A U.S. Aloha Shirt stamp booklet issued in 2012 is hot in 2016: Tip of the Week

By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Aloha shirts: even the name sounds like fun. Developed by a Chinese-American merchant in Hawaii in the 1930s, these colorful lightweight shirts are ideally suited to the Hawaiian climate, where they are considered dress attire and the equivalent of a mainland coat and tie. They are also quite popular with tourists, and many are exported to the mainland.

On Jan. 19, 2012, the U.S. Postal Service issued five 32¢ Aloha Shirt stamps in panes of 20 (Scott 4592-4596) and as coil stamps with vertical serpentine die cuts (Scott 4597-4601). The die cuts on both versions were gauge 11.

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Later that year on June 2, the Postal Service issued a booklet version of the Aloha Shirt stamps with serpentine die cuts gauge 11¼ by 10¾ on three sides (Scott 4682-4686). The booklets of 10 (4686b) were overlooked by most collectors and many dealers.  

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The 2017 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the intact mint booklet at $25 against a face value of $3.20. Dealers are paying $10 per booklet. The booklet is a good buy in the $15-to-$20 price range, if you need it.