US #2224 Liberty 22c

I have some newbie questions about this stamp. According to a stamp company's website, 220,725,000 of these were issued. Is there a way to know how many individual stamps, booklets, or sheets were issued or sold on a certain issue or can one assume that most modern era stamps were issued in sheets? Is there a difference between issued and sold?

If I divide 220,725,000/50 (stamps to a sheet) I get 4,414,500 sheets. Seems like a lot of sheets.

I recently purchased two sheets of these stamps in mint condition for $14.00 when the total FV of two sheets is $22. Each sheet has 50 22c stamps. I bought to use as postage. Did I pay a fair, high or low amount for this use.

Was this a popular stamp in 1986?

Most were issued in sheets but the key is not "issued" but, rather, "retained" since left over stock which is recalled and destroyed is not broken down by type - only by design and value. Thus the actual remaining supply cannot be deduced by variety of production.

There is a difference between "issued" (which is the number printed) and "sold" (which is just that).

You paid 63% of face value which is an excellent price since the market price is about 70%.

It was a popular stamp as Miss Liberty is always popular when she appears.

bobmill: Thank you for the explanation. I'm assuming there is no online resource to know how many stamps in each issue were retained or sold, correct?

Is there any advantage collectability wise in keeping these Liberty 22c sheets intact for let's say 20 more years and not using them for postage?

Not to get too far off track Is it fair to assume for hyped issues such as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Bugs Bunny for example, so many people purchased these to retain and never use for postage that the market is flooded with them and primarily aficionados of the subject matter purchase them to retain again and not use for postage? I have never received these stamps before on a letter and these stamps were issued over 20 years ago, plenty of time for people to use them. If you were neutral/indifferent on the topic of those stamps, would you pay 63% of FV for a sheet of them to use as postage?

.
Torin, Greetings:

- if you use those stamps steadily over the next two years, you will enjoy a 50% annualized rate of return on your money, but

- if you use them in the next 90 days, your annualized rate of return would be astronomical.

The longer you hold them, the smaller your annualized gain.

Start lickin'n'stickin' today !

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

There is ZERO chance of these appreciating in value as a collectible simply because of the double quantity problem.

Problem 1: Millions upon millions of copies overhanging a market that has moved to video games.
Problem 2: Congress almost destroyed the hobby in 1948 by passing so many bills for political stamps (chickens, anyone?)that an all time record of 28 new issues was set and it drove a huge number of young collectors out of the hobby. Those were 3 cent stamps (one was a 5 cent value)

Now we are issuing 150+ new 50 cent+ stamps every year and no sane person tries to keep up with all of them in all their varieties

If I need postage, I buy it on a percentage of face value. I could not care less what or who the actual stamp pictures.

no sane person tries to keep up with all of them in all their varieties...

Precisely what future collectors will bank on.

"Precisely what future collectors will bank on." ?

'

A note about terminology: These were issued/sold in "panes" of 50, rather than "sheets". This issue was not sold in any other format.

Coincidentally, I got a pair in the mail today as partial payment of the postage.

Thanks for the terminology note. These stamps are timeless and classic looking.

My education continues. Today's lesson: one can obtain unused postage stamps at below face value. I always assumed that face value was a functional price floor for a postage stamp.

I assume the discount = the value of one's time devoted to scrounging up the necessary incremental face-value stamps to meet prevailing postage rates... or at least that's ONE approach.

just a note that this is the statue of liberty design that was taken from the liberty statue in Las Vegas. There was a law suit and I believe the post office settled last year.

This was the stamp that USPS used an image from the Las Vegas statue. The statue on right is not the replica .

I've noticed that sales of the plate block of 4 sell for a higher percentage above FV than the entire pane of such stamps. the plate block of 4 of these stamps have a total face value of 88c, and sells for around $2, while the pane of 50 sells for barely above FV on auction sites. What explains this disparity? If one has a pane of these stamps, would it be beneficial to keep the plate blocks and then use the rest of the stamps in the middle of the pane for postage?

No one has ever called me "insane" before. I'll wear that badge with honor.

Torin sounds like a great deal off face value, may I ask where do you purchase these from?