MDi Booklets

Anyone here collects MDI booklets? Does anyone know exactly how many of them (counting all the varieties) are produced? Scott does not seem to have a complete list and I couldn't find an authoritative source for this info. It seems there must be thousands of them.

I think I have all the distinctive ones, but not all the varieties of each.

I am into them. My favorite is the $9.60 Midnigh Angels with one stamp removed to make 15 stamps on the panes instead of the panes that have the Reorder label. They removed them from many different positions (plus there are both panes in sections of 6-6-4 and panes in sections of 4-6-6) and when you consider the top pane and the bottom pane, there are lots of different combinations.

The United States Stamp Society publishes a checklist called the Folded-Style Booklet Checklist and it includes the MDI's in all their variety (that part of the checklist is over 20 pages).

How may depends on exactly what you consider a variety to be. Even this checklist omits a few, like some of the Pink Rose booklets come in both a solid tagging version and a grainy tagging version.

Many thanks for the info, eyeonwall. I'll look up the checklist you mentioned. Out of curiosity, how many MDI booklets do you have in total (counting all the varieties)?

I have both the 15- and 30-stamp Midnight Angels (also Pink Rose and Love Cherubs for that matter) booklets in my collection, but all my MDI booklets are unopened. So it's impossible to tell at what positions stamps have been removed.

I don't collect these things, but I must admit I was a bit taken back by the term "MDI Booklets" as I don't recall hearing much about them. However, I did find this report on them dating back to 2006 that might be interesting reading for those unfamiliar with this collecting discipline:

http://www.nwpl.org/PDF/Newsletters/2006-09-BR.pdf

Good article. Thanks. There is however a slight error in the write-up. Since MDI booklets come in 30 stamps varieties, there is at least one additional cover (Type II with 30 stamps). I don't know whether Type I 30 stamps covers are ever produced (I don't have any in my collection).

All BK178E booklets have type I 30 stamp covers. There are 3 varieties: Item #3610 sticker, Item #3610X sticker, Item #3610 sticker on top of Item #3610X sticker.

The booklets in my collection are also unopened. It is indeed possible to tell what positions are inside - by carefully bowing open the sides - by bowing I mean making it go from looking like || to looking like () from the side - and by carefully I mean don't bow it open too far because the front cover likes to crease next to the lower right corner of the window or next to the upper left corner of the window . ID'ing the the stamp removed positions or he reorder label positions isn't that difficult. ID'ing the liner types on the Pink Rose, Cherub and Flag over Porch, and ID'ing the positions on the water activated gum books is much harder.

For the Midnight Angel booklets with the stamp removed, positions 4 and 14 are the most common (especially as the top pane), followed by positions 1 and 16. Positions 2 and 3 are less common, positions 13 and 15 are even less common and positions 5 and 6 are very tough to find (positions 7 to 12 are unreported). If you then consider that the panes can be configured in sections of 6-6-4 (type E) or in sections of 4-6-6 (type F), then you can have an E-1 or an F-1 etc. And then you have all the combinations of top and bottom panes like E-14/F-1 etc. Throw in the fact that the bottom pane can be glue in a "normal" or "inverted" orietation (defined by whether the section with the missing stamp is rightside up or upside down) and you get even more variations.