WASHINGTON — On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established a postal system for the United Colonies and appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general. The U.S. Postal Service today announced two stamp issues to celebrate its 250th anniversary — one of which is only available in an exclusive booklet.

The 32-page booklet — Putting a Stamp on the American Experience — celebrates the cultural importance of U.S. stamps.

Highlighting the popular series and subjects that give the stamp program its range and depth, this booklet — only the fourth ever issued by the Postal Service — commemorates the 250th anniversary of our nation’s postal system and celebrates the enduring influence of stamps on our shared heritage.

Two self-adhesive sheets of a new intaglio printed stamp featuring Benjamin Franklin are available exclusively with the booklet. The stamp is based on an 1875 reproduction of an 1847 5-cent stamp, one of the first official U.S. postage stamps.

The second release, 250 Years of Delivering, is a pane of 20 stamps by cartoonist Chris Ware that invites the public to spot a fun array of familiar postal items and icons while following a mail carrier on her rounds through four seasons of the year.

Both the prestige booklet which includes the Benjamin Franklin Stamp and the 250 Years of Delivering pane are scheduled to be released in July. There will be additional stamps in the 2025 stamps program announced soon. These designs are preliminary and may change.

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