people see them almost every day. There aren’t many other pieces of design with that kind of reach.
- What are some of the unique challenges of stamp design? Have working through any of these peculiarities influenced Studio A’s larger body of design work (books, exhibits, etc.)?
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There are many challenges unique to the stamp design experience. Ironically, the biggest challenge is working with such a small format. Creatives are used to working at a much larger scale, and the transition to stamp dimensions can sometimes be rocky (too much detail, colors that start to blend together, compositions that feel cramped, etc.).
The biggest lessons that have influenced my other work have to do with legal issues like copyright law, rights and permissions, etc.
Select stamps from the past decade, for which Antonio was the art director and/or designer. - You came to the stamp design world unexpectedly (and late in life), after designing exhibits for the National Postal Museum. If you could go back and chat with your younger self as a History major at Yale, what would you tell him?
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I would tell him to continue doing what he was doing because it will get me where I am today!
If, however, I was to change the path somehow, I would tell the student it is more-than-okay to study the arts in college. The world needs more creative thinkers.
- How long does stamp design take? What is the average timespan that elapses between Citizens’ Advisory Committee approval of an idea and the official stamp release date?
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On average, stamps take two to three years, from assignment to issuance.
- Some stamps are designed as singletons, sometimes a set is a pane of 4, and sometimes there are twenty designs in one set. How are those decisions made, about numbers?
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A 2016 issue for which Antonio was art director and designer. We issue what we think the subject demands.
Generally, we try to limit the number of stamps in an issuance because it can get expensive for collectors who want to make sure they have one of each stamp.
I recently finished an assignment that started with four designs. Later, it evolved to ten stamps.
Sometime the subject is complex and requires the ability to show variation. Additional stamps can also make the sheet feel more compelling.
- What does research look like for you?
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Research can be a deep dive, going down a rabbit hole-like experience, or it may be fairly light. It may involve reading published books and magazine articles, or having conversations with consultants who are experts in the subject. USPS also contracts with a firm who helps me locate appropriate materials based on my requests.
When I’m looking for artists to partner with, it might involve looking through Instagram or online portfolios searching for what I feel is a good match for the assignment.
Antonio’s design process for the 2019 Woodstock 50th Anniversary stamp, centering a dove graphic from the original 1969 poster by Arnold Skolnick. - What is your own relationship to snail-mail, and how has that evolved over time? Anything you want to say to Postcrossers?
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Antonio was art director for this 2021 issue (my fave). I love snail-mail! I like writing and receiving letters and cards, although I seem to have less time to do it these days. I still pay most of my bills the old-fashioned way (by mail). It’s always a thrill to put one of my stamp designs on an envelope before slipping it in the mailbox.
I once registered for Postcrossing. My card went to China (and took a long time to get there and be registered), and I received a card from the Netherlands. It’s so fun! Unfortunately, I no longer have the time to be an active participant.
As for Postcrossers, THANK YOU! You are engaging in a fantastic activity that helps bring people from around the world together. Please keep up your creative mailings!
- What excited you most about bringing Postcrossing onto a U.S. stamp issue, and what did you want the set to communicate?
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Photo by Cade Martin I knew Postcrossing as an international phenomena, and the US stamp program did not yet have a stamp specific to that activity. Announcing this fun, mailing activity to the country via a stamp was an amazing opportunity. The stamps are meant to be distinctive, lightly humorous, and colorful stamps communicating no matter where you are or what you do, getting and sending mail is a joy!
- These stamps are triangular, which is a rare format for USPS! How did that shape influence the creative direction or composition?
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Early in the development process I thought this might be a good opportunity (good subject/receptive audience) to create a stamp with a non-traditional shape. Our Global Forever stamp is usually a circle, so creating one as a triangle seemed like a fun alternative. Because I decided on this approach before hiring an illustrator, Jackson Gibbs had to work with the unusual shape from his first sketches. He got it right away and did an amazing job adapting the four “stories” to the unconventional shape.
- For people that might not know, what does “art director” mean in practice for a stamp issue like this? What parts did you shepherd from start to finish?
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Each of the USPS commemorative stamps is assigned to an art director. Most often, that starts with the topic and occasionally some background information. How the assignment is approached, however, is left up to the art director. In this case, I looked at what other countries around the world have published as a Postcrossing stamp. I also talked with people who are philatelists AND Postcrossing enthusiasts to get their perspectives. I then developed ideas about what I hoped to communicate and the general tone of the stamps. At this point, I also decided to try the stamps in a triangular format.
The four different Postcrossing stamps being issued by USPS on May 23.
My next step was looking for an illustrator to collaborate with on the assignment. After looking at numerous options, I asked to work with Jackson Gibbs. I envisoned his playful, colorful illustrations appealing to a wide range of people from young to old. Jackson provided preliminary sketches and from those I decided on the four primary subjects. The next step was for me to determine the typography, and to identify the small changes that need to be made on each stamp until everything looked just right. The other part of my job is to communicate with USPS and the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee the progress of the job, making updates based on their suggestions, and then presenting the final set of stamps. Finally, I prepare all the materials for our pre-press team, who turns them into files for the printers.
Our huge thanks to Clarisse for putting together such thoughtful questions, and to Antonio for taking the time off his busy schedule to answer them!
And now… a little celebration! 🎉 To mark the upcoming USPS Postcrossing stamp issue, we’re giving away 10 postcards franked with these new triangular Postcrossing stamps. If you’d like to enter, just leave a comment below and tell us: which of the four stamp designs is your favourite, and why? We’ll pick 10 winners at random and send them a postcard from the First Day of Issue ceremony. Good luck! 💌
And the winners of this giveaway, as chosen by Paulo’s random number generator are… anactualcat, CarolBr, msquared47, Chirp2lou, unicorn11, PandaSnailMail, sjk7, triomom, Michaela-SK and mcrcrazedfan! Congratulations, and thank you all for participating!
503 comments so far
Great interview!
The design is unique - I really love all four of them. If I should decide for just one, I'd take the space one, because of the dark blue color...
Thanks a lot for the lottery!
My favorite is the one with the horse. Eco-friendlyness is important to me.
I can't wait to see the stamps on my received postcards.
My favorite stamp is of the person on a horse. I love the history of the Pony Express and the complicated history of America's westward expansion.
Excellent interview.
Thanks for all that great background, C*!
My favorite is the woman on horseback taking her postcard to the mailbox
Thanks so much for this interview, it was a delight to get to peek behind the curtain and get a glimpse of how these stamps come about!
What an insightful interview! I love these stamps, and my favourite is the underwater one. I like the colours the most, and it is particularly unique 💌
Thank you for this great article and meeting the artist behind R US stamps. I love all the post crossing stamp pictures but especially the horse and rider heading to the mailbox!♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
What an amazing interview!! I love the astronaut one because I’m pretty sure that aliens would want to become postcrossers too, if they had the chance! :)
I really like this space version of stamp. I hope I live to see the day when we can correspond with the moon via letters and postcards!
I love the underwater design because I love to explore that world myself.
Thank you for providing this interesting background. My favorite is the one with the horse, I love the history of the Pony Express. I’m excited to use these stamps.
Great interview!! I love the "Horse and Rider" stamp; it reminds me of the "Pony Express" mail delivery and the Western motif is uniquely "USA".
I love the undersea scene. I wonder if there is an underwater mailbox somewhere in the world?
Thanks for the interview! I love the one with the horse and the rider, appears quite American but at the same time there's a snake and a horse (the first weeks of 2026 were the Snake Year according to the Chinese Zodiac, and now it's Horse Year) which makes it much more international... And that's what Postcrossing is about!
The astronaut design is my favorite because, living near Johnson Space Center, I send a lot of space-themed cards.
What a great interview!
#Congrats
Now the moment to pick the #favone :)
I really love all four of them!!!
Hard to choose :) But my pick goes to Space Mail Man!
<3 #spacemailman
xoxo :) :D
I love these stamps and hope to receive a card with one some day. I love the idea of the *pony express* because it reminds me of the past and the future, coming together in a stamp.
Love the interview, too.
I love them all, but I suppose my favorite would be the astronaut, because the Artemis II spacesuits were made right here in Worcester, MA! 🚀
I love all the designs, but my favorite is the underwater one because I love the ocean! I am so happy we finally have a PostCrossing Stamp!
As a block, absolute top.
But also individually well done.
Let's see when I will receive the first one???
I like the motorcycle one because I had my own motorcycle.
I love the Cowgirl stamp.
Hello! I am very excited about these postage stamps :) My favorite is the Pony Express one - it reminds me of my horseback riding days as a child in Arizona :)
My favorite is the stamp with the horse because it harkens back to the Pony Express.
Great article! The horseback rider is my favorite. The colors are vibrant and I enjoy the triangular shape.
I absolutely love all of them , but my fave is the space one. Love the colors and thanks a million for making this stamp happen!
Fabulous designs!🩷
These are all fantastic designs! My favourite is the astronaut: I wonder if it is a witty reference to the Apollo 15 postal covers controversy?
Thanks for the great interview! I also really like the "Message Monsters" stamps and the extra stickers they come with. It's a great idea and execution! Of the four Postcrossing stamps, I'd choose the motorcycle one, since my husband and I travel by motorcycle and send cards from different places 🏍️
I love the underwater design and pars well with the underwater postbox though it is not in the USA! But all 4 designs are thoughtful. Great interview, by the way.
Thank you for the thoughtful and informative interview, Clarisse! I live in the American southwest. The horse and rider stamp with cactus in the background is my favorite. It reminds me of home.
So nice to read about the process. Loved it. Thank you.
My favourite is the horse / western themed because I grew up in the Western US. :) However, I love all of the designs.
Great to read this behind-the-scenes story of stamps design. I love the new designs - shape, themes, colors.
