Prestige Booklets -- US

khj
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 20, 2020 9:38:17 GMT -5 kacyds likes this

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Post by khj on Mar 20, 2020 9:38:17 GMT -5

Mar 20, 2020 8:44:42 GMT -5 zepherusbane said:

And I almost forgot to mention, the James Bond ones aren't even the best ones I found on the royalmail site, they have 75th D day anniversary and Royal Navy Ships that I liked even more. But I digress, and am getting off-topic - this thread is supposed to be about USA ones!! Sorry!

No problem, gives me opportunity to shamelessly plug Prestige Booklets -- Great Britain. I have about 20 of them from GB that I will slowly post over time. However, I only have duplicates of maybe 2 of them, and none of the Wedgewood prestige booklets.

The US prestige booklets are the only ones I will be scanning in entirety. Many prestige booklets do not open flat. Even though I am using a book scanner, it is still too stressful on the binding. I've got enough duplicates on the US prestige booklets where I can sacrifice one and either use it for postage or sell to someone who only wants the stamps. But for other countries, I'll be stuck with binding stressed booklets.

So for non-US prestige booklets, I'll be using camera pics for those which don't open fully flat.

I have a whole bunch of UN prestige booklets (all 3 offices), which I need to start posting (and selling lol

). I'll take pics of those (I think none of them open flat) and start posting them in a new thread. To be honest, I like the UN prestige booklets even better because of the theme: World Heritage Series.

Last Edit: Mar 20, 2020 19:05:00 GMT -5 by khj

youpiao
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 0:51:51 GMT -5 khj likes this

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Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 0:51:51 GMT -5

Mar 20, 2020 9:38:17 GMT -5 khj said:

Mar 20, 2020 8:44:42 GMT -5 zepherusbane said:

And I almost forgot to mention, the James Bond ones aren't even the best ones I found on the royalmail site, they have 75th D day anniversary and Royal Navy Ships that I liked even more. But I digress, and am getting off-topic - this thread is supposed to be about USA ones!! Sorry!

No problem, gives me opportunity to shamelessly plug Prestige Booklets -- Great Britain. I have about 20 of them from GB that I will slowly post over time. However, I only have duplicates of maybe 2 of them, and none of the Wedgewood prestige booklets.

The US prestige booklets are the only ones I will be scanning in entirety. Many prestige booklets do not open flat. Even though I am using a book scanner, it is still too stressful on the binding. I've got enough duplicates on the US prestige booklets where I can sacrifice one and either use it for postage or sell to someone who only wants the stamps. But for other countries, I'll be stuck with binding stressed booklets.

So for non-US prestige booklets, I'll be using camera pics for those which don't open fully flat.

I have a whole bunch of UN prestige booklets (all 3 offices), which I need to start posting (and selling lol

). I'll take pics of those (I think none of them open flat) and start posting them in a new thread. To be honest, I like the UN prestige booklets even better because of the theme: World Heritage Series.

I received my order of the Submarine and Old Glory booklets today. They are even bigger than I thought they'd be. Very cool. I think I'll have to devote an episode of TTS to prestige booklets.

If you want to sell your sacrificial lambs, I'd be glad to take them off your hands. I'd love to use the stamps for postage on my HipStamp orders.

Stamps - the bear necessities of life.

khj
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 1:18:38 GMT -5

Quote

Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 1:18:38 GMT -5

Tedski, if you want, I'd be more than happy to send you my GB/UN/WW prestige booklets for you to "borrow" to use on TTS. The catalog value is high, but I didn't pay that much for them (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). They are bulky, so they would need to be shipped in 2 small (or 1 medium) priority mail boxes. I have about 60 different cataloged so far, and probably have a dozen or so more lurking around in my uncatalogged bins. But yeah, you'd have to send them back to me (before I die), as I don't have duplicates of them all.

The UN World Heritage Series (I'll be posting them over the course of next week) are my favorites. Not only because of content, but because they have a really nice "dual-layer" front cover (reminds me of those overlay pages in children's book, where there's a panel or part page which you can flip to reveal something underneath).

