What If The USPS Issued Some Stamps As Regional-Exclusives?

This thought just occured to me as I was flipping through the USPS website wondering when they'll release new images of future issues. A stamp printed but never purchased is lost money isn't it? I can't imagine anybody would ever buy the John Lewis design simply because it's a really ugly design. The font is plain, the portrait isn't the most flattering, the colors are too dark and morbid. A joe-shmoe in California wouldn't know who on Earth John Lewis was, while someone from his district would be proud to use his stamp. What if instead of Nationwide releases the USPS instead issued some sets only in a small subset of states or even a single state where a topic is most pertinent? Beach scene for California? Images of mountains for Washington? Corn for Iowa? Would this create more buzz for the hobby? Like, oh I need to make a friend in Virginia so he can send me theirbnew issue and I'm from California so I'll reply to him with our regional issue. I'm not talking about price differences, but just each state or region gets a more fitting cast of topics. And if the USPS printed less of each issue it creates more buzz and perhaps less waste as stamps won't go unused or unbought as much? My local office feels burned after ordering the John Lewis stamp, the clerk said they're basically unsaleable. What do you guys think?

It has already been tried, back in 1929. It was called the Kansas-Nebraska issue. It didn't work.

Wouldn't the issues still be available from a USPS website? If so, you can do without friends.

For about a day, and only if one's version of the hobby is buying the dozens of new issues USPS pumps out every year. The public won't care, and anyone else can just do what NSK suggests.

I do not believe regionals would help the hobby.

I don't see it as a bad idea. IMO the real problem is the cumbersome nature of the beast known as USPS. Endless regulations and politics come to mind immediately as being barriers to this type of out of the box thinking. Nimble and innovative does not describe the USPS. Design selection, manufacturing, distribution issues would likely lead losses especially if they do not get the quantity printed right. The USPS IG has written recent reports excoriating the USPS for wasting unsold stamps. They are likely gun shy.

USPS printing and distribution costs, per stamp issue, really are not that high. We are talking the middle tens of thousands of dollars against a budget in the billions. Economics does not give them an incentive to do this.

Chris - Agree that actual costs are not high. It is more about no one (non-union management) wanting to end up in an IG report. The government environment generally does not spawn profiles in courage.

The USPS has already tried this. Back in the 1990s and maybe early 2000s, some stamps were only regionally distributed. As I recall, they were mostly statehood anniversary issues, sold in their respective states, but there may have been others with regional appeal. I believe they were also available at philatelic windows (remember them?) elsewhere, and, of course by mail order. The practice was not popular among collectors.

The Kansas-Nebraska overprints were not issued for any of the reasons in the OP.
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibit...ka-overprint

briliant idea!

We need another thousand stamps to keep track of each year.

There is an informative article in the September, 2023 issue of the American Philatelist on John Lewis, titled "the original freedom rider". Lewis was a long-time Congressman and a leader in the civil rights movement. In 2011 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
The design of the stamp is discussed in some detail and the shadowing on Lewis's face is by design ..."to take the viewer from darkness into the light", according to Robert Stroman of the Postal Board of Governors. The article also states that Lewis was an avid stamp collector. Lewis was one of the 13 original Freedom rider and led the March 7, 1965 march on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. He underwent many beatings in his work for justice.
I would guess there are a few folks in California who will buy this stamp and use it with pride.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Obviously. That's why some people will spend obscene amounts of money on graded two cent Columbians. Or graded imperf singles where they could get a nice multiple for 1/100th of the price.

"USPS printing and distribution costs, per stamp issue, really are not that high. We are talking the middle tens of thousands of dollars against a budget in the billions. "

First of all you are comparing the cost of a single issue to the budget for the whole year.
Second, how sure are you about that middle tens of thousands of dollars? I thought printing cost for commems was around 1¢ a stamp, so a 20M printing would cost arount $200K before adding on distribution costs

These were (mostly) issued in the corresponding states only and were not available at Phialtelic windows or from "The Caves".

Utah, Tennessee and Iowa MDI booklets.

The Tenn booklets were available from the Providence philatelic window. I don't recall about the other two.