Great interview! I like all of the stamps in this collection. I live in Florida and I like the underwater diver the best though.
Hello, I like the motorcycle design as ithat background tangerine colour is a little more bold compared to the other background colours in the other stamps. Great interview and illuminating about the whole stamp design process for US Post.
Thank you for the interesting interview! I love this new design, especially the unique triangular shape. I think if it had to pick one it would be the space design because I'm still riding the high of the Artemis II mission.
I like the Pony Express best, but all are great. Have already preordered 8 sheets. Can't wait!
The horse is my favorite. Horses were my favorite animal as a child. My family owned a few horses and it was my responsibility to care for them.
What a great set of stamps! I hope we get at least one of them through Postcrossing. (A monster stamp would be good too). My favorite design is the astronaut, since it heralds a future time when we might send mail to the Moon and Mars.
Thank you so much for this stamps. We've been waiting for so long and now ,it's finally here!!!!
So hard to choose but I will go with the underwater theme as I love spending time at the beach and in the ocean. Now we have to lobby for a domestic Postcrossing stamp!
I used to work in a space museum (where I also led Postcrossing events!), so my favorite is definitely the astronaut version of the stamp.
My fave design is the the cowboy because I love the pink background! These are so cool, can’t wait to collect and use them!
Great stamps that I hope to receive one day.
Favourite is the underwater because I live by the sea.
I prefer the guy on the motorcycle with the letter in the air! It also showcases more color to me with the accent of orange.
I love these and have already pre ordered some and plan on ordering more. My favorite is the one with the astronaut. I'm absolute space fanatic, I cry every time I watch astronauts leave Earth.
Definitely the horse and rider design, I love that the horse is leaping over the bottom border; it gives the stamp such a fun, dynamic feeling :)
Thank you very much for this informative interview with Antonio! I really enjoyed learning about the process of designing these stamps and am looking forward to using them on my postcards.
What a great interview! My favorite of the 4 stamps is the outer space one because it speaks to human connection and communication amidst the vastness of the whole cosmos. Also, I'm a physicist by training and I love space-themed things!
I love the space one and am very happy to have some variety with international stamps!
This is so exciting! I've already pre-ordered a bunch!
My favorite by far is the scuba diver (I mean, consider my profile name and picture! Probably not a surprise!)
I like the one with horses! Hope to get it!
I love all 4 designs, my favorite however is the person in a spacesuit. Wherever anyone lives on earth we can view most of what is in space without traveling because the world itself is spinning. For example the stars and moon are viewed by all people of the world. With technology we can also view the images spaceships send back, such as what Hubble capture. I love they are colorful and triangular. I have pre-ordered them because I have the fear of missing out. I also sent my first triangle shaped postage stamp the other day, it was a ship (I am not a true philatelist so don't know the proper name, year of issue, or face value).
My favorite is the motorcyclist, partly because I used to own and ride a motorcycle, and partly because I think it well represents a piece of USA personality. I'm looking forward to using these stamps!
I have also pre ordered some! I can't wait for them to arrive. Living in western Colorado, my favorite is the horse.
I love the scuba one, such an interesting concept of delivering mail underwater!
Wonderful interview! While I love all of them, my top two are space and underwater- in some aspects they could be construed as the same. I love the idea of intergalactic mail and a coral reef-like mailbox!
My favorite is the cowboy one since I’m from Texas! It will work so well with a lot of my country themed postcards.
My favorite is the one with the astronaut. Now that we're living in a time when more space exploration is happening, it would be amazing to send some postcards beyond Earth! 🚀👨🏽🚀
My favorite is the female horse rider! I relate because I grew up riding horses and later volunteered with horses. Additionally delivering mail on horseback is a part of our history and our present. There are places in the us only reachable by horse back. Maybe the thought for this stamp wasn’t that originally, but I think it speaks to believing in women and valuing our history and current culture. It’s also fun!
My favorite is the horseback rider with the Saguaro cactus . Part of that is because I live in Southern, Arizona, but thinking about it more objectively, a pony Express Rider is the only one of the four stamp designs that is really realistic! Letter carriers do not deliver mail in space or underwater. Perhaps somewhere in the world there are mail carriers that use motorcycles, but I’m not sure there is any in the United States. I do know that here in Arizona we still have mail delivered in the Grand Canyon by Mule! Especially, the link of the image to the pony Express and the iconic saguaro of the Southwest United States really exemplifies America’s best to me. And I think the rest of the world agrees. Where I have traveled in Europe, the advertising for visiting in America always emphasizes America’s Southwest!
The astronaut is my favorite - it resonates with the recent Artemis II mission and the reminder that we are all connected.
My favorite is the female horse rider because I find it soooo "American".
My favorite design is the spaceman! Given my user name, there’s no question why it’s my favorite, hahah. I love space, what can I say? Other design are gorgeous as well.
I love the scuba diver - I imagine a mermaid who is a Postcrosser!
I love these! My favorite is the underwater stamp -- I love the idea of sending a postcard into the depths of the ocean.
My favorite is the scuba diver (although they're all great and I am so excited for the set) because I read about an underwater postbox a while ago and have been vaguely obsessed with mailing from there ever since!
These are so fun! I love the horse one, but also the scuba one is so fun, and the space one so timely.
I love the space triangle stamp: with the recent trip around the moon, I feel a new sense of adventure in the air, something our world needs right now: hope and discovery!
The underwater mail delivery!! I recently learned to snorkel and love exploring new surroundings below the water. I also recently saw this exhibit and learned about the mythic underwater world of Drexciya and I imagine corresponding with its inhabitants through Postcrossing!
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-the-inhabitants-of-the-mythic-world-of-drexciya-180982287/
Such a lovely interview. As a former designer, I relate to the challenges of such a tiny design space. Each design in this set is perfection, but my favorite is the astronaut because it reminds us we are all stardust. Sending and receiving postcards from my cosmic cousins via Postcrossing connects us in a tangible way.
My favorite is the one with a horse that maybe is meant to recall the Pony Express. Im so glad the USA has finally created a PostCrossing stamp, for years I would sent messages to the USPS asking for one. Now I need to send some cards, it's been awhile!
I'm so excited the US is finally releasing a postcrossing stamp! As a former motorcyclist, I like that one the best. :)
I am so, so excited!! Although I am not a stamp collector, I truly appreciate how beautiful stamps are, and how much there is to learn from them.
It is hard to pick a favorite. I don't need to enter the lottery because I live here in the US. But a horse rider one is tied for my favorite because it reminds me of the Pony Express. The diver under the Sea reminds me of the post box under the sea blog post about such a place in Japan.
This is a wonderful interview. I was a SCUBA diver when younger so choose that design for this topic.
The ocean one is gorgeous! 🐠
Each design is beautiful! But I love the horse one. Its very american and shows the history of our country to share with people all over the world! So excited for these!! Will be ordering extras!
Thanks for posting this interview! My favorite of the set is the diver. (I also read about the underwater postbox.) All four designs really show how far the postal service will go to get mail dispersed to everyone throughout the world. 😊
Being from Texas I am partial to the cowboy stamp! But I think all of them are great.
What a great interview. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the process, and hearing from the artists. At last, all those cards and letters I've written to the committee have come to fruition! Love it.
I like the horse and rider best, as a nod to the old Pony Express mail system of the 1860s and 70s.
My favorite is the horse one because I love horses!
I love the scuba diver. We are surrounded by so much beautiful water and being near water is so peaceful!
My fave is the astronaut stamp!!
It's so hard to choose a favorite, but I think I like the space theme - after launching Artemis II, I'm dreaming of a day when we can send and receive mail from space. 🤩
I love the scuba diver because the bottom of the ocean seems the least likely of the four places to have a postcrosser in it
Wow, I love the biker stamp design. Very excited about the rare triangle stamps. Will try to pick up one if it is available in the local post office or will have to pony up an extra $2 online.
The astronaut is my favorite! But they are all amazing.
So excited for these stamps! My favorite would have to be the scuba diving one. I love the ocean and all things blue.
I like the one with a blue horse. Because deliver mails safely is important for my community.
I’m so excited for this set! I can not wait to get my hands on the western design. I live in west Texas and it calls to my soul!
Please creat more postcrossing designs.
This community needs more love in theUSA !!
Thank you for the interview! All four stamps are great, I like the diver one, it's so fun.
My favourite is the underwater stamp - I love the ocean, I love ocean creatures, and I just think it's fun :) Thanks for this interesting insight!
I'd have to say the under the sea image. What a fascinating world which is even more vast than that we occupy on land!
Fun interview! Very informative about the design process. My favorite triangle is the space exploration stamp. Thanks for having the drawing!
I like the horse stamp best! I am from Kentucky, so there’s that aspect!! (Kentucky is known for horses). But more importantly , it reminds me of the Supai station for “Mule Mail.” I think that is one of the more charming aspects of USPS that I’ve come across!!!
I wish I could make it to Boston but it’s just too far away for me. Really excited about the stamp release !!!
Our favorite is the pony express rider. We recognize this as an allusion to the Pony Express which connected Western US states with the rest of the country from 1860-1861. We love US history and postcards!
My favorite is the undersea design. I particularly like the rays of the sun shining down through the ocean. Also love seeing the lil fishies.
I love all of them but I like the scuba diver most of all (I am an open water swimmer). I've already ordered two sheets. Was so delighted that USPS did this.
I love the scuba diver the best. I think it is still true that we know less about the ocean depths than outer space, so to depict someone going to such lengths to deliver a letter shows the power of connection through Postcrossing!
I hope someone will put that Woodstock stamp on a postcard for me.
My favorite is the astronaut. My father-in-law worked for NASA, and Project Hail Mary is my favorite book/movie combo to come out in quite a while!
