Nancy Reagan was First Lady from 1981 to 1989, and is honoured on a US commemorative Forever stamp bearing a portrait.
Commemorative portraits are issued for a reason rather than for likeness, so it is worth knowing what this one is recognising.
The "Just Say No" campaign
Her most publicly identified work. Through the 1980s she travelled to schools and community centres campaigning against drug use among young people, and the slogan became one of the most widely recognised public health messages of the decade.
It remains a debated campaign — its effectiveness has been assessed differently by different researchers — but its reach is not in question, and it is the initiative most closely attached to her name.
Alzheimer's advocacy
After Ronald Reagan's diagnosis, she became a prominent advocate for Alzheimer's research and for the families of people living with it.
This is arguably the more consequential part of her public work. Speaking openly about the disease at a point when it was rarely discussed did measurable work in reducing the stigma around it, and in directing attention to the burden carried by caregivers.
The diplomatic role
She was a visible presence through the closing years of the Cold War, in a role that is largely informal and largely unrecorded — the social and personal side of diplomacy, which does not appear in treaties but does affect how the people negotiating them regard each other.
Style
Her clothing was closely followed and widely copied, and the association between the office of First Lady and fashion coverage was reinforced considerably during her tenure. Whether that is a legacy or a consequence is a matter of view, but it is part of why the portrait is recognisable.
Best deals on Forever stamps
Commemorative portrait issues print once. Once they leave the official store they exist only on the secondary market — which is where retired issues of this kind are found, and they remain valid postage regardless of issue year.
Where to buy
The USPS official store carries current commemoratives; a verified surplus channel such as Forever Stamp Center is where retired portrait issues turn up. Philatelic shows and established dealers are the other route, generally at collector rather than postage prices.
On any marketplace, check the seller's record before buying — commemorative portraits attract counterfeits precisely because buyers want a specific design and are less price-sensitive about it.
The short version
The stamp commemorates a First Lady whose public work spanned an anti-drug campaign, Alzheimer's advocacy and an informal diplomatic role. Like all commemoratives it was printed once, it is still usable postage, and it is now a secondary-market item.
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