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 Replies: 12 / Views: 3,513 |
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Valued Member
United States
42 Posts |
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Pillar Of The Community
United States
1847 Posts |
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Billions of these were printed, and millions were hoarded, so like your other mint example in another post, people usually buy these at 80% of face value or thereabouts and use them for postage. A dealer will pay at most 30% to 40% of face value. Face value is $11.60 and there are many of these available on ebay for $10-$12. |
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Valued Member
United States
120 Posts |
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Two facts I heard about the Elvis stamp: 1. A PO clerk once told me that less than 20% of the Elvis stamps were used for postage. The rest were hoarded by people sure that they will become extremely valuable in the future (Just like the 'colorized' state quarters). I do not know if that is a fact, or if the 20% number is just an guestimation by the PO clerk.
2. I heard on the news shortly after the stamp was issued that people were mailing letters to non-existent addresses so that they would be returned marked: "Return To Sender" (The title of an Elvis song for those of you who don't know). The PO got so many of these that they announced that they would no longer return them to sender. |
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Pillar Of The Community
3859 Posts |
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Some are unaware that a booklet version of this stamp was issued which was identical except that it has Elvis Presley on it rather than Elvis. Was the booklet issued in a smaller quantity? |
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Valued Member
United States
120 Posts |
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The "Elvis" sheet has only Elvis stamps, but the "Elvis Presley" booklets and sheets are the "Rock-n-Roll and R&B Singers" issues, and also include Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Bill Haley, Dinah Washington, Otis Redding and Clyde McPhatter.
Another interesting bit of trivia about the Elvis stamp: Before its release, the USPS previewed two designs for the stamp - the 'younger' Elvis (the one on the stamp) and the 'older' Elvis, picturing him in his white, sequined Las Vegas jumpsuit with the mutton-chop sideburns and bloated face. People were asked to vote (I don't recall how, probably write-in) and the 'younger' Elvis design won by an overwhelming margin. |
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Valued Member
United Kingdom
36 Posts |
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People were alowed to vote using a card, that had the two stamp pictures young Elvis at the top and old Elvis at the bottom. Both pictures were in black and white and a small box at the side of each picture to tick. I did not know this, until last week when I bought one of the voting cards unused off an ebay seller. Paid a couple of pounds for it. Should have bought two really one for the back of my stamp album and one to go in my collection as I have been an Elvis fan sinced aged severn years old in 1961. |
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Bedrock Of The Community
United States
12128 Posts |
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Quote:
Some are unaware that a booklet version of this stamp was issued which was identical except that it has Elvis Presley on it rather than Elvis. Was the booklet issued in a smaller quantity? Actually there were three varieties of the 1993 Elvis stamp. According to my catalog the 1993 Elvis stamp (Scott 2721) which featured his image alone, was issued in a quantity of 517 million; there was also a version with Elvis coupled with other "Rock & Roll/R&B singers (Scott 2724, part of Scott 2724-2730) issued in a quantity of 14 million; and the "booklet version" with Elvis, again featured along with other R&R/R&B singers (Scott 2731, part of Scott 2731-37) was issued in a quantity of 99 million. Examples are shown below: Scott 2721:  Scott 2724 (part of Scott 2724-30):  And the Booklet, Scott 2731 (part of Scott 2731-37):   |
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Valued Member
United States
120 Posts |
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I recall now seeing a photo of that card in the newspaper. I wish I had gone to the Post Office and picked up a stack of them if they are selling for £2 now. What is that in US dollars, around $5?
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Bedrock Of The Community
United States
12128 Posts |
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Current rate of exchange puts £2 (UK) equal to approximately $3.10 (USD). Here's a link to a dated article (2003) about the Elvis postcard suggesting that at the time the cards were extremely common, as ballots were even bound into an issue of People Magazine: Quote:The Web site www.linns.com has a Michael Baadke article that notes that the Elvis stamp was the first time the public was allowed to vote on the design of a stamp. Ballots were available at post offices, and a ballot was bound into the April 13, 1993, issue of People magazine. Choice "A," the younger Elvis, appeared on the Elvis stamp issued on Jan. 8, 1993. How scarce are the Elvis Stamp vote ballot postcards? Not as scarce as you might think. Once again, thanks to E-bay, it is possible to state emphatically that (1) the survival rate of Elvis stamp vote ballot postcards is extremely high and (2) the market is flooded. In a 15-day period at the end of November, 12 lots of Elvis stamp vote ballot postcards were offered for sale. One card sold for $5 and another for $2. A lot of 12 cards only brought $5. All the remaining lots failed to sell. Requested opening bids ranged from $1 to $5.99. http://articles.mcall.com/2003-12-0...tcard-issuedOf course, fast forward to the present day and a quick look at E-bay suggests that the cards are offered with far ranging asking prices from $1.50 up to $99.00 (all with no bids). I only found one "sold" lot of 5 postcards that actually did sell for $1.50 (USD), which comes out to about 30 cents apiece. |
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| Edited by wt1 - 07/11/2015 07:29 am |
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Valued Member
United States
120 Posts |
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$99 for a ballot card? Must be the same person who listed a full sheet of the Elvis stamp with a starting bid of $50. ZERO bids, imagine that. |
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
6525 Posts |
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I read recently that the illustrator who won the Elvis competition received $3000 in prize money, while the Post Office went on to make millions (I question that amount) in sales. |
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Pillar Of The Community
571 Posts |
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Elvis photos are on stamps from different countries. For example, St. Vincent 874-7 has 8 in a lot. All of them for $5dominations of value with his photographs on them and his signatures. Best thing about these stamps, I was humming to myself one of his songs because no music at the stamp show, and opened a stamp stock book and found them! I said oh, I have to get them now! Elvis heard me humming his famous song! I had the collectors near me laughing..smiles |
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Pillar Of The Community
Australia
554 Posts |
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There is one Elvis stamp, & one Elvis label by the Polish engraver Czeslaw Slania Sweden 2004. This is the 509th & last stamp that Slania engraved for Sweden. It was engraved in collaboration with his protege Peter Naszarkowski.  Throughout his life Slania engraved a number of labels featuring famous personalities. They were printed in limited quantities, typically 100-200 so are eagerly sought after & hence quite pricey. This is the one he did for Elvis  |
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Replies: 12 / Views: 3,513 |
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Posted 06/27/2015 5:33 pm
