Best Way To Collect Annual Stamps From Post Office

Hi there. I am just getting back into stamp collecting and trying to figure out the best way to collect the stamps that come out each year. I usually only collect single stamps. I know the post office sells the annual sets but I know that's not all the ones that come out each year. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi stampsinnj, and welcome to the forum. One way is to get them from a stamp dealer. There may be one in your area.
In case there is not you can always get them from a mail order dealer like Mystic or Kenmore. Good luck and happy stamping!


Peter

StampsinNJ,

I have Mystic albums and wait until the new supplement comes out so I'll know what stamps to get. If you don't wait. you may purchase a full sheet when only one stamp will be required. The only exceptions for me are the Priority mails and the ducks which I buy right away at the post office since I know they will be required. I use the Fulfillment Center or the post office for sheets once I know which ones will be required.

Jack Kelley

StampinNJ

I have that same dilemma each year. What I do is look at the sheet the post office has of a stamp, if it doesn't have a header then I find that my album will only need one stamp. I buy express, priority, 2nd ounce, 3 ounce and international stamp. This helped me save some money this year. Last year I didn't do this and was spending twice face value buying on internet.

If you are buying new issues, the best place to get them is the online USPS store: https://store.usps.com/store/home. For some sheets you can buy just a block of four. Higher value stamps can be purchased as singles.

You are going to pay a significant premium from online sellers for recent US stamps. It depends on how much you value convenience especially when they are still on sale by USPS.

For example, Mystic Stamp sells the Snowy Day Christmas Block of 4 for $3.95. USPS still sells a full booklet of 20 for $10.

I usually just mount the entire booklet on a custom page.

I too use the mail order service of the UPS but mount the entire sheet or block knowing the difficulty of mounting one stamp.

I stopped trying to collect all the new U.S. issues in 2005, because it was such an expensive hassle (especially definitives!), but I still order full panes and booklets from the USPS philatelic catalog when there are issues that interest me topically, either to collect or to use for postage.

I only use the USPS store for sheets.

Jack Kelley

StampsinNJ!

GO BACK TO THE GUMMED STAMPS!