Top stamp stories of 2024

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

As 2024 comes to a close, we pause to take a look at some of the major news stories that made headlines throughout the year.

The biggest eye-catching moment in 2024 was definitely the June 14-15 sale of William H. “Bill” Gross’ complete collection of classic-era United States stamps. Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in New York City sold the material for more than $19 million, a record for a U.S. collection.

The 1868 U.S. 1¢ Z grill (Scott 85A) in the Gross collection was up for bids for the first time in 26 years and sold for an amazing $4,366,000. That realization solidified a new record price for a single U.S. stamp.

Starting Jan. 1, a change in postal legislation in Denmark led to stamps issued there before Jan. 1, 2024, becoming invalid on domestic mail. This change was reported in Linn’s Jan. 15 issue in an article by Christer Brunström. “All Danish stamps issued before the end of 2023 remain valid on mail to foreign countries during 2024 because they do not include a value-added tax that the customer would have paid at the time of purchase,” Brunström said in the article. “However, according to Postnord, all Danish stamps issued before Jan. 1 will no longer be valid for postage on letters to foreign destinations after Dec. 31, 2024.”

On page 1 of the Jan. 8 issue of Linn’s, Charles Snee reported on a New York collector who discovered a used example of the unissued U.S. 1998 Hat postcard-rate stamp that was first reported in 1999. The stamp, illustrated nearby, is the nondenominated (20¢) H-rate Hat stamp with a yellow background that is inscribed “Postcard Rate.” The unissued stamp was discovered in a 1-pound mixture of on-paper U.S. stamps that the collector bought for $13 at a stamp show in October 2023.

With the publication of the Aug. 26, 2024, issue, Linn’s Stamp News reached whole number 5,000. The first issue of Linn’s Weekly Stamp News, dated Nov. 5, 1928, was published by founder George W. Linn of Columbus, Ohio.

A story that will hopefully be fully explained in 2025 came up this year in August. A 2024 federal duck stamp with ‘E-Stamp’ text surfaced early online on an auction website. The “E-Stamp” version of the issue is not supposed to be released until March 10, 2025, and was unknown to collectors until it appeared online. The premature shipping of the e-stamp version appears to have been a mistake. The article about the e-stamp’s appearance was in the Aug. 26 issue of Linn’s.

In Linn’s Nov. 25 issue, it was reported that Scott English will step down as executive director of the American Philatelic Society. “After nearly 10 years with the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library, I’ve made the difficult decision to move on to the next chapter in life,” English said in a message published on the APS website. According to English, he will remain as executive director while the APS board conducts a search for his replacement.

Lastly, a news item highlighted in the March Scott Stamp Monthly editorial was the discovery of an artist hiding her name on a U.S. 1991 Olympic stamp. This information was revealed in a new tell-all book by a former USPS stamp services design director. Further details on the Olympic stamp issue were highlighted in a July Scott Stamp Monthly article by Joe Brockert.

It has certainly been a fascinating year, filled with numerous highs and a few lows. Here’s to an exciting 2025 ahead, where I’m confident we’ll have plenty more to talk about!

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