The Big Story: New stamps announced as prices rise

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Blooming flowers, wildlife, polar landscapes and famous faces will grace new postage stamps this year as the price of mailing a letter goes up.

The U.S. Postal Service announced the stamps Thursday to cover the new rates that take effect May 14, including a 2-cent rise in first-class mail to 41 cents.

The new stamps are what the agency used to call definitives, meaning they will be the standard stamp for that price.

The post office also issues commemorative stamps which remain in circulation for limited periods of time.

An American flag, this time rippling in the wind and attached to a flagpole, will carry the new 41 cent rate and will be sold in coils starting May 6.

“Beautiful Blooms,” a set of 10 41-cent stamps goes on sale Aug. 10 and includes flowers such as the coneflower, dahlia, chrysanthemum, gerbera daisy, tulip, and iris.

On sale Aug. 17 will be the new 41-cent special occasion stamp, a colorful pattern incorporating the word “Celebrate.”

And a 41-cent stamped envelope bearing an image of galloping horses will be available May 12.

Other new stamps announced Thursday include:

Margaret Chase Smith, 58 cents (the two-ounce rate) on sale June 13 commemorates the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. This is the latest in the Distinguished Americans stamp series.

Air Force One, $4.60 (Priority Mail) on sale June 13, illustrating the jumbo jet that serves as the president’s traveling office.

Marine One, $16.25 (Express Mail) on sale June 13. This stamp illustrates the helicopter used by the president.

Florida Panther, 26 cents (post card rate) on sale May 12, illustrates a Florida panther, also known as a Puma concolor coryi.

Pineapple, 26 cents (stamped card), on sale May 12, features a pineapple, a symbol of hospitality since early colonial times.

Okefenokee Swamp, 69 cents, (Canada/Mexico price), on sale June 1, shows a photograph taken in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Big Horn Sheep, 17 cents (2nd ounce price) on sale May 29. Has a stylized drawing of a bighorn sheep, found from southwestern Canada to northern Mexico.

Harriet Beecher Stowe, 75 cents (3rd ounce price), on sale June 13 honors the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” one of the most influential novels in American history.