Modern Die Cut And No-Die-Cut Press Sheets

I think it is official now - There will not be any Moon Press Sheet without die-cut. I echo with JLLebbert - there is a first time for everything.

I've suspected for some time now that there would not be a no-die-cut press sheet for the 'Moon' stamp. We should know positively tomorrow when the postal bulletin comes out.

The 02/18/2016 Postal Bulletin is now online and you are correct in your assumption that there will NOT be a Global Forever Moon Press Sheet WITHOUT die cuts. FWIW, the die cut press sheet is limited to a printing of 1000.

What remains to be seen is if this means an end to all without die cut press sheets. Given the extremely limited nature of the Allen, Columbia River Gorge, and Botanical Art issues that would not seem out of the question.

The following is a copy of an email that I just sent to Mark Saunders with the USPS in Washington, DC.

Hi Mark,
I noticed in the 2/18/2016 Postal Bulletin that there will not be a no-die-cut press sheet for the Global Forever 'Moon' stamp.
I'm wondering the reason for this.
Is the end of the no-die-cut program? ...or is something else going on.
Is it possible that the no-die-cut sheets will only be available for subscribers.

Thanks for you input on this matter.

Jill Ambrose

What was the total cost for a subscription to the Press Sheet Program last year for the No die cut sheets? So far this year it would be the cost would be about $300 for commemoratives with another almost $1100 for the two definitives. Does the subscription program include both the die cut and no die sheets? Can you subscribe to only the no die cut sheets?

Seems to be that only people with very deep pockets could subscribe and even dealers must have some limit to what they are willing to spend.

Glenn Estus, and others with similar concerns,



The total cost for one of each no-die-cut press sheets last year would have been $2577.20. The subscription cost would have been $200.00 cheaper because the $2.00 Patriotic Waves stamp was not included in the subscriptions.

Stamps that are priced above the Global Forever rate, currently $1.20, are not included in subscriptions. Because of that, the $2.00 Patriotic Waves stamps were not included in the subscription program last year. Also, the two definitives this year, the Priority Mail and the Express Mail stamps were not in the subscription program. They had to be ordered separately.

The subscription program can be set up for either die-cut and/or no-die-cut stamps. You can sign up for one or the other, or both. There is also the option to sign up for commemoratives only and or definitives only.

You have to be careful with the last options. As I stated in my new book on no-die-cut press sheets, the people at Stamp Fulfillment Services do not seem to know the difference between a commemorative and a definitive, and what they determine is a commemorative might be different than what we think. So, if you have a commemorative only subscription, you might actually miss out on a press sheet or two because SFS had determined that a particular sheet is a definitive and visa versa.

Another problem with the subscription program is that the press sheets are only mailed out in groups, generally 4 or 5 times a year. As of today, no one with a subscription has received any of the press sheets this year. If you want to be selective and not get all the press sheets, then you are at the mercy of the market and you will probably miss some because of early sell outs.

Yes, the cost is high to get all of the press sheets. I would guess that no more than a hundred or so collectors are collecting the full press sheets. Dealers generally can sell enough of the cut up press sheets in a timely manner to finance the purchase of future press sheets. Some collectors only want a single, a pair or a full pane, and going through a dealer is the way to accomplish that.

And last but not least, my book, which is 80 pages in color, covers the no-die-cut press sheets from July of 2012 to the end of 2015. The title is "A Guidebook and Checklist, U.S. Postal Service No-Die-Cut Stamps, 2012 to 2015." It's for sale on Amazon.com and ebay at $14.99 plus shipping. To find the book, type my name, Jill R. Ambrose, into the search bar. If you want to order directly from me and get an autographed copy, I am selling them for $11.00 plus $3.14 postage.
.

JillA - It seems I cannot send you an email - so if you can send me one tell me how to order your book from you direct. How long do I need to be a member before email is allowed?

slpslp,

I think you have to have 50 postings.

Basil

I probably can not send an email either.
Jill Ambrose
P. O. Box 54622
Cincinnati OH 45254
Thanks

On the Stamp Community Forum, the AFDCS liaison to the USPS says that the reason there was no no-die cut International Forever press sheet was due to production problems. He also says that there are about 100 subscriptions to the no-die press sheets.

Good information. There are about 100 subscriptions to the No-Die-Cut press sheets. Let's say the average press sheet per subscription is 3, and 300 press sheets will be gone immediately.

And of course, if Mystic is part of the subscriptions, and everybody is sure they are, they may get 200 press sheets right away. There is not much left for retail.

That's an interesting comment. Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me a no-die cut version of a press sheet would have less "production problems" than one with die cuts. Or maybe I just don't understand the production process of new stamp issues. In any case, it seems this is quickly becoming a catch-all explanation whenever the USPS is asked to justify their delays.

My guess is that someone forgot to pull the sheets prior to die cutting - either accidentally or on purpose - either that or the pulled sheets all got ruined by some fluke - again, who knows

Fellow Stamp Community collectors.
Below is the email that I received from Mark Saunders when I returned home a few minutes ago.
"Hi Jill,
Hope you're doing well. There will not be a non-die cut press sheet for the Moon stamp issuance. To provide the best customer service, USPS is in the process of re-evaluating our line of stamps and philatelic products. Thanks for your interest in our stamp program."

Mark Saunders