When an even stamp design count doesn’t fit an odd plate number interval

Mar 12, 2025, 1 PM

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

With two stamp designs and a plate number interval at an odd number of 27, it’s to be expected that a stamp design will repeat. And that is the case for the new United States nondenominated (10¢) American Vistas coil stamps issued Feb. 21.

Shown nearby is a strip of seven stamps starting with the mountains design followed by the sailboat design. The same sequence repeats with a plate number on the mountains stamp, the third stamp from the left on the strip. This is followed by two mountains stamps and then a sailboat stamp at the end of the strip.

Thankfully this sequencing is actually a nonissue for the Scott catalog editors. Historically for stamp issues with two designs, catalog editors only list a strip of five with the plate number in the center.

And it also works for this coil stamp issue. With just a strip of five, a balance of each design is achieved with the three mountains stamps interspersed with two sailboat stamps. The mountains stamp with the plate number is in the middle of the strip.

I figured it was worth writing this up for our readers because Stamp Fulfillment Services in Kansas City, Mo., is selling strips of the coil stamps in the full 27-stamp plate number interval, which is brilliant. This allows collectors to see and possibly collect a longer strip that includes this odd stamp sequencing quirk found with some coil issues.

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