USA 2025 Flag Stamps - How To Tell Bca From Ap Printings?

Hi all

So we have a new batch of flag stamps for 2025, but so far I have not found anywhere that summarizes the differences that allow one to know if a stamp was produced by Banknote Corporation of America or Ashton Potter. They both produced Coil and Booklet versions of the stamps.

Does anyone know of any guides on how to differentiate the different printings??

if you buy a booklet, a whole sheet, or a coil with plate# you should be able to ascertain by the alpha code prior to numeric. I do not know at this time though the alpha codes. You would further need to look at the perfs, & then the design itself. If there is micro printing I think each printer has their own location (or no micro printing). When Scott allocates cat#s, they usually identify the printer associated if multiple printers & formats. Good luck!

PNC3, the Plate Number Coil Collectors Club usually gives all the info you are looking for in their monthly publication "Coil Line"
Since this issue is just a month old I do not have that info yet, but stay tuned


Peter

Just dug into this issue. Microprinting continued w the BCA issue having it on the last red stripe, immediately adjacent to the blue field. P has it on the bottom most red stripe above the 'E' in "United"

BobinRye, is that not the wrong stamp?
Never mind, I got the wrong one!

Peter

Thank you Bob!

Coils from rolls of 100 are easy to tell apart, just compare the die cut patterns with those of the previous years. For singles you come across on paper or envelope from the business mail large rolls, that's a different problem depending on who made them. For the 2025 version, since the plate numbers start with a "P", they are easy to spot. That is because their supplier Ashton Potter uses a distinctive die cut for their large rolls, which cannot work for rolls of 100 because the left and right sides do not "mesh".
(On the other hand, if BCA makes a large roll version like they did in 2023, the die cut looks exactly like the one they use for their rolls of 100. But there is a slight tiny difference in perforation gauge as Scott catalog notes, that you have to use a measuring tool to tell apart, or use an actual stamp to see if the sides exactly mesh up when testing one without a measuring tool.)

Stamps on Mail - the coils are very easy to tell apart due to the micro-code. Yes, there is the small perforation difference. There is also a backing paper difference with one rough top and bottom and one smooth.