Last Edit: Mar 22, 2020 1:19:32 GMT -5 by khj

youpiao
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 1:51:10 GMT -5

Quote

Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 1:51:10 GMT -5

Mar 22, 2020 1:18:38 GMT -5 khj said:

Tedski, if you want, I'd be more than happy to send you my GB/UN/WW prestige booklets for you to "borrow" to use on TTS. The catalog value is high, but I didn't pay that much for them (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). They are bulky, so they would need to be shipped in 2 small (or 1 medium) priority mail boxes. I have about 60 different cataloged so far, and probably have a dozen or so more lurking around in my uncatalogged bins. But yeah, you'd have to send them back to me (before I die), as I don't have duplicates of them all.

The UN World Heritage Series (I'll be posting them over the course of next week) are my favorites. Not only because of content, but because they have a really nice "dual-layer" front cover (reminds me of those overlay pages in children's book, where there's a panel or part page which you can flip to reveal something underneath).

Wow, that'd be great. And, of course I would reimburse you for the shipping cost.

Question: I know USPS at one time charged a small premium for booklets (I think, maybe 5c) because of the extra expense involved in producing them. Then the courts ruled it illegal, that they could not charge more than the face value of the stamps, because they were not offering anything of value with the stamps other than convenience. Did the USPS charge a premium for the prestige booklets, since they now offered extra product along with the stamps?

Edit: Okay, my last question has been answered. Submarines and Old Glory were sold at face value. The FV $7.40 Lewis and Clark booklet was sold at $8.95. And that's it for US prestige booklets, huh? I found an article from 2014, saying a Batman prestige booklet was being considered. Obviously that never came to fruition. Has the USPS given any indication about whether PB's are still possible in the future? Or, is the production cost too much and they don't recoup the cost in booklet sales?

Last Edit: Mar 22, 2020 2:22:09 GMT -5 by youpiao

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youpiao
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 3:10:54 GMT -5

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Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 3:10:54 GMT -5

Just ordered the Lewis and Clark booklet. Now I have a complete country collection, hurray! From another dealer I ordered a set of the 3 UN (NY, Geneva, Vienna) booklets on the Terracotta Warriors, at what seems to me a very khj-friendly price of $7.75 including shipping cost. I have been contemplating starting a topical collection for World Heritage Sites. This might be the catalyst which gets that going.

Stamps - the bear necessities of life.

angore
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 6:46:22 GMT -5 khj, youpiao, and 2 more like this

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Post by angore on Mar 22, 2020 6:46:22 GMT -5

For those interested in Prestige Booklets, have you looked at this postal card booklet? The US issued this book of postal cards for the Endangered Species issues (15 postal cards). They had other glossy printed sets (some not in booklet form), The overly large shape means it has to be stored separately unless you separated the postal cards.

Last Edit: Mar 22, 2020 6:55:23 GMT -5 by angore

khj
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 8:09:15 GMT -5 youpiao and stampie78 like this

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Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 8:09:15 GMT -5

I do have a postal card set, I think for Legends of the West? It was in a large lot I purchase about a decade ago. But those were not in a booklet, but a packet.

Yes, the Lewis & Clark was sold at a premium. The price was $8.95 and shown on the back of the booklet. It did not violate Postmaster General guidelines because it was a value-added item, like selling the commemorative year sets. You can get away with a lot when you call something "souvenir" or "prestige"!

Please note, for sake of TTS, that in the US, they have always used the term Souvenir Booklet. Across the pond and elsewhere, is the term "Prestige Booklet" used. I use the latter term, as it is easier to distinguish from the "normal" booklets.

For stamps, the 25¢ Eagle/Shield self-adhesive booklet pane of 18 was sold at a 50¢ premium of $5 (FV=$4.50). The argument was that self-adhesive was a "value-added" item. No premiums for the 25¢/F/29¢ plastic flag self-adhesives, but then the 3 flavors of the 29¢ Eagle/Shield self-adhesives in booklets/strips of 17 also sold at $5 (7¢ premium over FV). It was the latter that got the Postmaster General's attention, even though precedence had been set several years prior with the 25¢ Eagle/Shield, not to mention the very earliest booklets also had a modest "convenience" charge of a 1¢. I'm pretty sure it was a different PMG from the 25¢ era, although I didn't check. It was the 29¢ Eagle/Shield premium that caught the PMG by surprise, hence the order that no stamp be sold at more than FV. But it was a directive, rather than a law, so pretty easy to throw out or find a loophole.

The price you got for the set of 3 TerraCotta Warriors prestige booklets (WHC issue) is very very good, Tedski!

