When U.S. Stamps Go Bad

Normally, there would be lots of fanfare and balloons. However, due to COVID-19, the fanfare and balloons will be released in a digitally/physically isolated room -- but don't worry, each balloon will be spaced 6' apart and released in 6s intervals.

Yes, several of the issues of the early 1970s seem to be very susceptible to "spotting" (very small circular gum dropouts). Is that what you are referring to? First time I saw them, I thought somebody might have sneezed on the back of the mint stamps/sheets. But then I saw a lot more of them as the years went by, including collections that appeared to be well-kept.

I didn't do any actual research into this, but based on experience from doing a lot of stamped mailings over the decades...

They did change gums in the mid-1970s, and seemed to have done a lot of experimentation, even with the shiny gum, as they continued to work on developing the dull gum. Some of the shiny gum of the in the late 1970s is actually a little sweet, and then later on some of both the dull and shiny gum are just rather bitter (I prepare to grimace when I have to lick those stamps to stick on a mailing -- not just one, but often dozens of that stamp).

The gum prior to the 1960s was really prone to gum migration, stuck together very easily, and the stamps would curl like crazy in extreme high/low humidity environments. I guess in trying to solve one problem, they introduced other problems...

Yes youpiao . Every time I forget and lick one of those stamps, I think of that particular Seinfeld "incident."

What's annoying is when you finish licking some sweet tasting gum, and then unintentionally finish with some really bitter tasting gum.

As losing your taste is presumably one of the symptoms of COVID-19,  it’s when you find that you can’t taste the gum, bitter or otherwise, that’s annoying!