Elie Wiesel (U.S. 2025)

Announced by the USPS on June 26^th:

The 18th stamp in the Distinguished Americans series honors humanitarian Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), a survivor of Nazi concentration camps whose dozens of works bore witness to the Holocaust and whose resilience and compassion continue to be a source of inspiration. This stamp for 2-ounce mail features a 1999 black-and-white photograph of Wiesel by Sergey Bermeniev. Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

This stamp will be issued September 17^th in New York City.

Updated November 5^th:
The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 6037.

Updated September 5^th:
From the Postal Bulletin: “In the article “Stamp Announcement 25-31: Elie Wiesel,” in Postal Bulletin 22682 (8-7-25, pages 35−36), the technical details table stated the Press Sheet Size however, Press Sheets are not available for this stamp.” We have indicated the correction below.

Updated August 26^th:
[ceremony information] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Humanitarian Elie Wiesel Is Honored with A Stamp

What: The U.S. Postal Service honors Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) with the 18th stamp of its Distinguished Americans series. Wiesel was a survivor of Nazi concentration camps whose life and writing on the Holocaust are a testament to moral courage and the resilience of the human spirit.

The first-day-of-issue event for the 2-ounce mail stamp is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #ElieWieselStamp.

Who: The Hon. Ronald A. Stroman, member of the USPS Board of Governors and dedicating official

When: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ET

Where: 92nd Street Y, New York, Kaufmann Concert Hall
1395 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY 10128

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

Background: Wiesel was a voice for victims and survivors of the Holocaust and fought for human rights at every opportunity. In 1960 he wrote “Night,” a powerful personal account of his experience in Nazi death camps.

Throughout his career, Wiesel published dozens of works that focused on the Holocaust and the Jewish experience. His resilience and compassion, and his remarkable body of work, ensure that future generations will never forget one of the darkest chapters in human history.

Wiesel was born in Romania and became a U.S. citizen in 1963. He was appointed chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust in 1978, which led to the opening of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1993.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 as a “messenger for mankind,” and with his wife, Marion (1931-2025), established the Elie Wiesel Foundation with the prize money.

Customers can preorder Elie Wiesel stamps on usps.com and they will be shipped on Sept. 17.

Updated August 9^th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 1.91″ x 1.13″The Pictorial Postmark measures 2.57″ x 1.37″The Special postmark measures 2.86″ x 0.92″

From the Postal Bulletin:

On September 17, 2025, in New York, NY, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Elie Wiesel stamps (priced at the Non-denominated, Two-Ounce Mail® rate), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 124400). This stamp will go on sale nationwide September 17, 2025, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

The 18th stamp in the Distinguished Americans series honors humanitarian Elie Wiesel (1928–2016), a survivor of Nazi concentration camps whose dozens of writings ensure future generations will bear witness to the Holocaust while his resilience and compassion continue to be a source of inspiration. This 2-ounce stamp features a 1999 black-and-white photograph by Sergey Bermeniev of Wiesel in a suit and tie, with a pensive expression on his face. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.

No 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 – Elie Wiesel Stamp
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 January 17, 2026.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Elie Wiesel Stamp
Item Number: 124400
Denomination & Type of Issue: Two Ounce Rate, Non-denominated, Mail Use
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Distinguished Americans
Issue Date & City: September 17, 2025, New York, NY 10199
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Photo: Sergey Bermeniev
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 8,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.7700 x 1.0500 in. / 19.5580 x 26.6700 mm.
Overall Size (w x h): 0.9100 x 1.1900 in. / 23.1140 x 30.2260 mm.
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.5500 x 5.7600 in. / 140.9700 x 146.3040 mm.
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.1000 x 17.5300 in. / 281.9400 x 445.2620 mm.
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: ”B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS Number 18 in a series
• Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2025 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (124400) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text