Smithsonian National Postal Museum

06/12/2026

🇺🇸 From Los Angeles to the world, buenos días! The World Cup has officially arrived in the U.S., and the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) and team Paraguay will play their first group stage match today.

Flashback to 1994, when the soccer competition came to the U.S. for the first time. That same year, the U.S. Postal Service recognized World Cup soccer with a souvenir sheet and three action-packed stamps. The souvenir sheet included the stamps and a map of the U.S., which had the nine cities where the games were played and the countries that participated were listed across the top and bottom.

The 29-cent first-class domestic stamp featured a player kicking the ball, the 40-cent international rate stamp depicted a player maneuvering to bring the ball under control, and the player on the 50-cent international air mail stamp demonstrated the art of heading the ball.

Players like Marcelo Balboa, Fernando Clavijo, Hugo Perez, Tab Ramos, and Claudio Reyna helped define an era of the USMNT. They competed at the highest levels of the game, from multiple World Cup appearances to milestone moments like Balboa becoming the first U.S. player to reach 100 caps. Reyna would later captain the team to a quarterfinal run in 2002. Their contributions are part of a broader history of players who have shaped the game across the country. Stay tuned for a post on team USA’s 2026 players!

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🇺🇸 Desde Los Ángeles para el mundo, ¡buenos días! La Copa Mundial ha llegado oficialmente a Estados Unidos, y la Selección Masculina de EEUU (USMNT) y Paraguay jugarán hoy su primer partido de la fase de grupos.

Recordemos 1994, cuando la competición de fútbol llegó a EEUU por primera vez. Ese mismo año, el Servicio Postal de EEUU conmemoró el Mundial con una hoja de recuerdo y tres sellos llenos de acción. La hoja de recuerdo incluía los sellos y un mapa de EEUU que mostraba las nueve ciudades donde se jugaron los partidos y los países participantes estaban listados en la parte superior e inferior.

El sello nacional de primera clase de 29 centavos mostraba a un jugador pateando el balón, el sello internacional de 40 centavos mostraba a un jugador maniobrando para controlar el balón, y el jugador del sello de correo aéreo internacional de 50 centavos demostraba el arte de cabecear.

Jugadores como Marcelo Balboa, Fernando Clavijo, Hugo Pérez, Tab Ramos y Claudio Reyna ayudaron a definir una época de USMNT. Compitieron al más alto nivel, desde múltiples participaciones en Mundiales hasta hitos como el de Balboa, quien se convirtió en el primer jugador estadounidense en alcanzar los 100 partidos internacionales. Más tarde, Reyna lideró al equipo como capitán hasta los cuartos de final en 2002. Sus contribuciones forman parte de una historia más amplia de jugadores que han marcado el deporte en todo el país. ¡Estén atentos a la publicación sobre los jugadores de la selección masculina estadounidense de 2026!

© United States Postal Service (USPS). All rights reserved.

06/11/2026

🏟️ Before the first coin toss, the first whistle, or even the first kick, we're throwing it back to 2017.

For the “Have a Ball!” Forever stamps, the United States Postal Service added a textured, dimensional coating inspired by the raised panels of a classic soccer ball. As the first-ever “look and feel” stamps in the U.S., their round shape makes them even more one-of-a-kind.

We're looking forward to the biggest fútbol tournament in the world—the goals, the glory and the pride... We're more than ready for this summer of soccer! Are you? In the comments, tell us which teams you’re rooting for, show us your colors, and wave your flags!

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🏟️ Antes del primer lanzamiento de moneda, el primer pitido o incluso el primer saque, estamos recordando el 2017.

Para los sellos Forever “Have a Ball!”, el Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos incorporó un revestimiento texturizado y dimensional, inspirado en los paneles realzados de una pelota clásica de fútbol. Al ser los primeros sellos de EE. UU. diseñados para ofrecer una experiencia táctil y visual distintiva, su forma redonda los hace aún más inigualables.

Estamos contando los minutos que faltan para el torneo de fútbol más grande del mundo: los goles, la gloria y el orgullo... ¡Estamos más que listos para este verano de fútbol! ¿Y tú? ¡Cuéntanos en los comentarios a qué equipos apoyas, muéstranos tus colores y ondea tus banderas!