Last Edit: Mar 22, 2020 8:11:10 GMT -5 by khj

youpiao
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 22:50:44 GMT -5

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Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 22:50:44 GMT -5

Self-adhesive is a value added item? What about the paper it's printed on. That certainly adds value. Who wants to carry around a film of ink, to deposit onto an envelope as needed? For that matter, the ink is a value added item also. It saves us the postage due that would be applied for using blank self-adhesive pieces of paper. And what about the die-cuts? And all those pretty pictures in the selvage? I bet if they pushed it, they could charge $1.10 for a 55c stamp.
With that kind of mindset, it's no wonder the USPS runs billion dollar deficits each year. Just like other parts of the government, it's easier to grab more of the people's money than to tackle waste within their system.

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khj
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 22, 2020 23:53:02 GMT -5 youpiao likes this

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Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 23:53:02 GMT -5

Mar 22, 2020 22:50:44 GMT -5 youpiao said:

Self-adhesive is a value added item? What about the paper it's printed on. That certainly adds value. Who wants to carry around a film of ink, to deposit onto an envelope as needed? For that matter, the ink is a value added item also. It saves us the postage due that would be applied for using blank self-adhesive pieces of paper. And what about the die-cuts? And all those pretty pictures in the selvage? I bet if they pushed it, they could charge $1.10 for a 55c stamp.

You have the right mindset to get a high-level job at USPS! Hey, in the early 20th Century, they were charging 1¢ to put stamps between two pieces of cardstock using 2 staples. But as a collector, you might be a little too sensitive to "milking collectors for their money" mentality -- it's sort of a job pre-requisite.

Speaking of value-added charge for diecuts. If you get the job, I'd be more than happy to buy any value-added self-adhesives missing diecuts from USPS at face value, since I've saved them the cost of diecutting! 1860999253

youpiao Stamp Bears Posting Guru Posts: 3,603 Location (Country): USA	Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 23, 2020 2:54:35 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by youpiao on Mar 23, 2020 2:54:35 GMT -5 You bring up a good point, khj. Added value obviously comes from having stamps missing the die cuts. The USPS should, then, be offering die-cut stamps at a discount from face value.
	Stamps - the bear necessities of life.

angore Master Stamp Bear Posts: 1,562	Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 23, 2020 10:52:32 GMT -5 khj likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by angore on Mar 23, 2020 10:52:32 GMT -5 Press sheets do not have die cuts and they do not discount them!!! Mystic makes a business of hyping imperforate press sheet stamps.
	Last Edit: Mar 23, 2020 10:53:11 GMT -5 by angore

youpiao
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Prestige Booklets -- US Mar 23, 2020 11:10:21 GMT -5 via mobile

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Post by youpiao on Mar 23, 2020 11:10:21 GMT -5

Mar 23, 2020 10:52:32 GMT -5 angore said:

Press sheets do not have die cuts and they do not discount them!!!

Mystic makes a business of hyping imperforate press sheet stamps.

And then makes them uncollectable/unsellable to traditional collectors, by cutting them into singles instead of pairs.

Stamps - the bear necessities of life.

khj
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Prestige Booklets -- US May 19, 2020 23:50:46 GMT -5 youpiao and coastwatcher like this

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Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:50:46 GMT -5

The 3rd US prestige booklet was sold at a $1.55 premium over stamp face value of $7.40.

Scott United States #BK297, $8.95 Lewis & Clark Expedition, 200th anniversary, prestige booklet.
2018 Scott catalog mint = $18

khj Administrator Stamp Bears Supporter Posts: 9,890 Location (Country): USA	Prestige Booklets -- US May 19, 2020 23:50:59 GMT -5 youpiao and coastwatcher like this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:50:59 GMT -5 Inside front cover:

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Prestige Booklets -- US

Post by khj on Mar 20, 2020 9:38:17 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 0:51:51 GMT -5

Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 1:18:38 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 1:51:10 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 3:10:54 GMT -5

Post by angore on Mar 22, 2020 6:46:22 GMT -5

Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 8:09:15 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 22, 2020 22:50:44 GMT -5

Post by khj on Mar 22, 2020 23:53:02 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 23, 2020 2:54:35 GMT -5

Post by angore on Mar 23, 2020 10:52:32 GMT -5

Post by youpiao on Mar 23, 2020 11:10:21 GMT -5

Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:50:46 GMT -5

Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:50:59 GMT -5

Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:51:10 GMT -5

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Post by khj on May 19, 2020 23:55:48 GMT -5

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