I like them all but like the scuba diving one best because I have scuba dived and I like the colors in it best.
I love all the designs - the pony express one reminds me of living in Arizona. But the space is my favorite because it feels like a hope for global communication in this world and beyond
My favorite is the motorcycle. I live in the land of Harley
I love the cowgirl one, though all of them are cute!
I like the scuba diver, because oceans are so interesting.
I like them all but I will pick the space stamp because it portrays the future
Pony Express! The first report I ever wrote (3rd grade) was on the Pony Express. I am still amazed at what these riders endured and accomplished.
All the stamps are gorgeous!
these are the coolest stamps ever!! the diver speaks to me the most as someone who has their open water diving license. it's truly a different world down there 🐠🦈🤿
The scuba diver! I like the beams of light, coral, bubbles, fish. And just the concept of being underwater holding a postcard :)
Thanks for this interview--it's so much fun to get the inside scoop on how stamps are designed! I love all the stamps, of course, but I think the motorcycle is my favorite. It shows that cool motorcycle dudes can also be excited about mail! And there's just something about his bandana and moustache that's giving me 1970s vibes, and I love it. 🙂
I love the underwater scene stamp design the most because it fits my major of environmental sciences, am fascinated with water and how we can improve its quality, and enjoy swimming and interacting with marine animals!
My favorite of the four stamp designs is the astronaut in space one.
Unlike the other three stamps, wherever we are on Earth, regardless of what our home geography looks like, from landlocked to islands, we can all relate to it. Space is something that connects us all; we all share the sky above and the air and winds that move between us. Thinking about space brings about a true sense wonder, possibility, curiosity, and adventure.
I also appreciate that the astronaut is in a spacesuit, so you can’t assume anything about who they are; the astronaut can represent anyone from any race, nationality, age, gender, etc. It is someone with whom we can all identify.
Fingers crossed I receive a postcard from the First Day of Issue ceremony! 💌
My favorite is the cowgirl one :-) I wish I had mail delivered to me on horseback! It’s a very cute design.
My favorite is the astronaut! But all of them are great!
The scuba diver one is so fun!
I like all of them but space is my favorite!
I like the astronaut stamp the most. I'm a stamp collector, and space is my biggest topical collection, so that fits right in!
This was a wonderful interview to read. Thank you for sharing it!
All the designs are AMAZING but if I had to pick one, I'd pick the space one because it reminds me of the joy I had I watching and learning all about the Artemis II trip around the moon. I've already ordered mine!
This is so incredibly cool!! My favorite design is the astronaut. I love space, and it feels topical considering the recent Artemis II mission!
Seeing these stamps was my introduction to Postcrossing and I'm so glad to be here. :) I love the bright, bold colors, but I have a special fondness for the scuba diver design.
Wow so cool and long overdue!! Space, the Final frontier. But I like all of them!
I love the diver! The diver stamp reminds me of so many of the unique places Postcrossing reaches. Looking forward to sharing these with the world!
I like the astronaut, but I love them all. The colors are so bright and cheery.
I love the astronaut stamp! "Hey look, I got a postcard in space!" 😆
My favorite is the scuba diver because I am a Master Scuba Diver and will be celebrating my 1,000th dive this year on my next dive trip (right now I'm at 993)! I am so excited that the USA has finally gotten on board with a Postcrossing stamp since it seems that us PostXers have been single-handedly been keeping the post office in business! LOL
I believe I like the astronaut one the most. To me, this feels like it is the one that says to reach out and touch someone. If the horse one did not look too much like a rodeo, I would say it was an homage to the Pony Express and that would make it a close second.
I collect motorcycle stamps, so the one will make a good addition to my collection.
OMG- I love them all! But it think my favorite is the space one. I am a retired teacher and loved teaching students about space exploration. I was so excited about the recent Artemis 2 launch and voyage. Being from Milwaukee, my second favorite has to be the motorcycle stamp.
My favorite one is definitely the space stamp! I loved following Artemis 2 and have seen Project Hail Mary 3 times in theaters already :)
Out of the four I would chose the space one, I love space themes so much it’s so unique to see in a stamp! Thanks for the lottery!
Beautiful stamps! So glad they’re here! My favorite is the astronaut because of our desire to keep reaching for the stars and human connection.
These new US Postcrossing stamps are so exciting! My favorite is the astronaut.
The space one! I love sci-fi
My favorite is the space stamp, especially given the recent exploration of space by the Artemis crew.
I love the horse riding one as this is what I have in mind as the "old US way"
Definitely the space one because I have been space crazed recently between Artemis and Project Hail Mary! Great choice.
The person on the horse! I love southwest and cowboys :) This was such a wonderful interview
My favorite is the one with the horse. It ties in nicely with our country's 250th anniversary.
I love the cowgirl on horseback! It reminds me of the Pony Express and America's earliest mail carriers, as well as my time as a girl growing up in Texas!
Great interview! I like them all but choose the scuba diver as I love the ocean and so many of my post crossing cards go “overseas”
I choose the woman on horseback, proudly carrying high her postcard to its destination, with the tiny snake cheering her on through sunshine or lightning! The little mesas provide the perfect landscape, and I love the detail of the sweet kerchief around her neck. I love Postcrossings; thank you for the stamp and the interview!
I like the scuba diver!
Astronaut - Post crossing reaches space - the final frontier...
I can’t tell you how excited I am about these USA Postcrossing stamps. I think I like the motorcycle rider. My husband rides, and I’m sure I’ll tell some random Postcrosser about him in relation to that stamp
My favorite is the one with the horse & rider because I like the southwest!
I like the space stamp the best. NASA's dedication to expanding our knowledge of the universe is valuable.
My Favorite is the person on the bike, look similar to how my local postman delivers the letters
Thanks for the background informations!
The stamps are great, I like the underwater one.
I love the cowboy one, I think they’re such vibrant and fun colors!!!
Thank you for putting this blog post together. It was very interesting.
It's hard to choose a favorite, but I'll pick the scuba diver because that's the most unlikely place to get a postcard.
The astronaut is my favorite. Still feeling that Moon Joy!
Even cowgirls get the Blue horses. Love that one, with her perfect little hat!
Really interesting to read about the design process of stamps!
They are all great but the one riding a horse is probably my favorite due to it's energetic and cowboy-like vibe :)
the suba diver is my favorite- so excited this is finally happening!
The astronaut! Go NASA!!
They're all great, but the undersea one is my favorite, because it has the most animals!
I love the triangle design because it leaves more room on the card for whatever I want to say. I like all four designs showing the many ways we want to or have used to reach people. I can’t think of anyone under the sea who may like to receive mail! Perhaps there really is a lost city of Atlantis.
I love the triangle shape! I like how the four “mail carriers” are positioned…the horseback rider is on level ground; the motorcycle rider is climbing a hill; the deep sea diver is swimming to the ground; and the astronaut is floating upside down!
These are awesome designs! I really like the space design, I would like to exchange postcards with an alien.
The pony express one--brings up something unique in American postal history.
Thank you for the great interview! I love these stamps and am especially excited about the maxi cards. The space stamp is my favorite because it reminds me of all the fun social coverage of Artemis II this year. I think the astronauts would approve!!
I love the astronaut one - anything space related is an instant favorite of mine! So glad they did a unique triangle shape.
Being from the American Southwest (New Mexico) , my favorite is the cowboy. I do see horses in my neighborhood every day! 💟
I like underwater stamp 🐟🐠🐡.
Excellent interview. I've always been interested in stamp development and worknng at USPS has always been a dream career of mine. Thrilling to see the collaboration with Postcrossing come to life, as well as the unique triangle shape -the circle global forever stamps are a bit troublesome sometimes because they don't cover the whole barcode of the postcard! Personally, I love the scuba diver design the best. I am curious to know what else goes on in our oceans.
I loved being able to learn about the stamp making process! There's so much that goes into it.
My favorite design is probably the space one or scrubs one!
My favourite is the diver stamp. There’s something perfectly absurd about someone in full scuba gear clutching a postcard among the fish and coral… and yet, isn’t that exactly what Postcrossing is?
The ocean is one of the least explored places on Earth. And a postcard, once you let it go, becomes a little like that too: it disappears into a world you can’t see or follow. You chose it with your hands, wrote something true on it, pressed a stamp onto it, and then it travels alone. Not one individual knows what happens to it on the way. It gets handled, sorted, carried across borders in the dark belly of a plane, and somehow, mysteriously, it arrives. And when it does, it carries not just your words but everything that happened to it along the way. An invisible thread, pulled taut across the world.
Diving is an absurd act too. You strap on equipment, descend into the unknowable, and trust that the effort will be rewarded with wonders. In a world that moves fast and has little patience for slow, handwritten things, sending postcards is a kind of absurd diving.
But then you find the coral. You find the connection. And suddenly the effort is the whole point.
Jackson Gibbs and the beautiful team captured all of this in a triangle. That’s no small feat. 🤿💌
Such( a lovely interview. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I will go with the space one for the magical land and recent nasa space launch and story.
Love the space one!! We’re space nerds! Love the shape!!
Thanks fot the interview.
I like the motorcycle triangle as this is the only useable postcard transport these days. The pony express is past, the space transport is future and the underwater delivery is fantasy.
My favourite is the cowgirl. I like plants and animals and there is cacti, a snake and a horse. It also reminds me of Pony Express and it is distinctly "American".
Thanks for the interesting interview! Guess my favorite is the stamp with the horse and rider. First thing I thought of when I saw it was the Pony Express.
My favorite stamp out of the four is the astronaut! Though it is hard to chose out of the four. I like this one particularly because to me it captures what postcrossing is: Connection to those farthest from you! Even if they're in space, (well not literally space, but it sometimes feels that way).
The motorcycle is my favorite but to be honest it is hard to choose. Thank you so much for offering a give away!
