US savings stamps, sold from May 1941 (10 cents to $5 in 1941) until June 30, 1970, may still be redeemed. The rule, 31 CFR 316.6(c), names banks and other financial institutions, designated Federal Reserve Banks and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Treasury still lists $45.01 million of stamps outstanding on October 31, 2026, but publishes no stamp form, mailing address or redemption value.
ClaimMyBonds is an independent private guide, not the government. The Series E bonds that stamp albums bought have a published value and cashing route, covered below with the Postal Savings items found beside them.
What Are Savings Stamps and War Savings Stamps?
A war savings stamp is a US Treasury savings stamp, first issued in May 1941 in amounts of 10 cents to $5, that savers pasted into albums and traded for Series E bonds.
A Series E bond is a paper savings bond that Treasury sold from May 1941 to June 1980 at 75% of its face value, the dollar amount printed on it. Stamp sales ended on June 30, 1970, but the stamps remain Treasury debt today. The table below sums up savings stamps in 8 rows.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Names | Defense Savings Stamps (from May 1941); War Savings Stamps; United States Savings Stamps |
| Origin | Formerly Postal Savings Stamps |
| Denominations in 1941 | 10, 25 and 50 cents, $1, $5 |
| Use | Collected in albums and exchanged for Series E bonds |
| Sale ended | June 30, 1970 |
| Rule today | May be redeemed at banks, designated Federal Reserve Banks or the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (31 CFR 316.6(c)) |
| Outstanding | $45.01 million (October 31, 2026) |
| Form, address, value | Not published by Treasury |
Source: 31 CFR 316.6(c) (eCFR, as of November 6, 2026); Treasury, A History of the United States Savings Bonds Program (1991), p. 15; Fiscal Data MSPD Table III, October 31, 2026.
Savings stamps are a Treasury savings security, not a lettered bond series such as E, EE or I. Stamps sit beside every lettered series among the types of US savings bonds Treasury sold, compared in types of US savings bonds.
Defense, War and United States Savings Stamps: Names and Denominations
Savings stamps carried three names, Defense Savings Stamps from May 1941, War Savings Stamps and United States Savings Stamps, and the 1941 issues came in 5 denominations. Treasury's 1991 history, A History of the United States Savings Bonds Program, says of the new Defense Savings Stamps: "These had originally been Postal Savings Stamps" (p. 15).
When the War and United States Savings Stamp names came into use is not stated in the Treasury sources this guide checks. The 5 denominations issued in 1941 are listed below.
- 10 cents
- 25 cents
- 50 cents
- $1
- $5
Sales continued through the 1960s until June 30, 1970.
How Savings Stamp Albums Were Exchanged for Series E Bonds
A filled savings stamp album was exchanged for a Series E bond, so a family that finished an album held a bond, not stamps. Series E bonds sold at 75% of face value: a $25 bond cost $18.75 (31 CFR 316.2(b)).
Treasury issued them from May 1941 to June 1980 (31 CFR 316.1). Defense Savings Stamps were introduced with Series E in May 1941; how many stamps filled one album is not stated in Treasury's published rules.
The issue date, printed upper right, sets the bond's value; it is the first day of the month the issuing agent was paid (31 CFR 316.2(c) and (d)). The rules for all Series E savings bonds apply to bonds bought with albums.
Can You Still Cash Savings Stamps? What 31 CFR 316.6(c) Says
Yes, savings stamps can still be redeemed under 31 CFR 316.6(c), as amended on March 4, 1994 (59 FR 10535). The rule says: "Stamps may be redeemed at banks and other financial institutions, through designated Federal Reserve Banks and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Parkersburg, West Virginia."
The same section also records the end of sales: "The sale of United States Savings Stamps was terminated effective June 30, 1970."
Albums once became Series E bonds, but Treasury has issued no Series E bond since June 1980 (31 CFR 316.1). Redemption, meaning payment in cash, is the route left for stamps. The rule's word is "may": it names places that may redeem stamps and does not say any bank must.
$45.01 Million in Savings Stamps Is Still Outstanding
Treasury's Monthly Statement of the Public Debt still lists United States Savings Stamps: $45.00969926 million outstanding on October 31, 2026 (Fiscal Data, MSPD Table III).
One year earlier, on October 31, 2025, the line stood at $45.00986016 million. By our arithmetic on Treasury's two figures, about $160.90 was redeemed in those 12 months, so stamps are still being turned in.
The $45.01 million is a stamp line, not a total for savings bonds. For bonds, Treasury measures how many are outstanding in pieces, not dollars: 103,064,737 matured unredeemed bonds, all series, as of September 30, 2026 (Fiscal Data). The count, and how owners claim, is under how many unclaimed savings bonds are outstanding.
