Views of Our Planets issues were a quick sellout

Stamp Market Tips – By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller 

Demand for United States new issues often picks up sharply after the album supplements for that year are issued.

Looking at their supplement pages, collectors often realize that they missed an issue, or they have it in a format that doesn’t match the supplement pages in the album they use.

Very few dealers are stocking new issues in depth because the cost of doing so has grown over the years.

On May 31, 2016, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of eight nondenominated (47¢) Views of Our Planets forever stamps (Scott 5069-5076) in panes of 16.

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This issue sold out quickly from the Postal Service, leaving some collectors scratching for it in the secondary market.

The 2017 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values both the block of eight and the plate number block of eight in mint condition at $7.60, roughly double face value. The mint pane of 16 is valued at $15.20 against a present postal value of $7.84.

If you find the pane of 16 offered at slightly more than postal value, putting a few of them aside might be worthwhile.