Scott 4858 - 34-Cent Hummingbird Coil - New Plate Number

Linn's Stamp News Monday Morning News Video for 05/12/2014 is reporting that a new plate number (P22222) is now being found on Scott #4858 (34-cent Hummingbird Coils) because of a change in paper type. All other production issues, including taggant, remain unchanged even though brighteners in the paper make it look different under UV light.

Reportedly, the Scott Catalog will not make it a separate listing in the catalog.

If you want to view the video for yourself, it's available at (1:26) at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_DM...Le-E_72TWMLQ

More here:

http://linns.com/news/us-stamps/480...ingbird-coil

Different paper, different stamp (in my not so humble opinion). Great info, thanks wt1.

Agreed ... if the stamp looks different under short UV, I want to collect it. My thanks to wt1 too!

Would the different plate number ( which is on the stamp ) make it collectible to start with? It seems to me that a stamp with plate # 1 and a stamp without a plate number already would be face different?

Peter

Yes, there are plate number collectors who would be interested due to the new plate #. I'm only interested because the tagging on the two printings appears different. Since the difference is actually due to the brighteners in the paper rather than the taggant itself, Scott doesn't recognize them as different & won't assign them separate catalogue numbers. Nevertheless, there are those who will consider it a collectible variety.

There are those of us who think the P22222 printing is overall tagged (as well as having hi-brite paper) as opposed to prephos paper for the P11111, and thus there is a difference in the tagging method despite what Linn's says.

Just note that the Linn's article is merely quoting the USPS spokesman about the tagging issue. Collectors may collect what they like, I guess the USPS merely feels the described changes fits within the scope of their contract with the outside supplier (in this case, Ashton Potter (APU)).

Thanks for the info! Will definitely be looking for these stamps.