Why USPS Forever Stamps Are a Smart Investment in 2025

In a world fueled by speculative bubbles, engineered volatility, and fiat decay, the humble USPS Forever Stamp quietly defies them all. Since their launch in 2007, these little squares have done more than just mail letters — they’ve preserved value, outpaced savings accounts, and offered us a stealthy hedge against inflation.

The Power of Permanence

Forever Stamps are a deceptively simple product: buy once, mail forever. Whether postage goes up by a penny or a dime, your stamp retains full mailing value — no need to top it off. Introduced at 41¢ in 2007, a single Forever Stamp will cost 78¢ starting July 2025. That’s a 90% increase in 18 years. And you can still buy them for 73¢ until the rate hike hits.

“Forever Stamps are one of the only inflation-hedged products sold by the U.S. government — and they come with zero counterparty risk.” — Kurt Kartal

The Stamp Price Timeline

Here’s how the price of a first-class Forever Stamp has increased over time:

Year	Price (¢)
2007	41
2008	42
2009	44
2010	45
2011	46
2012	49
2013	49
2014	49
2015	49
2016	49
2017	49
2018	50
2019	55
2020	58
2021	60
2022	63
2023	66
2024	73
2025 (July)	78

Buy now, use later — or trade. A $1,000 stack today becomes $1,068 in mailing power in just two months. That’s an effective 6.8% gain by summer, completely off-grid.

Stamps as a Parallel Asset Class

• Inflation hedge: Built-in appreciation with every USPS hike.
• Privacy: Buy with cash, no ID, no trail.
• Utility: Real-world function, barter potential.
• Portability: A few hundred dollars in value fits in your wallet.
• Non-taxable use: You “redeem” them with zero capital gains.

Unlike speculative digital assets, stamps don’t require power, platforms, or trust. They work every time, everywhere, with no approval needed.

Risks? Minimal.

The main drawback is that they’re only redeemable for postage — unless traded privately. But for businesses, barterers, and analog operators, they function like a soft-currency. Physical damage is a concern, but easy to mitigate with proper storage.

How Do Stamps Compare?

• Gold: Timeless but bulky, hard to subdivide.
• Silver: Great for barter, but volatile and harder to store.
• Crypto: Digital, borderless — but heavily surveilled.
• Cash: Constantly devalued, and tracked in large amounts.
• Stamps: Small, anonymous, and always increasing in value.

Stacking Strategy

1. Buy from the post office in cash — discreet and legal.
2. Store in fireproof/waterproof containers.
3. Label by date for FIFO rotation.
4. Use for business, barter, or future mailing costs.

And remember — price hikes happen often. The next jump to 78¢ is already confirmed for July 2025. Every purchase before then is an instant yield on value.

The Forever Stamp is more than postage. It’s a quiet, resilient asset. It’s money that the system still allows — for now — to retain its purchasing power over decades. And it’s an asset that aligns perfectly with counter-economics: physical, off-grid, and functional.

“The state doesn't print money — it counterfeits time.” — Kurt Kartal

Stack accordingly.