Not every Black Heritage stamp is a Forever stamp. The 1978–2010 issues were printed with fixed denominations and retain those face values. Beginning with the 2011 Barbara Jordan issue, Black Heritage stamps for the one-ounce First-Class Mail rate have been Forever stamps and follow the current ordinary Forever value—82 cents as of September 1, 2026.

Black Heritage stamps by year

USPS began the Black Heritage series in 1978. In the table, a price in the “Issued as” column is the printed fixed denomination for 1978–2010 or the issue-date price of a Forever stamp for 2011 onward.

YearBlack Heritage honoreeIssued asCurrent postage rule
1978Harriet TubmanFixed 13¢13¢ face value
1979Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Fixed 15¢15¢ face value
1980Benjamin BannekerFixed 15¢15¢ face value
1981Whitney Moore Young, Jr.Fixed 15¢15¢ face value
1982Jackie RobinsonFixed 20¢20¢ face value
1983Scott JoplinFixed 20¢20¢ face value
1984Dr. Carter G. WoodsonFixed 20¢20¢ face value
1985Mary McLeod BethuneFixed 22¢22¢ face value
1986Sojourner TruthFixed 22¢22¢ face value
1987Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSableFixed 22¢22¢ face value
1988James Weldon JohnsonFixed 22¢22¢ face value
1989A. Philip RandolphFixed 25¢25¢ face value
1990Ida B. WellsFixed 25¢25¢ face value
1991Jan E. MatzeligerFixed 29¢29¢ face value
1992W.E.B. DuBoisFixed 29¢29¢ face value
1993Percy Lavon JulianFixed 29¢29¢ face value
1994Dr. Allison DavisFixed 29¢29¢ face value
1995Bessie ColemanFixed 32¢32¢ face value
1996Ernest E. JustFixed 32¢32¢ face value
1997Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.Fixed 32¢32¢ face value
1998Madam C. J. WalkerFixed 32¢32¢ face value
1999Malcolm XFixed 33¢33¢ face value
2000Patricia Roberts HarrisFixed 33¢33¢ face value
2001Roy WilkinsFixed 34¢34¢ face value
2002Langston HughesFixed 34¢34¢ face value
2003Thurgood MarshallFixed 37¢37¢ face value
2004Paul RobesonFixed 37¢37¢ face value
2005Marian AndersonFixed 37¢37¢ face value
2006Hattie McDanielFixed 39¢39¢ face value
2007Ella FitzgeraldFixed 39¢39¢ face value
2008Charles W. ChesnuttFixed 41¢41¢ face value
2009Anna Julia CooperFixed 44¢44¢ face value
2010Oscar MicheauxFixed 44¢44¢ face value
2011Barbara JordanForever; 44¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2012John H. JohnsonForever; 45¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2013Althea GibsonForever; 46¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2014Shirley ChisholmForever; 46¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2015Robert Robinson TaylorForever; 49¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2016Richard AllenForever; 49¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2017Dorothy HeightForever; 49¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2018Lena HorneForever; 50¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2019Gregory HinesForever; 55¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2020Gwen IfillForever; 55¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2021August WilsonForever; 55¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2022Edmonia LewisForever; 58¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2023Ernest J. GainesForever; 63¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2024Constance Baker MotleyForever; 68¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2025Allen ToussaintForever; 73¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value
2026Phillis WheatleyForever; 78¢ issue priceCurrent ordinary Forever value

How to use an older Black Heritage stamp today

  • 1978–2010 fixed-denomination issues: a genuine unused stamp contributes only the number of cents printed on it. Combine it with other valid postage to reach the current required total.
  • 2011–2026 Forever issues: a genuine unused stamp carries the current ordinary Forever value for an eligible domestic one-ounce First-Class Mail letter.
  • Every year: the finished mailpiece still must meet current weight, size, shape, destination and service rules.

The first Forever stamp appeared in 2007, but that did not automatically convert every later commemorative into a Forever issue. For this series, the reliable dividing line is 2011, when USPS states that its one-ounce commemorative stamps became Forever stamps.

How to identify the series correctly

The official Black Heritage series is one annual USPS series beginning with Harriet Tubman in 1978. Other USPS stamps honoring African American people and history—such as Toni Morrison, John Lewis, Harriet Powers or Underground Railroad subjects—may be related by subject without being that year’s Black Heritage-series issue.

Browse the broader Black Heritage and African American Forever stamp collection for related subjects, or read how Forever stamp value works across rate changes.

Frequently asked questions

Are all Black Heritage stamps Forever stamps?

No. Black Heritage issues from 1978 through 2010 have fixed printed denominations. Issues from 2011 onward are ordinary First-Class Mail Forever stamps.

Does a pre-2011 Black Heritage stamp expire?

A genuine unused fixed-denomination U.S. stamp remains valid for its printed face value. It may need additional postage to meet today’s required amount.

Is the issue price the current value of a later Black Heritage Forever stamp?

No. The parenthesized price in the USPS history is what the Forever stamp cost when issued. Its current postage value follows the current ordinary Forever rate.

Are every African American subject and Black Heritage stamp part of the same series?

No. USPS has issued many other African American subjects. The annual Black Heritage series is the specific sequence identified as “Black Heritage” in the official history.

Sources checked September 1, 2026: USPS African American stamp subjects and Black Heritage chronology; Smithsonian National Postal Museum Black Heritage series overview. Current rates and mailing eligibility can change.