Ux38 Uncut Sheet Of Four

Sifting through some unrelated material this uncut sheet of postal cards resurfaced. I don't usually collect this kind of thing, but I think I kept it because I'd never seen such a thing before and it raised some questions.

Did the Post Office sell postcards in uncut sheets like this directly to the public? Were they printed in larger sheets? Are they listed in any catalogs?



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Hi, I do not know very much about post cards such as yours, might be helpful if you identify them as a starting place.

How about a reverse scan?

Stampmaster

Your block of 4 of UX38 was originally sold singly and in sheets of 40 (4 x 10).

These large format multiples are mentioned in the UPSS Postal Card Catalog, but they are not given a catalog number nor are they valued.

I would add that there were many folks who 'creatively' cut these apart to form unusual cards. Cards with odd formats are not errors and do should not command higher prices.
Don

They were sold in sheets so that advertisements could be printed on the reverse or an address printed on the front so that the card could be used as a reply card. A good example of this is Scott UX47 which only exists with an advertisement on the reverse and many with a printed address.

Cards with odd formats are not considered errors when the cards were sold to the public in full sheets. When they were never sold in sheet form to the public they are considered to be cutting errors and many are noted and priced in the UPSS catalogue.

Good information -- thanks everyone! Now I need to hunt up that catalog.

After posting, I did a little searching on ebay and found some of those "cutting errors" mentioned here. Looks like a number of cards were issued in sheet form, starting in the 1950s. Someone shady is always out to make a buck...

Is there a time frame the card were sold in sheets, and were all card issues during this time frame sold as sheets?

"Is there a time frame the card were sold in sheets"

Pretty much from the beginning.

"were all card issues during this time frame sold as sheets?"

Without doing a detailed study of the catalog, I would guess that generally "definitives" were and commemoratives weren't. I'm sure many counter examples exist.

Due to the business nature of pre-printed postal cards, it is reasonable to assume that there was at least one issue available at any given time that was sold in sheets. And the subject matter of those available would be neutral (think flag stamps).

I agree fully with ThomasGalloway's assessment of use/availability.

The primary purchaser original of these card sheets would be print shops who had the equipment to print/cut the sheets for mailings by the end users.

It would be useful if the Scott Specialized catalog noted which cards were available in sheets.

Here are some sheets:
UX27, certainly the workhorse card of its era, sheet of 40 with Guthrie, Oklahoma roller cancel.



UX42, sheet of 20 with the press-printed revaluing



UX120 sheet of 40 with 40 different handstamps from c1989. This card being the "definitive" workhorse card of its era. (Behind glass in a frame so a bit of light reflection.)

@JOHN BECKER, nice display, is there anything of interest on reverse side of each one?

Stampmaster

I would bet the backs are blank, like my sheet of four. Really interesting to see these massive sheets -- thanks for posting!

A question about the UX27 sheet with the roller cancel. Was this essentially precancelled before the back printing and addressing?

The reverse sides are all blank. I suspect the Guthrie, OK roller is a favor cancel to a collector, but do not know for certain.

I bought the 15 cent sheet over the counter of the main Indianapolis PO c1988. They had to go to the vault to get it.