My favorite stamp is of the scuba diver one! It gives off the most Florida vibe (Floridian here) and reminds me of my love for marine biology! Excellent interview and I already preordered these terrific stamps!
Excellent interview! Like many of you, I've been writing to USPS to encourage a Postcrossing stamp and to see this all come to fruition is so exciting! I love them all, especially the triangle shape, but I would choose the underwater design as my favorite. I would be so happy to be included in your drawing. 😊🇺🇸 Postcrossing Rocks! 👊
My favorite is the astronaut stamp because I love learning about space exploration and the universe!
The horse stamp jumped at me because of the way mail used to be delivered-the pony express. I like how another person commented that the horse was in the past, the astronaut is the future, diving is fantasy, and the motorbike is modern—interesting!
Lovely interview! So fascinating to read about the way stamps are designed and brought to life! My favorite is the horse, because I adore horses, grew up watching westerns with my grandma, and am amazed by the history of the Pony Express. The addition of the lightning bolt is really cool, and I love all the little details.
My favorite is the astronaut! I love the darker background and contrast with the bright colors.
The cowboy is my favorite! It is so reminiscent of the Pony Express! I hope to one day participate in the annual Pony Express reenactment!
I love them all, but the astronaut is my favorite.
I love the motorcycle one! The palm trees remind me of my home state of California :-)
The spacer is my favorite - looking to our future, pushing boundaries. It gives me hope!
I love all 4 designs! If I have to pick just one, it would probably be the underwater design. Marine life is beautiful and under the ocean is another wonderful world to explore.
Thank you so much for this moment. Appreciate the people who brought this to fruition.
My favourite is the underwater one. I like the coral reef and colourful sea life. I tend to admire water. I believe there's a postbox somewhere in the world where one can 'insert' your postcards underwater and they actually get sent off anywhere in the world.
Beautiful designs! My favorite is the astronaut, because I love all things space. Looking forward to getting these stamps and using them!
The space man is my favorite because space exploration is one of the things the US is known for around the world.
This is so cool! Thanks for doing this interview, I learned a lot. I love them all (and I'm so excited to have a dedicated Postcrossing stamp!) but I'm particularly fond of the astronaut.
It is REALLY hard to select just one favorite! I settled on the Pony Express Rider. It was such a grueling and even dangerous profession that depicting a woman doing it is unexpected and appreciated!
I enJOYed this article very much. I wish that Mr. Alcala had spoken about the 4 "stories" and what inspired them. I thank whoever ultimately decided that commemorating PostCrossing in this manner should happen. I have loved triangular stamps since I was an 8-year-old stamp collector, so I feel these happy, colorful designs were made just for me! I can't wait to buy and use them!
Like many others have said, I love the western one, it reminds me of the Pony Express. I am so ready for these! The email even brought me back from my Postcrossing break!
I love these so much! Congrats to all involved, so exciting. My favorite is definitely the astronaut, but they’re all so colorful and fun.
Thank you for your wonderful support of the USPS Global Postcrossing stamp. I'm thrilled that they have come to life after writing several letters to the Citizens Advisory committee over the years. My favorite of the four is the western themed stamp since I live in the western US and how it ties with the original Pony Express. Can't wait to receive my order from the USPS.
I like the astronaut version the most! Space has always been fascinating to me and the recent Artemis mission around the moon was thrilling! I honestly love all the new Postcrossing stamps and can’t wait for them to be available!
Love them all! My favorite is the space one - mainly because I love the contrast of colors & that it is a common interest of Postcrossers in their profiles, from what I've experienced since signing up in August 2025. Loving every minute of this Postcrossing journey & am thrilled USPS now has a unique, colorful & fun Postcrossing-specific stamp!
Hurray! Thanks so much for this fun, informative article. I have also enjoyed experiencing a different perspective on the stamps from reading all the postcrosser comments.
I love the ocean themed stamp the most, but all of them are delight-full❣️
I love all the stamps! I enjoy the underwater mail delivery. It shows the service goes everywhere. I’m so excited that the US is finally getting a Postcrossing stamp! I wrote a few postcards to the committee. ❤️
i really love them all but my favorite is the underwater scene because of the beautiful fish
All four designs are super successful and intriguing in their own way!! Being somewhat of a communication designer myself, in my work I am always dealing with size & message and I ask myself these kinds of questions:
-which version communicates movement, "let's go!" and immediately invites me into the project? the bike rider!!
-which one causes me to come back after first glance to inspect the details & discover hidden surprises, giving me something to smile about? scuba-diver who finds a postcard at the bottom of the sea :)
-which one's color and elements of design are best for this particular project? great art & colors define how space must look: the depth, 3-d, vastness, a little empty
and,
-which one does my eye receive the ultimate, intended goal the quickest? MY FAVORITE!! the horsey-rider in the desert, because she's facing me, showing me that a postcard (with this triangle stamp, of course!) is on the way. Coming from afar, through hot hot sunshine, streaks of lightning or maybe even snakes, her quick & happy horse will get the mail there, not a problem.
The Cowgirl image brings me joy! 🤩 "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and need a boost (pun intended) sometimes.
I love them all, but I choose the cowgirl - it reminds me of the Pony Express!
Great interview! The designs are fantastic and I especially love the space one. I cannot wait to see postcards with these stamps! 😊
I'm going for the stamp with the diver. I have good memories of snorkeling in Curaçao. It calms me down.
I've always wanted to be a cowgirl riding a blue horse, and the bonus is that she's waving a handwritten letter as she gallops off into the sunset.
Giddy up and ye ha! Love this contest and the group. Tx
My favorite of the 4 stamps is the mail delivered on horseback. It screams "Pony Express" from our nation's history. (Plus, I love horses.)
It is so hard to pick a favourite. They are all so beautiful and fun! But I think I go with the underwater diving one. I remember reading on the blog about an actual underwater-postbox and that story was so cool
Enjoyed the interview! My favorite is the space one! I used to live on Florida's Space Coast and saw many launches. And my father-in-law was a NASA engineer.
Such an interesting interview. Great information. Such creativity and talent. I love all four but I really like the Spaceman because post crossing is worldwide which I feel the space one depicts best. Shoot I just love them all. Can hardly wait for their release. Will be first in line at my post office.
As a scuba diver, this is my favorite. Rain or shine the mail must go on. It makes me smile to think of carrying a letter or postcard under the sea to reach its final destination.
I love them all, the out of the box mail diver under the sea, the Euro feel of the OG mail delivery by motorcycle, the American OOG Wells Fargo pony express alluded to by the cowboy on horse mailman, but the forward thinking space mailman is my favorite to show the beyond global coming together reach of Postcrossing!
The horseback rider is my favorite. The bright pink and orange, and the rider, create a cohesive Southwestern US design.
The scuba diver is my favorite, but the astronaut is a close second! I marvel at the explorations and achievements that we've accomplished throughout history when thinking of both. Also, it would be fit right in with USPS's promise to deliver in any conditions. XD
I really like the visual design and message of the last postage stamp (that is, four stamps—and they're triangular!).
It's bright, positive, and about connection through space.
I love the ocean triangle because being at a beach soothes and heals my soul!
As a beach-dweller, the scuba diver design is my favorite of the bunch. I can't wait to stock up on these later this month!
My favorite is the astronaut stamp! I love that he's floating around in space with his postcard :)
I like the scuba diver design best, although I think that postcard she's carrying is going to be pretty soggy when it arrives!
Every stamp has its own charm. If I have to choose one, maybe the horse one connects better with the history of USPS. But I hope I will get the four stamps!
I love them all! If I had to pick a favorite, it's probably the one with the astronaut!
Thank you for posting this great interview! I enjoyed learning about stamp design. My favorite is the horse stamp. It reminds me of the pony express, backpack librarians and it looks like a celebration. I LOVE the triangle shape!
My favorite is the space one because I love space! I'm glad we finally have a Postcrossing stamp. I haven't bought stamps in a while but will have to get these ones.
Wow thank you for the interview! it's very nice to know the names of the authors of such works of art, I love stamp designs so much and the USA has some of the most design forward ones! My favorite stamp from this collection is the horse one, I feel western themes don't get much rep, and it's so cute and I love horses lol
I love all four Postcrossing stamps because ever since I started out as a stamp collector as a 10-year old, I always enjoyed collecting unusual-shaped stamps, and triangular stamps represented the first irregular-shaped stamps in my collection.
As to my favorite stamps of the four postcrossing stamps, given that 2026 is the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, I choose two stamps which represent the earliest to present day stamp delivery in our nation's history: the horse rider postman in the early years and today's latest ability to deliver mail, even to outer space, via the astronaut postman.
They're all wonderfully colorful. If I had to choose a favorite, I'd select the horse/rider/desert landscape stamp. It makes me think of New Mexico with the colors and illustrated scenery. Love it!
I love the horse and rider one the most. It’s so dynamic and fun, and ties back to the days of “pony express” as well. The desert background and little snake is so cute as well.
so excited for these stamps! my favorite is the scuba diver because I have always had a deep affection for the ocean ;)
outerspace - the final frontier!!!
My favorite is the rider on horseback, reminding me of the Pony Express and the prior stamps commemorating that iconic era.
Hard to choose one, but I'm going to say the space design. I love the blue background, and it makes me think of my space enthusiast daughter.
I really enjoy all four of these! I think my favorite is the scuba diver. I love the water and the little fish are so cool. I really like the shape of these and I think these are so fun!
It is unfortunate that purchasing and sending a Maxi card will cost over $5 apiece.
I like all four, but favorites would be space and underwater. I like the designs, the colors and the humor in them.
Thanks so much. Great interview.
