Twentieth Century Poets forever stamps well worth their value

Tip of the Week — By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

On April 21, 2012, the United States Postal Service issued a set of 10 nondenominated (45¢) Twentieth Century Poets forever stamps (Scott 4654-4663).

The poets honored were Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, William Carlos Williams, Robert Hayden, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, Denise Levertov, E.E. Cummings and Theodore Roethke.

The stamps were printed by lithography and have gauge 10¾ by 11 serpentine die cuts.

They were issued in panes of 20, which yield two blocks of 10 (Scott 4663a).

The 2018 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values a mint block of 10 at $12.50 and the mint pane of 20 at $25.

Compared to other new issues of the time, few dealers or collectors bought this pane in quantity, despite the fact that you can only get two of each stamp or two blocks of 10 from a pane.

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The mint pane of 20 is well worth the Scott U.S. Specialized catalog value of $25.