Batman Stamps: Collectors Say Despicable, USPS Says Brilliant

On Oct. 9 the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a much-publicized collection of limited-edition stamps featuring Batman. The release, which was timed to coincide with National Stamp Collecting Month, was the latest in a partnership with Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment intended to attract a new generation to stamp collecting. “You’ve got people who are fans of an icon that collect Batman memorabilia,” says USPS spokesman Mark Saunders. “It’s a great opportunity to reach out to younger audiences, more people, to make stamps more relevant to everyone.”

Saunders says the Batman stamps are selling well. There’s little question the cash-strapped agency needs to make money: The USPS has lost 22 percent of its annual mail volume since 2008. In September it defaulted for the fourth consecutive year on a $5 billion annual payment it’s required to make to the U.S. Treasury to cover future retiree health benefits. Stamps bought by collectors and stuck in albums, rather than used to send mail, should represent almost pure profit to the agency. The USPS previously released Batman stamps as part of a DC Comics series in 2006. It issued a series of Harry Potter stamps last year.