The Valentine Post Office in Texas has revealed its annual, official 2026 Valentine’s Day postmark, after the United States Postal Service (USPS) revealed its Love Stamps—also in time for the special day—last week, on January 13.
The 2026 Valentine’s Day Postmark
The Valentine, Texas, postmark is a decades-long tradition. It’s effectively an ink stamp that’s applied over the top of the regular postage stamp—a process known as “cancellation”—and it marks thousands of Valentines and greeting cards each year.
Most postmarks are applied using machines at postal processing centers, but special ones—such as the Valentine’s postmark—are often hand-applied to letters and cards, especially when they’re decorative or commemorative.
For example, according to the USPS, postmaster Ismelda Ornelas personally applies the Valentine’s Day postmark onto an average of between 10,000 and 12,000 envelopes every year, calling it a labor of love.
“The Valentine Post Office turns into the ‘Love Station’ around this time every year,” she said.
“I look forward to applying our unique postmark to every love letter and greeting card that comes through for delivery to that special valentine somewhere around the world.”
The 2026 Valentine’s Day Postmark Design
According to the USPS press release, the 2026 customized pictorial postmark was selected from a student art contest at Valentine Independent School District, with 11th grader Romeo Garcia named the winning artist.
The design is the view he sees when he wakes up every morning. He said he “wanted to share the landscape in my little corner of the world with others.”
The Valentine postmark artwork has been chosen annually from a local student contest since 1994, according to USPS, continuing a long-standing community tradition, supported by the Valentine Independent School District and the local post office.
How To Get The Valentine Postmark
The Valentine postmark is applied exclusively by the Valentine, Texas Post Office, and the 2026 pictorial cancellation is available through March 14, 2026, according to USPS; however, anyone can request it by mail.
To get the Valentine postmark by mail, senders will need to address and stamp each card, place them in a larger stamped envelope, and mail them to:
Love Station
Postmaster
311 W California Avenue
Valentine,
TX 79854-9998
USPS said there is no charge for up to 50 “cancellations,” with a five-cent fee for every additional cancellation above that amount.
The USPS Love Stamps
Alongside the Valentine’s Day postmark, people can also purchase the USPS 2026 Love stamps—which feature four different illustrations of stylized birds interacting with hearts—online, at Post Office locations across the nation, or from the official USPS collection on Amazon.
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