Uncut Press Sheets Without Diecuts?

Am I missing something? Why are uncut press sheets without die cuts selling out? For example, the current Lincoln..Inverted Jenny..Harry Potter. While the sheets with die cuts do not sell out. Is it dealers/speculators? Furthermore,the expense and sheer size of them makes them difficult for most collectors. Why doesn't the USPS make them available in single panes. These would be much more affordable for collectors.

The USPS doesn't care about catering to collectors. They want to raise revenue in the most effective ways possible, so Press Sheets in multiple sheet formats accomplishes that goal.

The "without die cut" variants are desirable to collectors because of the ability to cut out gutter panes and blocks in any number of desirable formats and also to create "imperforate" examples of the stamps. Stamps from Press Sheets "with die cuts", if separated, do not look any different from a stamp taken from a conventional pane of the same issue, so collectibility is not in as high of a demand.

As for the Lincoln "without die cuts" Press Sheet selling out, it's not surprising at all given that the number printed was lower than normal (1000) as compared to most Press Sheets that are printed in quantities of 2500, the denomination is low (21c), the format is relatively small for a Press Sheet (1x3) and so is the cost ($12.60).

Since there were only 1000 Press Sheets available "without die cuts", that means that only 60,000 imperforate stamps are possible (possible, that is, only if everyone who bought them chooses to cut them apart). Compare that to the overall print run of 120 million stamps in pane format, and one can quickly see that the imperforate variety will become much more desirable because of the limited number available on the secondary market.

anyone know how many of the USS Arizona No Die Cut press sheets will be issued?

I dropped both USPS media contacts an email but haven't received a reply yet.

My hope is that it will be announced with the stamp on its first day of issue here:
http://about.usps.com/news/national.../welcome.htm

My gut feel is 500 press sheets each given the price.

Thanks,
Early today No One at USPS could help ... only 3 million stamps for this(first printing) and my thought was along with yours.

any ideas on how the stamping collecting world will price the No Die Cut stamps? Mint / Used / Cover

This post is going to get (Andy) azpastuzak's attention I bet? lol

:-)

I bought all the imperfs the first year they came out and then I gave up. Then I gave up. Since Scott refuses to catalog them, I would use eBay as your guide to their value.

Another thought....


Dear USPS,

Please remove the word "Forever" from the uncut press sheets. They then become Cinderellas. You have stated over and over again that uncut press sheets are not geared towards stamp collectors. So, stop making them stamps.

Sincerely,

Andy

I thought I'd pass this along. According to the USPS, the Lincoln press sheet (w/o die cuts) is not sold out, but is placed on hold. My guess is that, because of the low press run, the inventory is depleting fast and some stock has to be preserved for exchanges, etc. It is possible that it may become available for sale again at some time in the future without notice and without listing on the USPS's ebay or websites. You just have to be on the watch.

By the way, the same thing happened with the Fine Art In America press sheet (w/o die cuts). It disappeared fairly quickly on the websites not long after its issuance. But in fact it briefly became available again for sale a couple of months later. I bought mine during that window.

I venture to guess the USS Arizona Press Sheets will be on their website for a L-O-N-G time! I don't know of anyone who has almost $600 to put out for a Press Sheet. In fact, Linn's Stamp News made an interesting analogy that one could buy two of those Press Sheets (one with die cuts and one without) for roughly the cost of airfare to travel from the US Mainland to Honolulu, Hawaii for the FDOI ceremony! Now THAT puts it into perspective!

http://linns.com/news/us-stamps/237...s-eliminated

Interesting...I just checked the USPS Store's website this AM (03/01/2014) and lo and behold the Lincoln (without die cut) Press Sheet has returned as being "available"...how long it will stay that way is anybody's guess:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse...tPressSheets

Phoned in for 2 sheets and they are indeed on hold. Not sure wetehr hold is just wait until they find them or just wait for an aplogy they are out of stock. The order went through and agent said that hold means they will be delivered so we will see. I'm rather shocked at just 1000 availiable and the low cost these were not sold out in a very short time. a few dealers could have easily corned this one without to much investment.

While true, all you get from a trip to Hawaii are memories, which inevitably will fade over time. In contrast, the face value of a USS Arizona press sheet lasts forever.

Given its price, clearly few sheets will be sold right now. However, I think that will actually enhance the collectible value of these sheets. I'd guess that, in 10 years time, this will be one of the rarest press sheets ever issued by the USPS.

You're probably right, given the face value of the item. However, in my opinion, few will wind up keeping Press Sheets of this issue to retain in their original state, especially since they are difficult to store and there is no selvage design/printing to make them desirable to keep in that way. I think most who do buy them will wind up cutting them into more manageable blocks or gutter pairs and sell them off that way. Most collectors would probably be satisfied to pay a small premium for a "without die cut" block or gutter pair as an addition to their collection at a pricetag much less than to have to buy the entire Press Sheet.

Although nothing has been formally said about it, my guess is that this is a "test market" gimmick by the USPS to see just how much collectors are willing to pay for such items. I also think that the USPS has be ever so careful, as the "completist" Press Sheet collector may balk at this issue given it's pricetag and abandon that collecting discipline as a result, which could impact future Press Sheet sales. That leaves it to the dealer/speculator with the available resources that are likely to be the primary buyers who will acquire the Press Sheets in an attempt to re-sell them at a profit.

And since we still don't have an announced quantity of just how many of these Press Sheets are going to hit the market, whether it be 100 or 1500, that, too, will determine just how scarce they will be on the secondary market.

To bad there is no way to keep track on what gets chopped VS saved whole on any such issues. If the total QTY is even 1000 and at the 19.99 face per stamp easily 50% will get chopped. Having 1 of 500 for any US item should be a better than bank rate return on the investment. Postally used multiples from these sheets should skyrocket as long as they are used to send something big/heavy enough but very hard to prove they were properly used. I'd imagine the 10-20yr return could fair pretty good if an act of God or Mother nature doesn't take them out.