2014 USPS Issues... News? Thoughts? Opinions?

Personally, I prefer the Heston stamp, although I would guess I'll be in the minority.

Linn's Stamp News has provided the image of the upcoming Tree Forever Stamped Card:

http://linns.com/news/breaking-stam...ard-March-28

I didn't know the 2012 Wave of Color stamps were not really engraved but only simulated to appear so.

Today (03/04/2014), USPS Facebook has officially announced the upcoming Tree Stamped Card, too:

https://www.facebook.com/USPSStamps...pe=1&theater

According to this USPS Postal Bulletin they were all printed
by a combination of intaglio/offset.
But for some reason the $1 and $2 printed on a Stevens, Vari-Size Security press by Ashton Potter do not list an
intaglio colour whereas the $5 and $10 printed by Banknote Corp. of America do show one each intaglio colour.

http://about.usps.com/postal-bullet...info_010.htm

Latest 2014 Stamp schedule:
http://about.usps.com/postal-bullet...info_012.htm

any ides what the problem in K City with the press sheet?

It's interesting to note that the USPS has apparently released the image of the Jimi Hendrix stamp to the media, even though they previously said they wouldn't "unveil" the stamp until the the first day of issue.

Here's the news article (note they credit the source of the stamp image to the USPS):

http://news92fm.com/419027/usps-hon...imi-hendrix/

No images (yet) but Linn's Stamp News is now reporting that a pane of 16 different stamps featuring Vintage Circus Stamp Posters will be issued in April 2014:

http://www.linns.com/news/breaking-...mps-in-April

It had been rumored such a set of stamps were to be issued in June but since the "leak" didn't include them I thought it was scrapped...so much for the "leak"

A short history of the circus:
http://www.circopedia.org/SHORT_HIS...F_THE_CIRCUS

Looks like this is going to be another record year on how much we will spend from USPS to get all 2014 issues. So many different coils,
booklets, special panes, commemoratives,special services, definitaves, etc. $308.40 thru March to purchase mimium quanity even with standing stamp subscription order plus S&H. At least we can use them for postage unlike the United Nations.

Much to the chagrin of the USPS (or so I imagine) it would seem this ebay seller is someone who has bought the Jimi Hendrix Stamp early and well before its first day of issue. At least it documents the appearance of the "record album sleeve" portion of the pane of stamps, which up to this point has not been officially unveiled:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JIMI-HENDRI...em43c6c9dd5b

Noticed a stamp newspaper editor is complaining about the $19.99 USS Arizona Memorial Press sheet price. What does he expect? The stamps are $19.99 each -that is the price for that sort of special postal service, there are 10 stamps to a pane if someone needs a pane, 10 @ $19.99 = $199.90. There are only 3 panes to an uncut sheet, 30 $19.99 = $599.70. Does he expect a discount? Sure they may not be that many willing or can afford to invest almost $600 in an uncut sheet that is why they only printed 500. I bet when many of those sheets end up being cut up into Imperfs and resold at three times markup there will be no complaints. I don't collect modern Imperfs but there are many who do and I am sure they will welcome a piece of uncut sheet and some a whole uncut sheet.

I think a lot has to do with the lack of consistency on the part of the USPS.

Never in the past did the USPS ever consider a Press Sheet for a stamp valued at almost $20 apiece; they simply overlooked Press Sheets for such issues. Now that the USPS is apparently issuing them, they are very inconsistent, as they are NOT issuing Press Sheets for the $5.60 Verrazano Narrows Bridge Stamp, for example. If it were available for one high value issue, why not the other? Such inconsistency serves to lose potential Press Sheet collectors, especially those who seek out "complete" sets for any given series of stamps.

It seems to me the USPS should make Press Sheets available for all issues, not just the select ones that the USPS chooses to create and/or thinks they can make a profit on.

As I suggested in a previous post, I think this may have simply been a USPS test market of just how much the stamp collecting community is willing to pay for these sort of things. If we collectors continue to purchase them, the USPS will print more; if we stop purchasing them, the USPS will realize they cannot get away with putting things like this on the market in the first place.

I understand your point and now that of the editor. Thank you for making it clearer. As state before, I do not collect imperfs. If you remember back around 1935,imperfs were issued by Postmaster General Farley as imperforate sheets for the benefit of President Roosevelt's political croonies, the issue was made available to the general collecting public following a congressional outcry and accompanying oversite investigations. Do you think things have changed that much today? To me they are collector labels and generally will never see the face of an envelope therfore I personally don't see them as stamps even though they are called
by that name. But a collector can collect whatever he/she wants.
So far, thankfully Scott's The National Postage Stamp Album has not included them in its annual supplements.