2017 WPA Posters booklet in demand

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

On March 7, 2017, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of 10 nondenominated (49¢) forever Works Progress Administration (Work Projects Administration) Posters booklet stamps. The stamps were issued in double-sided booklet panes of 20 (Scott 5189b).

The stamps were designed by Antonio Alcala and were printed by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. by lithography. They have gauge 11 serpentine die cuts on two or three sides.

The booklet pane has 12 stamps on one side and eight stamps plus the booklet cover (label) on the other side.

The posters used for the stamp designs are titled See America Welcome to Montana, Work Pays America, Field Day, Discover Puerto Rico, City of New York Municipal Airports, Foreign Trade Zone, Visit the Zoo, Work with Care, The National Parks Preserve Wild Life, and Hiking.

The Works Progress Administration was created by presidential order on May 6, 1935, as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to counter the economic crises of the Great Depression. The Works Progress Administration gave construction and other jobs to millions of unemployed men.

While the bulk of the jobs involved building roads and constructing public buildings, Federal Project Number One (a group of projects overseen by the Works Progress Administration) also employed writers, researchers, actors, musicians and artists.

The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values a mint booklet pane of 20 at $30 against a current postage value of $13.20. There is good demand for the mint booklet, and it is a good buy at up to $24.

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