These stamps were announced by the USPS on March 6^th:

For one week in May 2026, the world capital of stamp collecting will be Boston, host of the Boston 2026 World Expo, the 12th international philatelic exhibition of the United States. To build anticipation and commemorate this confluence of art, history and international goodwill, two intaglio-printed stamps will highlight the special role of Boston in the American Revolution as we prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed these stamps with digital illustrations by Dan Gretta featuring the Old North Church and a “midnight rider” on horseback in Colonial garb.

No date of issuance or city was given. However, many philatelists expect them to be issued at Great American Stamp Show in August. The latest information will appear below the line, with the most recent at the top.

Updated July 24^th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: The Digital Color Postmark measures 1.99″ x 1.48″ The Pictorial Postmark measures 1.89″ x 1.24″The NTSS postmark measures 2.646″ x 1.7834″ The Americover postmark for the first day of the show measures 2.3125″ x 1.50″

From the Postal Bulletin:
On August 14, 2025, in Schaumburg, IL, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Boston 2026 World Stamp Show stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate), in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 487300). This stamp will go on sale nationwide August 14, 2025, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Boston 2026 World Stamp Show commemorative pane of 20 stamps must not be split and the stamps must not be sold individually.

Issued to celebrate the Boston 2026 World Expo, the 12th international philatelic exhibition of the United States, these two stamps highlight the special role of Boston in the American Revolution as we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Digital illustrations on these intaglio-printed stamps depict the Old North Church and a “midnight rider” on horseback in colonial garb. Dan Gretta created the digital illustrations for the stamps. Greg Breeding served as art director and stamp designer.

Automatic distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Boston 2026 World Stamp Show Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service™ will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by December 14, 2025.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Boston 2026 World Stamp Show Stamps
Item Number: 487300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (2 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 14, 2025, Schaumburg, IL 60194
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Dan Gretta, Asheville, NC
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Intaglio
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Phoenix
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 12,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Pantone 301 C
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.8400 x 1.4200 in. / 21.3360 x 36.0680 mm.
Overall Size (w x h): 0.9800 x 1.5600 in. / 24.8920 x 39.6240 mm.
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.9200 x 7.8800 in. / 150.3680 x 200.1520 mm.
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.8400 x 23.6400 in. / 300.7360 x 600.4560 mm.
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by one (1) single digit
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: BOSTON 2026 WORLD STAMP SHOW • Plate number in bottom two corners
Footer: MAY 23-30, 2026, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Back: ©2025 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (487300) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text

Updated July 10^th:
[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
USPS To Release Stamps Celebrating Boston 2026 World Stamp Expo

What: At the 2025 Great American Stamp Show in Schaumburg IL, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a set of stamps in anticipation of the Boston 2026 World Stamp Exposition. Issued to celebrate this once-a-decade extravaganza, these two stamps highlight the special role of Boston in the American Revolution as the Postal Service prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation.

The first-day-of-issue event for the Boston 2026 World Stamp Show Commemorative Forever stamps is free and open to the public. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #WorldStampShowStamps.

Who: William G. Fraine, senior vice president, national sales, U.S. Postal Service

When: Thursday, Aug. 14, at 11 a.m. CDT

Where:
Great American Stamp Show
Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
1551 North Thoreau Drive
Schaumburg, IL 60173

RSVP: Attendees are encouraged to register at usps.com/worldstampshowstamps.

Background: For one week in May 2026, the world capital of stamp collecting will be Boston, host to the 2026 World Expo, the 12th international philatelic exhibition of the United States.

From May 23-30, 2026, the Boston 2026 World Expo will fill the halls and meeting rooms of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Spanning 352,000 square feet of exhibition space, the expo will feature a vast bourse — the philatelic term for a collectors’ and dealers’ marketplace — as well as hundreds of collectors’ club and society meetings, competitive exhibitions, dedication ceremonies for new stamps, and displays and exhibits by postal authorities around the world.

This event offers rare and remarkable opportunities for stamp collectors to connect with colleagues and friends, build their collections, learn from experts, and fully immerse themselves in their hobby. For curious newcomers and the public, the expo offers eye-catching displays of visually stunning stamps, opportunities to learn about other countries and their cultures, and a rich sense of tradition in a fun, family-friendly setting.

The United States hosted its first international philatelic exhibition in New York City in 1913 and has hosted similar expos once a decade ever since. In 1926, the U.S. Post Office Department issued a special souvenir sheet commemorating the 1777 Battle of White Plains with text promoting the second international philatelic exhibition on the selvage, the start of a tradition of commemorating or promoting the exhibition through stamps.

Since the 1970s, a tradition of issuing special U.S. stamps to commemorate the international philatelic exhibition at the event itself has, with some exceptions, generally given way to the release of stamps to promote the exhibition in advance. Today, many other nations issue stamps, sometimes three years beforehand, to build anticipation and commemorate a gathering that celebrates, as no other event can, the confluence of art, education, history and international goodwill.

The artist for these stamps was Dan Gretta. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps.

These stamps are being issued as Forever stamps and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Updated March 10^th:
The American Philatelic Society says these stamps will be issued on the first day of Great American Stamp Show, Thursday, August 14, in Schaumburg, IL.