Booklet: 2026 Flag Forever Stamp
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service continues its long-standing tradition of featuring the nation's flag on postage. This new U.S. Flag stamp is offered in several formats, including booklets containing 20 stamps, panes of 20 stamps, and coils available in quantities of 100, 3,000, and 10,000.
The stamp features a close-up photograph of a knitted American flag, taken from a sweater design originally released by Polo Ralph Lauren in 1989. Below the flag image are the anniversary years 1776 and 2026 in red, separated by a gold five-pointed star. The phrase USA FOREVER appears in blue along the bottom of the stamp. A larger version of the same knitted flag design is also featured as the central element of this year's American Icons commemorative stamp pane.
USPS art director Greg Breeding notes that while the flag sweater has been recognized as a cultural symbol for decades, his work on the stamp revealed a deeper connection between Ralph Lauren and American heritage. He points out that during the extensive preservation project for the original Star-Spangled Banner from 1998 to 2006, Ralph Lauren provided significant financial support toward the conservation effort.
The flag depicted on the stamp represents an earlier chapter in American flag history, predating the banner that later inspired the national anthem. Following the guidelines established in the 1777 Flag Resolution, the design features 13 alternating red and white stripes symbolizing the original colonies, along with 13 white stars arranged on a blue background to represent a new constellation. Although the original resolution did not define a specific arrangement for the stars, a staggered pattern of five rows alternating between three and two stars became one of the most widely recognized designs during the early years of the nation.
The same knitted flag artwork serves as the centerpiece of the American Icons commemorative stamp pane released during the anniversary year.
The U.S. Flag stamp is issued as a Forever stamp, ensuring that it will always retain the same value as the current First-Class Mail one-ounce postage rate, even if postal prices change in the future.
