Who Likes To Collect Plate Blocks And Se-Tenants And Why?

I got back into collecting a couple of years ago and I have a number of plate blocks and se-tenants. The question was posed to me by a friend: "So what's the big deal with plate blocks?" So, I thought I would get your thoughts about it.

It used to be quite popular until you had to collect strips of 10 or twelve to get a plate block.

It was challenging too. The goal was to collect all the plate numbers of an issue in all four positions. upper left and right and lower left and right.

Then along came self-adhesives.....
Dan

Plate blocks R.I.P.

Well, for most modern plate blocks, perhaps that is so. However, there are always the earlier versions to try to complete. WARNING - this gets addictive (and expensive).

Those are appealing. I like them.

Yes, lovely collection.

The only "modern" plate blocks I continue to collect are those with face values in excess of one dollar - especially the Priority Mail and Priority Express Mail plate blocks. This is more for the benefit of whichever grandchild gets interested enough in philately to warrant inheriting my collection. Filling in those missing high-dollar PBs many years from now could be prohibitively expensive.

In my opinion, collecting a "matched set" of plate blocks of a given plate number for a given stamp is one of the real "fringe" philatelic activities. I did it with my Farley's Follies PBs but no where else. I equate this activity with those who collect every possible plate number and/or position (or postmark) for a given stamp. You have to be a bit OCD to dive in those waters.

You tell a compeling story.