Great Smoky Mountains 8pcs

By Charles Snee

The United States Postal Service will issue two new high-denomination stamps for expedited mail service on Jan. 22. The stamps are in response to new postage rates that went into effect on that day.

These rate changes impacted the cost of domestic first-class letter mail and also increased postage rates for expedited mail, including the familiar flat-rate envelopes used for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express.

The new $9.65 Priority Mail stamp features the Florida Everglades in Florida, and the $28.75 Priority Mail Express stamp shows a scene in the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. They are the latest additions to the Postal Service’s American Landmarks series of Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps that began in 2008.