Cutting Up Uncut Press Sheets?

I am seriously looking at buying some imperf sheets with the idea of cutting them up into 12 complete mini sheet or souvenir sheet that they carry.

They are limited issues and numbered but are at a good price to sell on.

Could you cut up a sheet like this?

For my collection NO I would not cut it up.
But if its for resale I have no problems doing it .

I assume you are talking about Press sheets?
If so, then I have no problem cutting them up, and did so in order that fellow collectors here and elsewhere could benefit during the 'London 2010' Exhibitions.

Just keep some good spare blades handy and don't use scissors !

Londonbus1







Londonbus1

Thank you for the replies.

LB: I have a quality guillotine that cuts thin paper neat as. Thanks for the great detail of the cutting up process.

The sheets I am looking at are a lot easier to cut up compared to what you had to deal with.

Now I can remember you doing all that work for SCF people.

I have never heard of press sheets before LB.




The question is should I change the title to this thread?

What do Canada & USA people call these sheets etc?

In Canada it would be a, uncut press sheet.

Thanks irishjack.

Title to this thread has been changed.

Terminology is such a wonderful thing. Especially the Philatelic kind.
Press sheet is the term used in the UK and, I believe, in the USA too. Using the word 'Uncut' merely confirms what they are. By nature of what they, Press sheets ARE uncut.
But both are correct, it's just the use of words.

I love it.

Londonbus1

The US Postal Service defines these as "Uncut Press Sheets with Die Cuts" and "Uncut Press Sheets without Die Cuts", the latter being the imperforate variety.

All they (the USPS) are really doing is marketing to collectors Uncut Press Sheets before they hit the perforating machine.

Personally, I don't collect Uncut Press Sheets of either variety because they are just too expensive to purchase and in most cases are too bulky to store properly. Depending on their configuration, some can cost well over $100 each, and now that the US Postal Service has included definitive issues as part of their Uncut Press Sheet offerings (both with and without die cuts) and the Scott Catalog has (thus far) refused to list them as varieties, I don't feel they are really worth collecting.

With only a limited few exceptions (such as the Major League Baseball Press Sheets), they rarely sell out on the USPS website even though they are printed in relatively small quantities, which suggests to me that the demand for them is not as great as they might lead us to think.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say just do it. They was intentionally made so next to no collector value so "Cop-chop" or "hack & slash" I say! I.M.O. they are all just gimmicks to get stamp collectors to buy more junk that will just sit in a box, probably until we die and then someone will just pop up on a stamp board thinking they have hit the lottery only to be disappointed, say a bunch of rude stuff and never to be heard from again. You'll probably find them on ebay with a Million dollar price tag or similar number...I think the release of the on purpose uncut press sheets were a terrible idea to begin with. Just another way of milking the collector if you ask me. But-you didn't so, I'll step down from my soap box now and apologize to the collectors of these as I meant no no disrespect toward you.

Canada Post calls them "Uncut Press Sheets". The current one for sale is the 2013 Year of the Snake selling for $29.95 which has 12 individual souvenir sheets. The number issued is 15,000.
These sheets are normally large and are shipped in a cardboard tube. Most collectors probably don't even look at the sheet because of potential damage to the edges when unrolled. They could be framed at an extra expense but most sit in a corner of the closet.
I have cut mine up for sale on ebay normally with a starting bid of my cost. There isn't a lot of interest and normally don't have a lot of action. In fact CP is selling previous sheets at a discount in their latest "Details" magazine.
So by cutting them up into vertical or horizontal pairs (normally are sheets of 12 S/S) they can be put into an album and at least seen.

The Press sheets issued by Royal Mail are also not popular, and are never sold out even though they were issued in small quantities.

The sheet I showed [above] was a special issue of 2010 copies and it did not sell out before the withdrawal date even though it was the first Stamp/sheet printed Tete-Beche since the 1955-58 Wilding Booklet panes.

But those who took the time to cut the sheet up and re-sell made some nice money selling a T-B pair !

Londonbus1

It does look like these press sheets are far more attractive to collectors cut up as they were first designed to be.

Collectors can get a M/S or S/S out of the press sheet that will fit their collection book.

No wonder these press sheet are so unattractive to buyers. They are so big and bulky to store. It looks like collectors do not want to take the risk of destroying part of a press sheet by wrongly cutting the sheet up. One slip and it becomes very expensive.

This has been a very interesting learning curve!

I don't care for them myself. I did purchase 5 sheets of the Titanic sheet. I bought 3 one for myself, 1 to frame and the 3rd as a gift, then the news of the error came out I picked 2 more up. The Titanic sheet does have some nice art work.

Won 2 press sheets at auction this week that had a reduced res at my request after them failing to sell in the last 2 auctions before this one. Now it will be interesting to see how they sell cut up.

Asking for reduced res prices is getting me some cheaper prices much to my surprise.

I am looking hard at after auction lots. Then doing my figures and offering a price with a reason why they should sell it to me for much less than res.

My point is, push and poke a little. Just do not except 75% as res and talk to them about cutting there buyer fees. It is working for me. I do not see that this should be a secret. Good Luck!