The new stamps will feature the past six Idol winners (yep, that includes Taylor Hicks!) as well as the winner of this year’s competition, whoever that may be. The commemorative stamps will be released in limited-edition sets, with 100,000 20-stamp sheets for each Idol alum. The stamps will not be available in stores or U.S Postal Offices, but rather through Stamps.com (don’t worry, I had never heard of that site either).

As of May 12th, stamps will cost .42 each (that’s $8.40 per sheet for my mathematically challenged readers) but these special edition sets will run you $19.99 each. But remember, proceeds benefit Idol Gives Back.

The Kelly Clarkson set is on sale now (each sheet contains four different images) and the other 5 winners will have their sets released over the next 5 weeks. How cool would that be to shuffle through your mail and see your own face smiling back at you?? I’d send myself letters every day! That is, assuming my parents didn’t spend their life savings buying up as many sets as they could get their over-enthused little hands on.

AI exec producer Nigel Lythgoe hopes to raise about $7 million via the sale of the stamps. Lythgoe says the stamps are “a great idea, especially for philatelists. I think it's a little bit iconic, too. It's great for Idol." (Did he really use the word “philatelists”?!! Seriously?!)