The Forget-Me-Not stamp is the 2015 USPS Missing Children Forever stamp. It is a regular First-Class Mail Forever stamp—not the later Alzheimer’s semipostal—and a genuine unused copy still covers the current one-ounce domestic letter rate.
Forget-Me-Not Forever stamp facts
| Official issue name | Missing Children |
|---|---|
| Issue date and place | May 18, 2015; Anaheim, California |
| USPS item | 473100 |
| Format | Pressure-sensitive pane of 20, one design |
| Original issue price | 49 cents per stamp |
| Designer and art director | Ethel Kessler |
| Photographer | Harald Biebel |
| Print quantity | 60 million stamps |
What the design means
The horizontal design uses Harald Biebel’s photograph of a small group of purple forget-me-nots beside one separated flower. “FORGET-ME-NOT” appears above the image and “HELP FIND MISSING CHILDREN” below it. USPS explained that the flower is associated with International Missing Children’s Day, observed on May 25.
The reverse of the 20-stamp pane carried public-awareness information and contact details for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. That educational purpose is why collectors may also encounter it under the official name Missing Children.
Is it a semipostal fundraising stamp?
No. The 2015 Forget-Me-Not issue is a standard Forever stamp. Buying it did not add a fundraising surcharge. Do not confuse it with the Alzheimer’s semipostal issued in 2017, which also uses forget-me-not imagery but follows different pricing and postage-value rules.
Can it still be used for postage?
Yes. A genuine, unused and undamaged stamp from this issue pays the current First-Class Mail one-ounce letter rate, even though it originally sold for 49 cents. Add postage when the finished mailpiece is heavier, nonmachinable, oversized or uses a service that costs more.
How to identify the 2015 issue
- Look for “FOREVER USA” and the 2015 year mark.
- Confirm both phrases: “FORGET-ME-NOT” and “HELP FIND MISSING CHILDREN.”
- The stamp is horizontal and shows purple flowers on a white background.
- A full pane contains 20 pressure-sensitive stamps and carries item number 473100.
Stamp versus stamped envelope
USPS also released a set of ten Missing Children #10 stamped envelopes on the same date. Those envelopes use related artwork but are a separate postal-stationery product, item 882102. A collector describing a “Forget-Me-Not stamp” should check whether the object is a removable pane stamp or a preprinted Forever envelope.
Official sources
The USPS stamp announcement provides the issue date, item number, format, production specifications and credits. The USPS dedication release explains the public-awareness purpose and the meaning of the design. The separate stamped-envelope announcement documents the related postal stationery.
Issue facts checked September 2, 2026.
Compare this issue with other botanical postage in the USPS flower stamp guide.