Modern Die Cut And No-Die-Cut Press Sheets

The Moon global forever stamps are now available on usps.com. The press sheets with die-cuts are available from KC via phone. The press sheets without die-cuts are NOT available. This is as of Friday, 02/12 at 11:30AM CST.

I called Kansas City this morning at 8:04 am to preorder the 'Moon' press sheets.
They took my order for the die-cut version - #589206.
I then tried to order the no-die-cut version - #589208. The clerk told me that the no-die-cut version was not available (yet).
T then asked that she complete the order with the die cut version, but the system would not take the order because they were still not available.
I'll try again later today and see what happens.

At 12:55 this afternoon, I was told by the order taker at Kansas City that the die-cut 'Global Moon' press sheet was sold out.
He also told me that the no-die-cut order number was invalid.
It's beginning to look like there will be no no-die-cut press sheet.

Is it possible that no imperf press sheets were planned for this issue? Given the USPS history, it seems highly unlikely.
But one possible scenario has not yet been mentioned. The press sheet quantities have not yet been published. Perhaps the USPS, realizing that they have badly underestimated the popularity of the no-die-cut moon stamp, is now scurrying around trying to produce more of them. I know, probably a forlorn hope. But it would seem that it is all we have left.
One can only hope that the USPS, at some future point, becomes better able to estimate how many press sheets is "too many". And they had better do it soon or I, for one, will lose my patience & forgo future imperf issues. Then it won't matter how many sheets they print.

I spoke with Customer Services in Kansas City at 1:30 pm and they told me that the issue was not sold out, rather it was just not available for sale yet at this time. It will be placed on sale at a time before the issue date of February 22, although they could not/would not specify the date.

The customer service rep told me that it will be included in the press sheet subscription program.

JLLebbert,



From what I got out of my discussion with Customer Service today, there will be press sheets for the 'Moon' issue.

No one that I spoke with would give me a total number available. Hopefully, the Postal Bulletin next week will have totals listed.

It is unlikely that the postal service will get any more than what they have now, because most stamps are printed at least 3 months or more before the first day of issue.

The customer service rep also stated that it is very possible that anyone who started a subscription after January 1, 20146 may not get the current press sheets because of the small quantity that was set aside for subscriptions.

I think that the USPS should realize by now that the quantities available are not enough to satisfy the subscribers and then others who want a press sheet. If they were to add just the number of rejection letters they sent out for the Botanical Arts, it would be a start to satisfying those who want to buy press sheets

I agree that if nothing is done, many people will lose interest and quit collecting the press sheets.

It is being reported on the other SCF that there will not be any no die cut press sheets, just die cut press sheets.

eyeonwall, what is the other SCF?

Peter

Stamp Collecting Forum (the old VSC)
eyeonwall: The order number for press sheets with die-cuts is valid, even if you can't order them yet. At least this is what I've been told over the phone. I find it difficult to believe that the USPS would market die-cut press sheets without also offering imperf ones. It has happened the other way around on a few occasions, to be sure. But in my memory, since the USPS started offering imperf press sheets, there's never been an instance in which die-cut sheets were offered without imperf sheets also being available. The other problem being experienced is that different stories appear to be offered up on different calls to order press sheets. We probably won't know for certain until either the stamps appear in the next postal bulletin or they actually show up for sale.

Thank you,

Peter

Well, here we go! I just saw the first no-die cut Botanical Art booklet on sale on E-Bay. $50.00 and he's got four of them. Wonder how high this will go!

Peter

Petert4522: I am the seller of those $50.00 Botanical Art booklets. If you do a search for other such listings you will note that most of them are $70.00 or higher. I cut the press sheet that I received into 8 booklets: 2 for my collection and 2 which will be used for singles on first day covers (FDCs) with digital color postmarks (DCPs). What price do you think I should have placed on the booklets? Or, if you were in a similar situation, what price would you have placed on the booklets?

Most of the Botanical Art booklets have been listed on eBay for at least 2 weeks so you're a little late to the game if my listing was the first that you have seen.

I just finished reading my latest edition of Linn's Stamp News (February 29, 2016) and notice that the full press sheet is touted in the Stamp Market Tips Column.

UPDATE The four no die cut booklets sold for $50.00 each to a dealer soon after I listed them on eBay.

I remember having the opportunity to purchase a Civil War 1865 imperf pane last year for $50. Too expensive I thought ... they will come down. Now, a year later, Mystic is selling them for $99. Still too expensive, so I live without. But I know someone who bought 2 of them for $84. That's $42 per pane. At the time, I never dreamed that I would come to consider it a bargain price.
If you compare the quantities of last year's Civil War pane to this year's Botanical Art booklets, you might be surprised. There were 6*1000 CW panes ... i.e., 6000. There are 8*350 BA booklets ... i.e., 2600. So the BA booklet should be 2.3 times rarer than the CW pane. When you consider the number of different stamps, the comparison is even more dramatic. 6*6000 = 36000 pairs of CW stamps compared to 2*2600 = 5200 blocks of BA stamps, making a BA block almost 7 times as rare as a CW pair. When you consider that the BA stamps are actually distributed as blocks of 8 & 12 in a double-sided booklet rather than 2 blocks of 10, it seems highly unlikely that anyone would be selling these in format other than complete booklets. So the true factor would be even greater in favor of the BA block.
My point in all of this ... I think Mr. Estus price is not only quite fair but could well prove to be a future bargain. After all, just remember the Civil War!

JL - I understand what you are saying, but that is what someone reported being told over the phone. We shall see.

Peter - Glenn is right, they have been going for $70-75 from what I have seen (and I've been told of a $75 price in a Linn's ad too - haven't seen thar issue yet).

Thanks for all the updates - can I be privy to how you found out so early about the press sheets - esp the item numbers and mintage???
I could not find any press release info on the USPS website for this latest issue - if it is there it is very well hidden :-(