Annette
THANK YOU! I have been wishing for years that USPS would do a Postcrossing stamp, not knowing that the wheels were already in motion. I'm very excited to start using them. I LOVE the triangles - I only just discovered the 32c 1997 triangles at a stamp show last month. My favorite in the new set is the astronaut, since the Artemis II just came off successfully (and one of the 4 was an old college friend of mine, so now I always win at "2 truths and a lie!") Again, thank you!!!
What an enjoyable and informative article! I’m thrilled about the USA Postcrossing stamp and have already preordered mine from USPS!
I hope to have them the morning they are issued so I can stamp tge international cards I’m mailing on the first day of issue.
I plan to send myself a card from COLORADO to my daughter’s NZ address just so I can have one that is mailed to me!
My favorite is the cowboy on horseback as it makes me think of the Wild Wes and early mail delivery with the Pony Express.
Thank you to all who made this happen!
I love the scuba diver! Makes me think of my childhood growing up on an island. Excited for all of these stamps though! Can’t wait to share them across the world.
My favorite is the horse and rider, reminiscent of the Pony Express
love the ocean stamp with the cute fish!!!
I like the space one the best, but the sea one is also cool. I love space so that is my favorite one. This was such a cool article. I didn't know how much work went into our stamps. I am going to look at them a alot closer now.
My favorite stamp is the astronaut! It conveys a sense of the importance of connection no matter where we are.
Great article!
I love the shape of these stamps!!
It has been a long wait for a U.S. Postcrossing stamp - really looking forward to having these.
My fav design is with the horse. Makes me recall the history of our country & the Pony Express.
Thank you for this article.
What a thrill! I never thought the U.S. would agree to do a PostCrossing stamp, and I’m delighted to be proven wrong!
Wonderful article! I LOVE the stamp with the iconic saguaro cactus on it! Why…..that is easy! I live in the Sonoran Desert which is the only place in the world where this cactus grows naturally, so this particular cactus represents the area I live in. I see the saguaro cactus everyday, as they grow all over my city and surrounding area. I also see a saguaro from my front window, as my neighbor across the street has one in her front yard.
Loved the interview! My favorite is the stamp with the diver on it and the fish, because he looks like he is uncovering a treasure. Postcards are treasures!
Thank you for this informative coverage
on the new postcrossing stamps! I was fascinated! I am so excited to purchase and start using them.All 4 designs are so cute. But my favorite is the horse. I’ve always loved the pony express and this depiction is the modern version ! Hi-Ho with the mail :)
Just love it ! Thank you for the lottery opportunity!
Sincerely,
Mary
I'm so excited to receive the stamps that I've already pre-ordered! My favorite of the four designs is the motorcycle one!
The space one is my favorite! As an American, our space program is what I'm most proud of. Especially after the Artemis II mission!
Thanks for organising this interview that shares the amazing art process of these stamps. They are exquisite works of art that I hope I get to eventually receive the set of.
My favourite was so difficult to choose, but I decided on the diver, because it's not often mail is thought of as an underwater thing. I like the connection and it's inspiring.
It would be something else to win these stamps. But receiving them on postcards will bring much joy.
Whaaaat? I can't pick a favorite...but okay, the diver. What artist would think of drawing and delivering a letter underwater... that's pretty unique!
I really love the Ocean one! I feel like the ocean is magical and vast with so much to explore. I am also a big fan of the colors and shape chosen for this stamp collection. Very unique and eye catching.
I like.... the astronaut stamp! Sooo cool! So much possibilities! Great Interview!!!
I like the underwater one the best! Mostly because of the color scheme, but they are all cool!
I like the underwater one the best because it reminds me of a Postcrossing article I read - https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2020/08/14/postcards-from-under-the-sea. Someday I'd like to visit an underwater post office - https://www.amusingplanet.com/2017/04/underwater-mailboxes-around-world.html
I really like the horse one, as horses are my daughter's and my favorite animal. We own one named Stella Blue. We've enjoyed PC for many years and a chance to win these would be great to get some new ones sent out into the world.
I love them all but the one that sticks out to me the most is the astronaut. As a space lover I can’t help but look at that one and love it. Also with the Artemis II launch this year and the excitement that brought me I have to choose it.
I love the space design! It feels so aligned with all of the advances in space exploration that the United States has made, including the recent Artemis II launch that connected folks across the globe.
Thank you for the article! Nice to read about the process of stamp design. Of the four stamps, the pony (express) and the motorcycle seems the most USA, but I am partial to the underwater scene. Largely for the colors, but also the idea of an underwater community
I like the space-themed triangle the best. It reminds me of postcards traveling around the world (and which occasionally get "lost in space). ;)
My favorite is the horse design. Why? I’m a horse woman. Plus, the American Mustang is such a symbol of America.
These are such colorful, diverse stamps! I always was a sucker for triangle stamps, they're so unique, and I only have one (mayyybe two) in my worldwide collection. I love all four, but I think the one with the horse resonates most. It reminds of the pony express, though postcrossing has lasted much, much longer ☺️
What a great design - love the triangles!! I like the astronaut in space carrying the post card. Postcards truly travel anywhere - and I think some have been "lost in space". Thanks USPS.
I love all of them but I would have to say that the pony express is my favourite. How it all began in the US!
I love the motorcycle one the best! I love its spirit of adventure.
The cowboy one is my favorite, I love the pink background.
My favorite is the scubadiver!! I want to send mail to an underwater location someday!
I love all 4 of them but my favourite is the Diver. I'm not brave enough to dive and now I can see the beauty of the ocean, river or lake trough his eyes.
I love the scuba diver! Thanks for this great interview.
Thank you for this wonderful interview! I really wish to swap one in the future.
I normally would be all about the bikes, but I am still riding the high of NASA's Artemis mission, so I have to vote for the spacewalking Postcrosser!
I like the cowgirl in the desert riding a blue horse best. She look as happy to be receiving a Postcrossing post card as I am.
I'm Going to go for the guy on the motorcycle. I'm an avid reader and one of the genre's I love is Motorcycle romances. ^.^
This is my first year in PostCrossing, introduced to me by my son-in-law. What a great way to travel without leaving home. This new triangular stamp is so unique. I can’t wait to get me order!! Happy PostCrossing!!!
ONYA Antonio !
The horse design because I love horses.
I like the cowboy because it reminds me of the Pony Express.
My favorite is the one with the woman on the horse, because I love the western theme in it!
This was so thrilling to learn that Postcrossing was finally getting their own stamp, and the interview helped fill in the blanks of the process of making it happen. I'm partial to the undersea mail, because I actually got a postcard from someone who mailed the postcard at a mailbox under water! Postcrossing has taught me so much about the world, and writing/receiving over 4,000 postcards has taught me that there are people who are kind, thoughtful, and generous in every country imaginable!
Residing in the Mojave Desert makes my choice easy: the stamp with the horseback rider in the desert is my fav
My favorite is the astronaut, I like the idea that some point in the future we could potentially send mail to people living in a space station. I love thinking into the future of mail delivery! So very happy about the postcrossing stamps!
I love the scuba diving one because I recently learned to scuba dive so I can go with my daughter!
I just pre ordered some of the postcrossing stamps. A lover of the ocean and its creatures, the sea diver is my favorite.
Having a special place in my heart for horses, I choose the horse stamp as my favorite. Love the pink background too - I'm such a girl!
Under the sea in an octopus’s garden I’d like to be for so many reasons. First and foremost I’m “ cancer the crab” and get into any available puddle, pond, river or ocean any chance I get. But mostly it’s the bathtub!😂
Second I like the Beatles’ song about under the sea and just last night I saw the most remarkable film “ REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES “ with Marcellus, the octopus hero winning my heart. Thank you, Mr. Alcala for this gift to postcrossers everywhere and the many other lovely stamps you’ve designed.
I am very excited about the upcoming US Postcrossing postage stamps. I love the triangle shape and all four designs ... but my favorite one depicts an astronaut in outer space! I think it's quite fitting since the new stamp will allow Postcrossing postcards to travel around the globe in style!
What a cool new stamp collection! I especially love the underwater one. Thank you, Antonio for your genius design!
I like the horse and rider in the desert best because it has saguaros and I love Arizona. I've been a member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America since 1984.
This is so exciting, even for little old me down here in Australia. So looking forward to getting a hold of these stamps soon. I think my fav is the astronaut followed by the scuba diver. My only sadness is that I wont be able to post cards from Australia with these stamps.
My favorite is the motorcycle! I love motorcycles and I can't recall another U.S. stamp that features one. My second favorite is the astronaut. I followed the Artemis II mission from beginning to end - I'm a space fangirl!
My favorite is the space one, but I also like the horse as it is reminiscent of the Pony Express.
My favorite is the cowgirl, because pony express, but also, im a cowgirl. Not in the literal sense, but at heart, and id rather be with animals. But im also a scientist so the sea and space ones are also super cool. Im excited regardless.
About time the US gets into Postcrossing!! Most of the employees don't know anything about it or why we bother sending postcards.
Though the horse appealed to me as a Texan, I have to say the motorcycle is my favorite! It somehow feels the most reflective of the modern American spirit of adventure!
I like the motorcycle stamp because I get to ride on a motorcycle sometimes with my friend and it is truly exhilarating! Maybe next time I ride, I’ll take a postcard with me to mail along the way!
Lovely US postcrossing stamps!!
Looking forward to receiving my first mail with this beautiful stamps. I hope someone will use all four on one envelope!
My favorite of the four would have to be the austronaut. My secret dream is to explore space!
Thank you for the beautiful designs.
I'm so excited for the wonderful new triangle shaped stamps. What a clever idea! My favorite one is definitely the scuba diver underwater stamp. It's so unique and fun.
Like many others, I'm going to pick the horse design as my favorite because of the Pony Express connection. Looking forward to getting these stamps in hand and then sending them all over the world! :)
I really like the horseback one - it reminds me of the Pony Express and postal delivery from the 1800s!
