Monarch Butterfly USPS Stamp History and Mailing Use

The Monarch Butterfly stamp belongs to the U.S. Postal Service tradition of butterfly designs associated with nonmachinable First-Class Mail. This guide separates the stamp’s postal purpose from its artwork and from the living species it depicts.

What the stamp is

USPS issued the 64-cent Monarch definitive stamp on May 17, 2010, in New York City as Item 114600 in panes of 20. It was the first butterfly stamp developed for the combined one-ounce letter price and nonmachinable surcharge. Because the stamp prints “64c,” an unused example contributes exactly 64 cents toward a later mailing.

Item 114600 identifies the USPS pane of 20. A collector catalog may assign another number, but that number should be quoted with the catalog name and should not replace the issue date, 64-cent denomination, or format.

How to use it correctly

The Monarch differs from later nondenominated butterfly stamps because “64c” is printed on its face. On a later mailing it contributes exactly 64 cents. Subtract that amount from the postage required on the mailing date, then add other stamps for any remaining one-ounce, additional-weight, nonmachinable, or other applicable charge.

The 2010 purpose explains why a monarch appears on a stamp associated with nonmachinable letters, but it does not override current standards. A square, rigid, or uneven envelope must still qualify as a letter, and the total postage—not the historical purpose of one stamp—determines whether it is fully paid.

For a dated example, a qualifying one-ounce nonmachinable domestic letter costs $1.31 at prices effective July 12, 2026. A 64-cent Monarch contributes $0.64, leaving $0.67 to be paid with other postage. This calculation illustrates the fixed denomination without suggesting that the 2010 stamp rises with later rates.

About the Monarch Butterfly

Monarchs are migratory butterflies recognized by orange wings divided by black veins and bordered with white-spotted black margins.

Derry Noyes designed the stamp around a large, recognizable monarch. USPS technical data classifies the orientation as horizontal, while the die-cut stamp itself is square. Gravure identifies the printing process, not raised engraved lines that can authenticate a stamp by touch.

A common date mix-up

The cited USPS record identifies this as the 2010 64-cent Monarch; it does not establish a 2016 reissue. For a listing dated 2016, verify the pictured insect, printed denomination, and format against the 2010 issue record before treating the listing date as a new issue date.

The actual 2016 design in this related group is the blue Eastern Tailed-Blue, bearing Non-machineable Surcharge wording. The butterfly chronology places it beside the Monarch without treating the two as editions of one stamp.

Collecting and authenticity

Compare the orange-and-black monarch, square die cut, 64-cent inscription, pane format, and gravure production data with the USPS issue record. Touch alone cannot distinguish gravure from an engraved rarity, and no single visible or ultraviolet feature proves authenticity. Valuable examples should be expertized when identity or condition materially affects value.

Sources

Key facts were checked against USPS Stamp Announcement 10-15; USPS domestic mailing standards; Smithsonian National Postal Museum.