© United States Postal Service (USPS). All rights reserved.

06/03/2026

In 2017, USPS gave you the power to see what was arriving in your mail before it even arrives. Every day, Informed Delivery® sends digital previews of incoming mail to your email. We didn’t stop there; we recently rolled out an app that messages you real-time notifications of where your packages are.

05/28/2026

Attending the 2026 World Stamp Expo in Boston, Massachusetts? Come see us at booth #619!

05/28/2026

Virtual Story Time | Monday, June 1 | 11am ET | Zoom
Reserve a spot for your young learner at the link! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507

This week we will be celebrating World Ocean Day (June 8) with a special guest educator from Natural History! We’ll be learning about artist Eugenie Clark and the work she did to study sharks and promote ocean conservation. We will make our own ocean-inspired stamp designs, and participants are invited to bring paper and drawing materials to the program.

05/17/2026

The Postal Service issued a 34-cent "Peanuts" commemorative stamp featuring Snoopy the dog on May 17, 2001.

Drawn by Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000), "Peanuts" began in syndication on October 2, 1950. The installment published on Sunday, February 13, 2000, was the last original comic strip by Schulz, who had passed away the previous day.

"Peanuts" focuses on the anxieties and joys of childhood as expressed by a cast of children who often seem wise beyond their years. Central to the comic strip is Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy, who first stood on his hind legs in 1958 and became extremely popular for his imaginative adventures as a number of characters, among them the World War I flying ace depicted on this stamp.

05/16/2026

The world's first regularly scheduled Air Mail Service began on May 15, 1918, between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City. This "Taussig Cover" was part of the mail carried aboard the first airmail flight on May 15. The cover with the embossed corner card of the Postmaster General, Washington, D.C. was autographed by President Woodrow Wilson and addressed to T. H. Patton, postmaster of New York City, at the suggestion of Noah W. Taussig, president of the American Molasses Company.

Taussig had written Wilson on April 22, 1918, to create this philatelic souvenir so that its sale could benefit "the American Red Cross or any war charity you may suggest." He explained to the President: "I have been a philatelist since boyhood, and as a boy I edited the New Jersey Philatelist. On May sixteenth, I will be fifty-five years of age. If you will honor me on that day by canceling the first 24-cent stamp by this new delivery with your autograph, I will arrange to have it sold at auction in New York -- and I will start the bidding with $1,000.00 ..."

The cover was auctioned at the Collectors' Club in New York City on June 11, 1918. It was sold to Taussig at his opening bid of $1,000 as promised. The sum was then paid to the American Red Cross.

05/08/2026

Virtual Story Time on Monday, May 11 at 11am

Celebrate creativity inspired by artist Ruth Asawa at this week’s Virtual Story Time. We’ll learn about the artist’s life and process, read A Life Made By Hand, and then make our own unique works of art.

Free registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-with-the-national-postal-museum-registration-141338917507

Designed for children ages 3-6 but all are welcome!

05/08/2026

Registration is now open for the 2026 Smithsonian National Education Summit (July 14–16, 2026). Offered both virtually and in person in Washington, D.C., this free multi‑day event will unite leading voices in education under the theme Together We Thrive: Towards a More Perfect Union. More than 40 sessions will equip you with classroom‑ready ideas as we prepare for the United States’ Semiquincentennial. Reserve your spot today!

The Summit is a three-day program, occurring July 14-16, 2026, with online, in-person, and on-demand engagement opportunities for participation. The event is free to attend.

05/04/2026

! This metal R2-D2 collection box is covered with a vinyl “skin” that makes it take on the appearance of a droid character in the film Star Wars. Transferred from the United States Postal Service in October 2007, this collection box is signed by George Lucas and then Postmaster General John E. Potter.

March 2007 marked the 30th anniversary of the release of the first Star Wars film. To honor the event, USPS in collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd. released 400 round-top mail collection boxes across the country. This box was installed at Union Station in Washington, DC, next to the Postal Museum!

R2-D2 was chosen to have its likeness placed onto collection boxes because of his shape, which is similar to that of the mailboxes and because it “embodies the trust and dependability for which the Postal Service is renowned” according to a press release from USPS. It is currently on view at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution's Udvar Hazy Center!

© Lucasfilm Ltd. and the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.