U.S. 2017 Ice Hockey stamps, souvenir sheet in demand

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

It is Stanley Cup finals season, and the minds of young (and not-so-young) fans turn to ice hockey. At the time this column was written in early June, the Florida Panthers were making their third appearance in the finals and hoping for their first National Hockey League championship.

The Stanley Cup dates from 1893 and is far older than the World Series, the National Football League championship (and its successor, the Super Bowl) and the National Basketball Association championship.

On Oct. 20, 2017, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of two nondenominated (49¢) History of Ice Hockey forever commemorative stamps (Scott 5252-5253) and a souvenir sheet of two (5253c).

The stamps and souvenir sheet were printed by lithography by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd., and have phosphorescent tagging and gauge 11 serpentine die cuts.

The stamps were designed by Subplot Design Inc. and issued in panes of 20. The designs show a modern player wearing a helmet and protective gear and a vintage player decked out in a soft hat and scarf.

The stamps were printed tete-beche (French for head to tail), which gives the illusion of the players reflecting each other in the ice.

The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values a mint pane of 20 History of Ice Hockey stamps at $26, against a postage value of $14.60 after the July 14 first-class postage rate increase from 68¢ to 73¢. Mint panes of 20 are selling for up to $20.

The mint souvenir sheet has a catalog value of $2.60. Demand is slightly stronger for the souvenir sheet, and it is selling for up to $4.

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