What Treasury Has Not Published About Redeeming Stamps
Three things about stamp redemption are not published by Treasury as of November 11, 2026: a form, a mailing procedure or address, and a redemption value. 31 CFR 316.6(c) names places only, and TreasuryDirect's historical and retired bonds page gives no stamp instructions. The 3 missing items are listed below.
- A redemption form for stamps
- A mailing procedure or address for stamps
- A redemption value per stamp or per album
Ask before you send anything. Start with your bank, or call Treasury Retail Securities Services, the Treasury office for paper bonds, at 844-284-2676 (toll free, weekdays 8am to 6pm ET). Whether stamps earn interest is not established in Treasury's published sources.
What Is an Old Savings Stamp Album Worth?
Treasury has published no redemption value for savings stamps, so no source states what an old album is worth to Treasury.
The Series E bonds an album bought do have published values, which a savings bond calculator prices by issue month and face value. Use our savings bond calculator, built on Treasury's published value files, for any Series E bond found with the album.
Collector and auction prices for stamps and albums are market prices, not Treasury values. Treasury has published nothing that ties age, design or rarity to a redemption amount.
The $45.01 million line shows that stamps remain Treasury debt 56 years after sales ended. Whether Treasury pays that debt at the printed amount of each stamp is not published. Ask what will be paid before you hand stamps over.
Series E Bonds Bought With Savings Stamps: What They Are Worth Now
A Series E bond bought with savings stamps is worth exactly what any Series E bond of the same issue month and face value is worth.
A $25 bond issued between May 1941 and June 1970 is worth $90.59 to $234.11 in November 2026. May 1941 issues are lowest; December 1964 and January 1965 issues are highest.
Values are frozen since final maturity, when interest stopped. That came after 40 years for May 1941 to November 1965 issues and 30 years for later ones (31 CFR 316.8(b)).
To read a paper savings bond, find the issue month upper right; how to read a paper savings bond explains the rest. The table below gives 12 issue months.
Table 3: Series E bonds of the savings stamp years, value of a $25 and a $100 bond, November 2026
| Issue month | Final maturity (interest stopped) | $25 face | $100 face |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 1941 | May 1981 | $90.59 | $362.36 |
| January 1942 | January 1982 | $94.35 | $377.40 |
| January 1945 | January 1985 | $110.47 | $441.88 |
| December 1945 | December 1985 | $117.28 | $469.12 |
| January 1950 | January 1990 | $147.06 | $588.24 |
| January 1955 | January 1995 | $177.53 | $710.12 |
| January 1960 | January 2000 | $188.50 | $754.00 |
| January 1965 | January 2005 | $234.11 | $936.44 |
| November 1965 | November 2005 | $184.03 | $736.12 |
| December 1965 | December 1995 | $128.12 | $512.48 |
| January 1970 | January 2000 | $137.00 | $548.00 |
| June 1970 | June 2000 | $138.00 | $552.00 |
Selected months of the savings stamp sales period (May 1941 to June 1970). Source: Fiscal Data, Savings Bonds Value Files (updated November 2, 2026), redemption month November 2026; values frozen since final maturity.
The 1965 cliff is the sharpest drop. A $25 bond from November 1965 earned for 40 years and is worth $184.03; one from December 1965 earned for 30 years and is worth $128.12. Later Series E bonds, July 1970 to June 1980, follow the same rules.
How to Cash the Series E Bonds Found With a Stamp Album
Cash the Series E bonds from an album at a bank that chooses to cash savings bonds, or by mail with FS Form 1522; stamps follow 316.6(c) instead.
Banks may cash them but are not required to (FS Publication 0022, Rev. October 2022). Steps for how to cash savings bonds are in how to cash savings bonds.
By mail, send the bonds with FS Form 1522 (Rev. April 2026) to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150. Above $1,000 in total, sign before a notary or certifying officer (an authorized bank official); otherwise enclose an ID copy.
Payment is by direct deposit (FS Form 1522), and processing may take 3 months or longer for bonds in your name (TreasuryDirect, as of November 12, 2026). No deadline applies: E bonds are paid "at any time after two months from issue date" (31 CFR 315.35(c)). Treasury charges no fee, and the form is free.
Postal Savings Stamps, Postal Savings Bonds and Postal Savings Certificates
Postal Savings Stamps were the Post Office stamps that became Defense Savings Stamps in May 1941. The Postal Savings System also issued bonds and certificates of deposit, and Treasury treats the two differently. An old album or envelope can hold any of them, so check each item's printed name.