My favorite stamp is the scuba diver. The colors are beautiful and make it easy to see the action of the picture. I love seeing the postcard in each design and especially under water. Thank you for making a Postcrossing stamp for us!!!!
Thank you for the interesting interview. I've always wondered about the stamp design process, and now I know!
All four designs are wonderfully creative, but if I had to choose just one, I would pick the scuba diver. It immediately sparks the imagination and makes me smile because it raises so many funny questions. How does the scuba diver keep postcards dry underwater? What about the address? Something like Deep Sea, Octopus Garden? And what do underwater mailboxes even look like—giant seashells, treasure chests, or little coral-covered boxes attached to rocks? The whole design feels playful, clever, and full of adventure, which makes it my favorite.
The space one for sure. It has my favorite overall color palette and I like the imagery a lot.
I’m crushing on the scuba diver & fish. So glad to see these new designs!
My favorite is the space one! I think receiving a postcard from home (Earth) would be most precious.
Oh how I enjoy looking at all the detail of the stamps. A favorite is definitely the horse - vintage pony express comes to mind. Thanks for the creative juices to invent these postage stamps!!
I like the horse one best because it reminds me of the Pony Express.
Loved reading this article, it was very interesting! All the stamps are great but my personal favourite is the blue one.
I love the motorcycle because we used to ride. Now we are older which makes that difficult and I miss it. Love the colorful stamp too. Can’t wait to use it!
My favourite is the one showing the space. I love the colors and the idea of a space post.
They are all awesome, but my favourite is the diver, because I love underwater world and snorkeling.
It's so interesting to get a glimpse into the stamps design world. Thanks for that!
I like the diver motif best - I love everything about oceans. And it seems like the most unrealistic scenario due to the wetness.
By the way: What is the country code for sending from the ISS? :D
What fun PostCrossing stamps for the USA! I love the horse and rider the best! It symbolizes for me both the classic American Western look associated with the US along with a nod to the pony express of day of old! Thanks to the ingenious artist and team that produced these miniature art works!
So excited for these stamps! My favorite design is the one with the horse in the wild west.
Thank you very much for the interview. It was very interesting to read. I love all four designs, they are so colorful. But my favorite stamp is the underwater one.
It is always interesting to go behind-the-scenes to know and understand the making of everyday things. Thank you for this cool interview.
I like the Space themed one the most. It seems like a good mix of an old traditional snail mail and the future. Embrace modernity, but dont forget the past.
I think its got to be the scuba diver for me 🐠🤿
I love the astronaut stamp! The color palate for these stamps is amazing.
Space and underwater are the top for me... I think that the underwater wins out!
My favorite design is the motorcycle stamp because my husband and I met when he was speeding by on his motorcycle. Good memories!
Fantastic stamps and an insightful interview! I choose the cowgirl stamp because I’m feeling nostalgic about my years as a younger woman living in Arizona’s desert amid the saguaros showing cutting horses. Different time, different place. Thank you for the memories and the colorful stamps!
Thank you! Been wanting to learn about him for quite some time.
Loved this interview -- thank you for sharing!
My favorite stamp is the Deep Sea Diver. Why? I think that writing letters and postcards -- to a stranger or a loved one -- cultivates and encourages diving deep within yourself in search of the right words that end up flowing through you so naturally, reaching the paper from the swirling ink current of your pen. It seems that we are able to write just what is needed, what yearns to be said, or what begs to be wished upon your recipient. To me, writing is an exploration of uncharted waters, every single time I pick up my pen. It's such a gift! 🤿🫧🪸🐠
Love the cowboy one! Historical nod to how mail used to get transported (plus that one place in the US that still transports mail by donkey!)
I like the astronaut best because it sends the message that even in a high tech world, written communucation is valuable.
Wonderful interview!! My favorite is the one with the horse. It reminds me of the pony express and the early start of the USPS!
My favorite stamp is the astronaut, as I'm an astrophysicist and always dreamed to go to space!!
Great interview, and great stamps! I'm so excited to start using them, already ordered some. My favorite is the man on the horse! Thinking about everything from pony Express in the past to delivering mail to the bottom of the Grand canyon it's so fun to see the history
I love all of them but the space one is my favorite for now. Probably because of Artemis II being in the news this year.
I like the one with the horse! I love horses personally, and it also reminds me of the Blucifer sculpture at the Denver International Airport.
Fantastic interview, lovely to see behind the scenes in stamp design! (I don't need to be entered into the lottery, I've pre-ordered a lot of these stamps...) Thanks for all you do.
They are all beautiful stamps, thanks for making them finally real for our US postcrossings friends.
I like them all but when I have to choose, I would pick the cowboy one just because that's what I associate the most with USA
Really great interview and love the triangular design and colours, Favourite has to be the horse rider in the desert waving the letter, its a stunning design beautifully fitted to the small scale of a stamp, well done US postal Service....!
My favorite is the underwater design, I love the ocean so much! This is such a wonderful stamp design, so exciting :D
My favorite is the horseback rider because of the tie back to actual USPS history (the Pony Express) but all of the designs are great!
I love the triangle shape – the current round global stamps are a bit awkward (and space inefficient) on rectangular postcards.
I like the Outer Space design....beyond frontier...
Cheers...
Hi, I liked the Scuba Diving design one..........underwater explorotion.
Cheers......
Very interesting! I collected stamps in my younger years and I still have all of them. I can never purchase just the normal US flag stamps, I like the stamps that tell a story. My favorite is the one with the astronaut on it.
Wonderful article! I also loved those Message Monster stamps when they were out! My favorite of the Postcrossing stamps is the SCUBA DIVER because I live at the beach. I pre-ordered the stamps and can't wait to get them!
Great interview! I like all 4 stamps. If I have to choose, I think it is the rider with the horse, because it is one of my images when I think about USA ;)
My favorite is the postman on a motorbike because they looks more casually then others.
Interesting article - I wondered how the design process worked.
My favorite is the motorcycle with the palm trees. My aunt and uncle both worked for USPS in Florida. My dad would take my brother and me down to visit them the week before spring break which was biker week in Daytona. The stamp evokes wonderful memories of being with my family on those early spring breaks.
Thank you for posting the article,
Sherre
Cool interview! Think I like the space stamp the most followed by the one with the motorcycle :)
The cowgirl postage stamp is a favorite. Exploration is a commonality among these 4 postage stamps. This one in particular is delightful way to celebrate the Americans who headed west exploring and celebrating new possibilities.
I think the triangle design is so unique! I love them all but the underwater one has to be my favorite!
Thank you for the excellent art work representing the USA over the years. My favorite of the triangles is the horse, because this is the Lunar Year of the Horse.
Jo-Anne R.
Love the interview!! :D
My favourite is definitely the space one! Years into the future it would be very funny to send postcards to the mooooooon!
My favorite is the Space themed one because watching Artemis mission was extraordinary.
the motorcycle and palm trees are my favorite - reminds me of california
I love the Pony Express stamp. I grew up in the West and the Pony Express is part of my heritage.
Oops! I hope the triangular ones will also come from the pen of Finnish stamp designers! Of these USPS stamps that will be released in May, the underwater world is fascinating! Lately I have received cards where the sender has taken the trouble to add different and beautiful, interesting stamps. Thank you all! I have enjoyed them as if slowly "diving" into different countries and moods. Thanks for the nice article on the blog! Eeva
I love the woman in the horse 🐴💕
I'm so excited for these new global Postcrossing stamps! I hope they will be around for a long, long time, because I may never want to stop using them for mailings around the world. My favorite would be the Pony Express rider on the horse. I have lived in both Nevada and Arizona and feel that stamp most closely represents me and where I live.
Each stamp is unique. Individually, it resembles a triangular headscarf or bandana—especially when turned upside down. The result is creative and interesting. I love stamps like these. If I had to choose just one, I would pick the diver. After all, there can be recipients underwater too :)
Finally, finally, finally…! I have been waiting for this stamp for many years. Maybe those cards I have sent requiring this stamp made this dream come true.
Interesting triangular shape, fine design. As former scuba diver I love under water theme🧡
I like the one with the horse because it reminds me of the Pony Express.
Hola Amigos!!!
My favorite, without a doubt, is the submariner one!!!
Good luck to everyone!!
Very interesting article. I have many of these stamps in my collection, and I especially like the design of the four stamps dedicated to Postcrossing. Greetings from Spain.
My favourite is the cowgirl riding in a desert.
Great interview!
My favorite is the horse rider because it reminds me of my mom who loves horses. An I love the cute little snake in there too!
I like the stamp featuring the ocean because they depict a variety of creatures.
My favorite is the diver, I love ocean life and also am fascinated by the handful of underwater mailboxes in the world!
All are wonderful but I'll pick the ocean diver; i love the idea of tgevdiver taking their letter to the post box to mail.
I like the scuba diver scene because it has more of my favorite blue/teal color.
Great interview, Clarisse, good job!
My favorite is the one with the motorcycle.
I'm going to Boston on the 26th and I'll be using those stamps on that day.
And then, Forever.
My favorite is the motorcycle because it’s like a modern day pony express vibe.
I’m extremely excited to start using these stamps. My favorite is the rider on horseback. I like the pink color and the Western theme.
I love the Pony Express card that harks back to the origins of postal service in the US.
I love the scuba diver because I love the water and it’s a very whimsical idea for someone to be taking care of their snail mail while swimming :D ❤️
I love the biker one with close second being the astronaut stamp! I like the biker because how awesome is it to celebrate such a unique image and icon, it's not always we get a fun subject like that. And of course the astronaut with the recent awesomeness of the Artemis adventures!
Definitely love the underwater one for me. Something about it just made me smile right away.
