Reviewed September 12, 2026. USPS issued the Phillis Wheatley Forever stamp on January 29, 2026, in Boston. The spelling is Phillis, not Phyllis. It is the 49th stamp in the Black Heritage series.

Issue facts

  • Subject: Phillis Wheatley
  • Issue date: January 29, 2026
  • First-day city: Boston, Massachusetts
  • Series: Black Heritage, 49th issue
  • Postage type: First-Class Mail Forever
  • USPS format: one design in panes of 20

The issue is documented in the USPS announcement and USPS dedication release.

Why Phillis Wheatley is commemorated

Wheatley was an important 18th-century poet whose published work occupies a significant place in American literary history. The stamp’s role is commemorative; historical interpretation should remain tied to reliable biographical sources rather than invented quotations or promotional language.

Postal use today

An unused stamp from the issue carries the current ordinary Forever value for a qualifying one-ounce First-Class Mail letter. The issue’s original pane price should not be presented as today’s price. Current retail price and availability are dynamic and must be checked on the live listing.

Identification and buying checks

  1. Confirm the correct name, Phillis Wheatley.
  2. Distinguish the official pane of 20 from a retailer’s multi-pane quantity.
  3. Check current quantity, price, shipping and returns before ordering.
  4. Do not infer a collectible return without comparable completed-sale evidence.

Explore other people and history stamp issues.

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About Mia Thompson

Mia Thompson is an editorial contributor at SaleForeverStamps, covering USPS-issued postage, Forever stamp history, mailing use, and modern stamp collecting for a U.S. audience. Her research process begins with current USPS, Postal Explorer, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service sources, then cross-checks issue details, product information, and recurring customer questions before publication. She is especially interested in postal history, paper ephemera, museum archives, nature photography, and handwritten correspondence. Mia's work focuses on making postage rules, issue history, buying considerations, and collecting terminology easier to understand.

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