Postal Savings Bonds: Still Payable by Check
Postal Savings Bonds ($20, $100 and $500) can still be cashed by the owner, a survivor or a representative. They were discontinued on July 1, 1935, and replaced by US savings bonds. Complete the back, add IRS Form W-9 (the taxpayer identification form) and a letter with payment instructions.
Mail them to Treasury Retail Securities Services, P.O. Box 9150, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9150, or send them by courier to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, 90 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55401. Treasury pays by check (TreasuryDirect, as of November 11, 2026).
Postal Savings Certificates of Deposit: No Longer Payable
No, Postal Savings System certificates of deposit cannot be cashed. TreasuryDirect says: "These securities no longer can be cashed, so please don't send them to us." Keep them out of any envelope of bonds you mail to Treasury.
Stamps, Bonds or Certificates: Which Route Each Item in an Album Takes
An album from the savings stamp years can hold 6 kinds of items, and each takes its own route. They are stamps, Series E bonds, lost E bonds, Postal Savings Bonds, Postal Savings certificates and WWI stamps. The table adds a seventh row for a relative who died.
| Item | Status today | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Savings stamps, loose or in an album | May be redeemed (31 CFR 316.6(c)) | Bank or Treasury; no published form; call 844-284-2676 first |
| Series E bonds bought with stamps | Frozen value; no deadline | Bank that cashes savings bonds, or FS Form 1522 by mail |
| A Series E bond known but lost | Serial number needed (31 CFR 315.29(c)) | Claim with FS Form 1048 |
| Stamps or bonds of a relative who died | Survivor or estate rules apply | savings bonds after death |
| Postal Savings Bonds | Payable by check | Back of bond, W-9 and letter; P.O. Box 9150 or courier |
| Postal Savings certificates of deposit | "No longer can be cashed" | Do not send |
| WWI War Savings Stamps, Thrift Stamps | Payability not established | No published route |
Source: TreasuryDirect historical and retired bonds and cashing pages (checked November 11, 2026); 31 CFR 315.29(c) and 316.6(c).
For a deceased relative's album, heirs follow the bond rules for co-owners, beneficiaries and estates. Treasury pays only the owner or the person entitled, and Treasury charges no fee.
Savings Stamps and Other Old Savings Securities
Savings stamps sit beside four other early savings securities an owner may find: war bonds, World War I stamps, Postal Savings items and stamps that were never Treasury securities. If you found old savings bonds with the stamps, sort each item first; found old savings bonds walks through the steps.
Armed Forces Leave Bonds and Adjusted Service Bonds, two other securities from the world-war years, are covered with war bonds.
War Bonds Sold Beside War Savings Stamps
War bonds are Series E bonds sold as the Defense Savings Bond in 1941 and the War Savings Bond from 1942 to 1945. Stamps were the small-change route to them. Interest on war bonds from WWII stopped between 1981 and 1985, and war bonds from WWII covers each issue year.
World War I War Savings Stamps and Thrift Stamps
Whether World War I War Savings Stamps, Thrift Stamps and War Savings Certificates are still payable is not established by any rule Treasury publishes. 31 CFR 316.6(c) names United States Savings Stamps, the stamps sold until June 30, 1970. This guide gives no WWI prices or payment dates.
Stamps That Are Not US Savings Stamps
Three kinds of stamps share the name but are not US savings stamps and are outside this guide. They are listed below.
- UK National Savings stamps
- Canadian and Australian war savings stamps
- Retail trading stamps, such as S&H Green Stamps and Blue Chip stamps
Savings Stamps FAQ
Are War Bonds From WWII Worth Anything?
Yes; a WWII war bond is a Series E bond whose value stopped growing at final maturity between 1981 and 1985. A $25 war bond issued May 1941 to December 1945 is worth $90.59 to $117.28 in November 2026.
When Did the US Stop Selling Savings Stamps?
Sales of United States Savings Stamps ended June 30, 1970 (31 CFR 316.6(c)). The same section still allows redemption at banks, designated Federal Reserve Banks and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
How Much Did Savings Stamps Cost?
In 1941 savings stamps cost 10, 25 or 50 cents, $1 or $5 each (Treasury's 1991 savings bond history, p. 15). Later denominations are not listed in that source.
Can You Cash a Savings Bond Bought From a Collector or at an Auction?
No. TreasuryDirect warns: "Do not buy savings bonds from someone else or in an online auction site. You cannot cash them." The warning covers bonds; for stamps, Treasury has published nothing. Offers like these appear among savings bond scams.
Claiming from Treasury and from state programs costs nothing, and the forms are free. Found bonds you cannot cash, or a relative's bonds? ClaimMyBonds is a private company, not the government; we can help with the paperwork, tracing and follow-up.