Aw dude, all four are so good! My favorite though has to be the space one since I like the space aesthetic!
Enjoyed this article. ❤️
I ❤️ all of them, but if I had to choose one; it would be the motorcycle stamp.
Can't wait to recieve my stamps !
Cool interview and I think eachone complementing the other part of this staps quartet, hopefully I can buy some soon.
Such an exciting time for postcrossers! My favorite stamp is the astronaut one because it's so cool to imagine a postcard making it into outer space.
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
However, I am opting the design featuring the female rider, since - historically - messages were always transported by horses, whether by courier or by stagecoach. I like all four designs very much.
The female rider is my favorite.
Thanks for a great interview! It’s very interesting to learn about the process of designing stamps. My favorite stamp is the underwater stamp, although I like them all!
Since I have to pick, I think I choose the one with the horse. One: it's got a pink background, my favorite color. Two: it's reminiscent of the Pony Express which the USPS (my employer) used to use in their logo even though that was a private company! And three: the rider looks like a female to me.
I especially like the space theme because, to me, it embodies the “universal” idea behind Postcrossing, but I'd be happy to receive a postcard featuring any of these stamps.
my fav is the astronaut stamp!
Thank you for sharing this story with us! I love the space one. It makes me dream about what our future might look like 💫
I am so happy to have a Postcrossing stamp. I can't decide on a favorite design as I love them all. At the bottom of my profile I had the address to request a Postcrossing stamp and now that one has been issued I think we should all sent a letter of thanks to the committee for listening to our request.
I can't wait to start sending the new Postcrossing stamp!! My favorite is the Pony Express stamp because it highlights the history of our US mail system.
Many thanks for this interesting article. :)
My favorite is the woman on horse back - I love the colors and the little snake. They‘re all amazing though.
Thank you for the blog entry.
My favorite, of course, is the one with the horse. ;)
My favorite is the astronaut stamp! Maybe someday we'll have mail delivery in space.
FINALLY! At long last the USA will have a Postcrossing stamp. Thanks for the information on how this all came about. It's very hard to choose a favorite; they're all so nice. The under-the-sea stamp appeals to me a lot. I like to imagine our postcards going through any obstacles in order to arrive to their recipients.
I like the horse design because it harks back to the very beginning of postal services.
I like the Pony Express Rider with his mail held up. It's indicative of the early days in the US, getting the mail through. I'm grateful for those early Pony Express riders. And I love the new triangle international stamps.
I like the sense of motion coming from the horse, so that's my favorite :) Happy to see more triangle stamps!
I think my favorite is the diver. Who are they delivering mail to? I imagine the mail box is made from a giant clam.
Beautiful stamps with so many details. I like all of them.
Of the overall fantastic Postcrossing stamps, I love the Outer Space one!
I hope to use my winnings on postcards I’ll send when I visit the USA from Canada!
All of them are amazing, but Pony Express is my favourite 😍
I love the motorcycle one since it reminds me of my brother who died this February. Every card or letter I put it on will be a memorial to him. He loved Harleys all his life and rode one for years. I do like them all especially the horse and space ones!
At first glance I thought the motorcycle was a bicycle which most people can afford to have versus going to space, diving or even having a horse.
I saw these stamps in a magazine about USPS and that is what introduced me to this platform. My favorite is the SCUBA mailperson because of the delightful thought of an underwater mailbox!
I love all of these stamps but my favorite one is the space stamp, because I love space and all of the planets! :)
I really love them all!! The bright colors and creative scenarios really pop! If I have to pick I guess the underwater one for the colors, the horse one is a close second (for the same reason as others have mentioned with the tie in to the pony express).
Thanks for the interview explaining the extensive and complicated process involved in coming out with new stamp designs.
My favorite is the person on the horse because it reminds me of the Pony Express!
What a great interview! My favorite is the motorcycle, because it looks like the recipient is excitedly on their way to show off their new Postcrossing cards to their friends!
Terrific interview! I love the scuba diver stamp. Keep art alive on stamps!
Under the sea, please! :)
I am ao excited for these stamps to arrive. I enjoyed the interview, too. Thank you!
I like all the stamps but I think the quirky astronaut and the diver are my favorites!
I love this design, and it's really great that it is an unusual shape. E
Each stamp is great as a stand-alone item. I particularly like the underwater one. I have seen some postcards sent from underwater post boxes. And the whole thought of posting from under water is so fun!
I love them all but I think my favorite is the underwater scene. So creative and I love the water.
My favorite is the scuba diver because the fish are so cute. I love the postcard in the diver's hand
My favorite...difficult to choose, but if pressed - The Space stamp...because I totally want to send a postcard from space! I have been waiting for YEARS for this Postcrossing stamp! I even signed the petition to get it in the works several years ago. . And now I am awaiting my preorder haul! Happy dance and postcards imminent. =D
What an interesting interview! My favorite is the underwater one. It reminds me of the underwater mailbox on Green Island, an offshore island of Taiwan. You have to dive underwater to send a postcard there! I really hope I can go and mail something from there someday.
I love the colours very much. I also like the horse design. It reminds me of how mail used to be collected from rural areas here in New Zealand.
Well done all around.
The western one is my favorite - with the cute rattlesnake! I also like that all the postcards in the images demonstrate how to orient the triangle stamp ... that's how I'll be using it :)
I'm so excited about these new stamps! It's hard to pick a favorite, but I will choose the astronaut. That's based on the recent return of Artemis II and also my new favorite movie, Project Hail Mary. Thank you for doing this!
My favorite is the Pony Express rider because I live in the West and have traveled some of the route.
The cowboy on the horse represents the USA in my eyes. I like that stamp the most.
I love the astronaut! I love the idea of mixing snail-mail communication with the pinnacle of modern human technology: space travel!
I like the design with the horse, it reminds me of the Pony Express.
I am pre-ordering them and cannot wait to use them.
The designs are all great, but I'll take the astronaut, because I can remember the first moon landing and the first Space Shuttle launch.
I LOVED reading this, and seeing the design process play out step-by-step is so cool! I'm headed to Boston World 2026 on 5/24 and I'm hoping to see plenty of hype for the new stamps :D My personal favorite is the astronaut: I have a few friends that I love sending letters to- they usually don't send anything back, but they always tell me how much they love checking their mail now that I regularly send them letters and postcards. I'm looking forward to sending them something with the new astronaut stamp, as they're both obsessed with space and astronomy- I've not told them about the stamps so I can surprise them! <3
I really like the space one! I mailed a letter to the stamp committee asking for the postcrossing stamp and now it’s here!!
I like the space one best. To me, it represents the U.S. and I also love the colors!
The colors and design look so retro and fun! My favorite is the underwater stamp because of how the rays from the sun coming into the ocean are depicted, as well as how the artist added a little quirkiness by making some of the bubbles look to be coming from the underwater "pipes". :)
I love all the Postcrossing stamps! The pony express rider, of course, is historic. The motorcycle carrier is a modern version of that. I have heard that there are undersea mailboxes in Vanatu and Japan, so those are real. My favorite is the astronaut mail carrier--perhaps that will exist in the future!
I am so grateful for these mew stamps!
The "pony express" stamp is my favorite as it reflects on our postal history, and I'm beyond thrilled that the US has finally acknowledged Postcrossing!
I appreciate the life story of a stamp. It's a subject I have often thought about. I really like the new stamp shape and especially the "Under the Sea" stamp because fish fascinate me!
So excited to finally have some more international stamp options! Other countries send such fun stamps but in America, we only have two options.
My children and I have been fascinated by underwater mailboxes that we've read about in a Postcrossing blog. So the scubadiver is our favorite!
I love the space one! I love space stuff and the astronaut is drawn in a very cute style!
My favorite stamp is the one with the astronaut! I find the colors on that one the most whimsical and I really need some more whimsy in my life right now.
Great interview. Thank you. I like the scuba diver. I like things pertaining to the ocean or sea. The scuba diver carrying a postcard is fantastic (as are all the stamps).
My favorite stamp in the new Postcrossing set is the one with the spaceman on it. I live in Maryland, fairly close to NASA in Greenbelt, and my husband and I have a good friend who works there. His wife was an avid Postcrosser. She recently passed away after contracting a rare neurological disease, Sporadic CJD (creutzfeldt-jakob disease). She lived less than 2 months from diagnosis. Anyway, a while after his wife passed away, our friend ended up giving me half of her unmailed postcards, which greatly boosted the number I had at the time. Every time I look through them to decide which card to send, I think of her.
I like all of them! It’s a hard pick for favorite between outer space and under the sea. I think I’d have to go with the sea one if I only picked one, but I’m looking forward to getting at least a few sets!
Great interview! I love all four, but as a keen motorcyclist, especially the one with the motorcycle! Can't wait to see these stamps in real life.
For me, the diver is my favorite motif. I was born under the sign of Pisces and have been going swimming every week for many years.
I find all four stamps really great, but the one with the diver is my favorite one as I love its colour pallet the most :)
I like the picture of riding a horse. This year is the Year of the Horse, and the feeling of being around horses is even more appealing to me!
I like the underwater diver the most. It is so interesting to see that a postcard can travel underwater too.
I’m looking forward to deciding on the perfect Postcrossing stamp to place on my recipient’s postcard! My favorite detail is the tiny stamped postcard, visible on each of the stamps. My eye was first drawn to the Underwater design, so I’ll call that my favorite but they all deserve an A-plus. I love that together, they convey a global message that we’re all connected. The triangular shape is icing on the cake!
All four stamps are unique and eye-catching.
It's hard to pick just one.
But if I had to choose, I'd go with the astronaut.
It makes me happy to imagine receiving a postcard even from the far reaches of space. :)
I love the space stamp because it reminds me of the recent successful Artemis II mission
Brava on the space-saving triangular shape choice! And I also love that we have four designs, not just one.
