International Forever Stamps

[N8XI]

I just got an Email from William Plum and it looks like several
countries are going to be using forever international stamps.

This is what he had to say about the US stamps

"USA, later this month. And of course it will be the ugliest of the lot!"   

73, Rick - N8XI

[AB8MA]

What would be really cool would be forever interchangeable international stamps to replace IRC's.

[N7SMI]

Here's what they look like:
http://beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview/img/stamps/f-2013-global-forever.jpg

They'll sale in sheets of 20 for $22.

I'm a bit worried about the round shape and the 'ruffles' on the edges considering the less-than-gentle treatment of most international postal services.

I also don't understand why they put the year on a "forever" stamp. This is likely to cause confusion in 2014.

[NU1O]

Given the way the USG has kept its promises in the past I would not keep a bigger inventory of stamps than normal just because they now say "Forever."

By printing the date on the stamp it allows the postal service to easily tack on a surcharge based on how old the stamp is if they take away the "Forever" promise.



73,

Chris/NU1O

[KD6KVL]

Uh, why is the forever crossed out???
Frank KG6N

[N7SMI]

Uh, why is the forever crossed out???

The word "Forever" is always crossed out on the official USPS online images of stamps. I'd suppose it's an anti-counterfeiting thing.