New Postage Rates

According to the United States Post Office, the cost of mailing a standard first class piece of mail is raised to 42 cents, an increase of one-cent effective May 12, 2008. I visited the US Post Office in Helena, Montana, today and spoke with a USPS employee about the new postage rates.

First off, the previous rate for a first class letter was 41 cents. The new postage rate of 42 cents has the same mailing standards as the old rate. The standard rate is for a letter that weigh one ounce or less and measures 5 inches to 11 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 inches to 6/8 inches wide. If the letter is outside of these minimum and maximum dimensions you will need to pay extra for post.

The very popular Forever Stamp was reissued on May 12, 2008. The Forever Stamp has the advantage of being non-denominated and will always be honored for first class letters weighing one-ounce or less, regardless of subsequent increases in postage. The cost of a book of 20-stamps is $8.40. It can be purchased on-line. You will receive the stamps within two to three days.

The Forever Stamp was originally designed by Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California in 2007. It depicts the Liberty Bell a symbol of our nations struggle for independence and liberty. The stamp art was created by Tom Engeman of Brunswick, Maryland. It is a computer-generated image of the Liberty Bell. The Forever Stamp was originally issued in 2007. Individuals with previously issued Forever Stamps will not be affected by today's rate increase.

For postal patrons holding 41-cent stamps, the USPS is offering a Tiffany Lamp Pane one-cent stamp. It is available on-line in packets of 100 selling for $1.00. The stamps may be purchased at your local post office in groups of 20 for 20-cents.

According to the USPS spokesperson, the USPS is currently experiencing the costs of additional transportation costs all consumers are incurring. In addition, many consumers have switched to on-line bill paying which has reduced the overall work load of the USPS. Overall, the reliability, cost effectiveness and customer relations of the USPS remains first class.