I am so pleased about the overall design of this new stamp series so it's hard to choose, so let's just go with cowgirl as my favorite.
So happy to see the Postcrossing community honored. My favorite is the space themed stamp.
My favorite is the astronaut stamp! But overall, I love the 4 of them together, portraying the magnitude within Postcrossing, and the connection between the love for a postcard.
hey, this is fun! My favourite is the underwater scene. looking forward to receiving it from you or some nice postcrosser.
Great interview! My favorite is the space/astronaut stamp because I am interested in astronomy and space topics.
I loved reading the very well done interview and I think all the stamps look great. The space themed is my favourite one.
My favorite is the one depicting the Pony Express, because of the historical significance of that mail delivery service on the USPS.
Great interview questions! I enjoyed learning about the process of creating a stamp. I wrote a couple of postcards over the years to the Citizen's Advisory committee, I was surprised when I had received a letter back saying they were considering the stamp topic.
My favorite of the collection is the one in space. I love the idea of someone getting a piece of mail that has gone to outer space and back.
I do enjoy that all of them show a postcard so predominantly.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the interview and learning about the creation of the USA postage stamps and the PostCrossing postage stamp. It is all so interesting. I like each stamp, but am drawn to the underwater stamp because of an interesting article I read about underwater mailboxes!
I'm looking forward to adhering one of these PostCrossing postage stamps onto a beautiful postcard in the near future!
I resonate most closely with one of the two-wheeler, as this creative is a realistic point of view of how mail is still delivered across regions :)
I'm so beyond excited for this stamp release! Thank you to all the Postcrossers who helped made it happen!
It's hard for me to pick a favorite. I love the underwater one bc I love the ocean and wanted to be a marine biologist.
I also love the horseback one bc I feel it is a reference to the Pony Express which was as short lived service but so influential!
My favorite is the space one, closely followed by the underwater one!
I love the idea for sure. I would have to say my fav is the astronaut. Im in the US so ...
I especially like the pony express one, it reminds me of where I grew up in the Southwest.
I like the space astronaut illustration. I imagine one day getting a letter from another planet.
What a great interview! My favorite is the lady on horseback, because I live in the desert surrounded by saguaros too.
Great Interview!! My favorite is the cowgirl with the snake. I have a special place in my heart for snakes.
My favorite stamp design from the collection is the one with the horse and cacti because it reminds me of one of my most memorable trips to Arizona!
It reminds me of the German Postcrossing stamp but that hat all different parts of the picture in one stamp.
I like that there are four different stamps available and the one I like most of all is the one with the diver. It somehow reminded me of a line from a song.
I'm torn between the SCUBA diver and the cowboy. I like both
of those stamps the most!
I would have to choose the horse, because the western theme seems so uniquely American!
I love to swim but the nod to the Pony Express and the pink of it have me liking the horse stamp best. Thanks for a very interesting article.
I love the one with horse. Not only it's the year of horse, but also it meets my imagination of cowboys!
i love the horse delivery carrier one :) i love them all, but if i had to choose one, it’d be the one i’d be the least afraid of doing myself 😆 oceans, motorcycles, and outer space would freak me out. also! the desert setting reminds me of New Mexico- where my husband is from 🤗
Scuba diver delivering sea post. :) ...because I love everything related to water.
Space Exploration is my favorite. Since I was a child I was always interested in Space, probably because of my father as he was an armature astronomer... and well space is the future of Humanity. Lets get to the age of Star Wars and explore the universe!
I love all four stamp designs, they did a great job there! But as I have to choose one for the lottery, I'll pick the cowgirl. 😊
Spectacular article about someone who loves what they do, I can't wait to affix these wonderful stamps to some of my postcards, I always delibertate about which stamps from my collection that I'll use on each card, oftentimes doing some research on where a recipient lives or thier interests found in thier biography. These stamps will be a welcome addition to my stamps.
The best to all fellow Postcrossers,
Condorito
What a fascinating interview, I love stamps and learning about the design process makes them even more special! My favorite triangle stamp would have to be the Pony Express, it's such a great piece of American History, I really love it. Keep up the good work!! Stay Gold!
My favorite is the astronaut stamp. My nephew has been very into space and planets for the past year, so we have been learning a lot about outer space together.
Definitely the horse one. It has this very country western vibes to it, it might as well come with the "yeeehaaawww" sound effect. It's also a great nod to the history of the United States postal system, which includes a storied legend of the Pony Express (which, in fact, only lasted for a few months).
I don’t know that I ever thought that much about how stamps are designed. Loved all the information. The colors of the new postcrossing stamps are amazing and I love the triangle shape!!! They are all so cool, but if I had to pick a favorite it’s probably the space scene!
My favorite one is of the astronaut.I enjoyed following along with the Artemis II mission this year, and It makes me think that one day, we might actually be able to send mail into space. Especially if they establish a permanent base on the moon one day, what would it be like to send mail there? I wonder what kind of stamps we would use? 🙂
My favorite is the scuba - so creative. The colors are so striking. Truly a fresh take on postage design.
I love all of them but the Space postal worker is my favorite as I want to go into space one day - it would be great to get a postcard there :-)
I hope to receive them all one day, but the scuba diver is my favorite. I like the colors the most and I just love swimming
I am so excited that USPS has finally issued Postcrossing stamps and I hope there are more designs in the future. I love the space themed PX stamp because of the recent Artemis II expedition. However, I love them all.
Excited about the triangle shape! I think I like the cowgirl design best!
Because I really love Yuri Gagarin and everything related to space, I like the one with the Cosmonaut the most🌏🧑🚀🛰️
This was such a wonderful interview—and I especially loved reading about how Antonio Alcalá went from being a history major to an exhibit designer at the fabulous Postal Museum to being a USPS stamp art director! How cool!
I am really excited for this new series of stamps and since I love space themes, I think my favorite is the astronaut.
I like the stamp with horse because it remind me of Texas and the snake and cactus are so cool!
As a girl who grew up riding horses, I love the cowgirl stamp the best! But they're all really great and it's hard to choose.
Very nice interview. I love them all, but I am biased. I work for USPS in Stamp Production and did the press approval for these stamps. What a thrill. Having been with the Postal Service for over 31 years, I would have to pick the girl on horseback. It harkens back to the days of the Pony Express.
Great interview!
I like the space one! It makes me think about our postal system in the future.
Love these stamps - wish I could go to Boston! My fav is the astronaut as I live in Space City Houston.
How do you expect us to pick just one favorite? That’s so hard to do! If I were to choose one, I think it would be the horse one. My younger self has always loved horses; and they are such magical beasts. My older self loves the color pallet of the stamp as well, and I can picture that it’s me up on that horse riding to deliver my next postcard!
I love all four of the stamps, there’s so much fun! I think the person on the horse is a great representation of the old days when the pony express delivered the mail.
The triangle shape is wonderful, and I love all four designs. But the space stamp is my favorite. Maybe someday one of us will receive (or send) a postcard from Mars.
Thanks for sharing the designing process! I can’t decide which one I like the most since all of them are such a surprise for me, I can’t wait for having them.
I find this stamp very unique due to its triangular shape.
The stamp designs are colorful and I love the theme as it features
postage mail traveling across "land, sea, and air".
I love the land design showing a cowgirl on a horse because
the cowgirl, as well as the cowboy, is one of the most recognized cultural symbols of the United States.
Hence it is a very meaningful postcrossing stamp to debut at the Boston 2026 World Stamp Show which is an once-per-decade event in USA.
It honors the global Postcrossing community’s effort to connect people across countries and cultures through postcards.
This year 2026 also marks the year of the horse in the chinese lunar calendar.
So to me, it is a very meaningful postcrossing stamp to collect.
Thank you very much for this awesome giveaway.
Hope to receive them in my mailbox.
The underwater stamp guy seems amazing
My favorite is the design with the cowgirl as I love how this stamp captures the thrill of sending something across the world, one envelope, one rider, one bright adventure at a time. Thank you for the give away!
I love them all! each design is unique for postal letters- Being in Texas i have to go with the horse/ astronaut! so nice to get out of the stuffiness of 'government stamps'. These are catchy colors and shapes- incredibly fun
Great interview! And, also, great stamp designs! My favorite stamp is the scuba diver because it's somehow hilarious that they should be mailing a postcard from the bottom of the sea! Glad these are the sticker stamps, and not lick and stick ones, or that guy's stamp would float off before getting anywhere ;)
Beautiful stamps!! I love. Collecting unique stamps
I like the picture of riding a bike, because I'm a sports lover and I prefer cycling.😆😆😆
My favorite is the scuba diver because I love everything to do with the ocean!
I like the stamps with the horse and motorcycle. They remind me of the progression of postal delivery. And make me nostalgic for a time that has past. They are all wonderful.
I find each of the four stamps interesting . With the current excitement about the Artemis ll Lunar flyby, the depiction of the astronaut in space speaks to me the most.
The diver is my favorite! I love these triangle stamps — it is so fun that postcrossing is bringing a new stamp shape to the US international stamp community! I am so excited to use these — I always love underwater images and those colors are just amazing!
I like the cowboy one. I just moved to CO from TX and it reminds me of Texas!
I feel the stamp depicting space is amazing. It is international and global. Granted I look to the stars frequently as my avatar depicts. Everyone looks at the stars every night. We may not look at the same stars at the same time, but the whole world does see the same constellations at different locations at different times of the year. It is a global stamp that connects with everyone.
My favorite is the desert scene! It's reminiscent of historical US Mail delivery.
My favorite stamp design is the cowboy one because I'm starting to like western wear, and I'd like to have some nice boots and shirts! I don't wear hats but I'm happy with a pair of aviator amber sunglasses 😄
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