Coming soon to your neighborhood post office: a stamp that can be used eternally, even if rates are increased a dozen or more times.

The Postal Regulatory Commission recommended yesterday a new way of buying stamps -- locking in a rate to mail a first-class letter, in much the same way home buyers snag a good rate on a 30-year mortgage.

Under the plan, the first "forever stamp" would cost 41 cents. That is because the commission also proposed increasing the first-class postal rate by 2 cents. The independent commission trumpeted the hike as a victory for consumers because the Postal Service had wanted a 3-cent jump.

But the cost of mailing most packages, magazines and postcards would also rise under the commission's recommendations, which must be approved by the Postal Service's Board of Governors to take effect.

The board generally follows the commission's recommendations. The last time the board deviated from a commission recommendation on the price of a first-class stamp, for instance, was in 1980, Postal Service spokesman Mark Saunders said.

The board is expected to act early next month, and the Postal Service plans to hold a news conference this spring to unveil the image of the forever stamp, Saunders said.

The stamp could be available as early as May, when the postal-rate hikes also would take effect.

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