Several New Issues Announced for 1989

Question: Do you think there will be commemorative stamps next year honoring these anniversaries? Baseball 1839-1989; the presidency 1789-1989; the House of Representatives 1789-1989; the Senate 1789-1989; the states of Washington, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota 1889-1989, and Postmaster General 1789-1989.--T.M.

Answer: Tentatively scheduled for release in 1989 are bicentennial stamps for George Washington’s inauguration, the House of Representatives, the Senate, Supreme Court, North Carolina statehood, and the drafting of the Bill of Rights. Stamps will also honor the centennials of the states you mention.

Selection of subjects for new stamps is the responsibility of the Postmaster General on advice of the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, Stamp Development Branch, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20260. Anyone can write to the committee suggesting a topic for a new U.S. stamp, but only those subjects that have wide appeal and are timely for some reason are considered serious stamp candidates.

What usually happens is an influential politician steps in and gives a stamp proposal a practical “boost” in the esteem of the committee. Or a lobbying group floods the committee with a torrent of petitions signed in favor of a stamp. Or the immediacy of a cause pushes a topic to the forefront in the committee’s deliberations. Examples: the death of a President or statehood anniversaries.

Q: I am enclosing a sheet of “stamp stumpers,” which I am sure you will find interesting and amusing. Are any of these stamps valuable? I think I may have a few of them.--N.R.

A: The stamps listed are of no great value. The 1947 Monaco issue showing President Roosevelt with six fingers on his left hand, the East German stamp with Schubert’s music next to a portrait of Schumann, and the Saudi Arabian airplane flying without propellers were all issued in quantities sufficient to meet collector demand, so they are not rare today.

The St. Kitts-Nevis (island state in the West Indies) stamp showing Columbus looking for land in 1492 with a telescope is humorous because that instrument wasn’t invented until the 17th Century. This was part of a set issued by St. Kitts-Nevis in 1903, and depending on the particular denomination ( 1/2-penny to 2-shilling/6 pence), its catalogue value ranges from $5 mint, $3 used to a high of $45 mint, $30 used. And a 1905-1918 reissue with a different watermark catalogues somewhat less on the average.

Q: Are grocery store “cents off” coupons saved by stamp collectors? If so, are they worth anything?--G.Y.

A: Not to my knowledge. I don’t know of any organized collecting of grocery product coupons, except for the simple purpose of redeeming them for money discounted when buying the products at a store.

Q: How would you rate the investment potential of pre-World War II British Commonwealth stamps in general, including those of British possessions in the Caribbean and South Pacific?--R.K.

A: For the long term, which is the only way you can logically invest in stamps or other volatile collectibles, British Commonwealth of pre-World War II seem to be reasonable choices as part of a comprehensive stamp portfolio.

In spite of the latest controversy about the drop in values of selected popular British Commonwealth stamps in the 1989 Scott catalogue, the record proves that quality British Empire stamps purchased at fair-market prices and held 10 years or more have generally proven to be good investments.

Of course the future is unknown, and nothing is guaranteed in stamp investing.

Q: My father died last year, leaving my mother a rather large stamp collection. I would like to find out how to dispose of it for as much money as possible. The collection consists primarily of number block corners (four stamps) with a large portion of them from all four corners of the sheet. They are mostly issues from the last 30-40 years.--F.E.M.

A: It sounds as though this collection is not of great monetary value. Most U.S. stamps, even in plate number mint blocks (which are what you apparently have), are still obtainable from dealers for close to face value-- if issued in the last 40 years.

There could be a few high-value definitives or better commemorative plate blocks in your accumulation, but only a professional examination can determine this. Most stamp dealers would be quite happy to look over your parents’ stamps and give you a quick informal appraisal on the spot. Pick the biggest display ad or the closest stamp shop from the telephone Yellow Pages and take your stamps to a dealer for an opinion.

Q: I have a set of 14 unauthorized stamps from Albania from 1921 to 1923. I asked a dealer and he said they are worth 5 cents a stamp. Surely this isn’t right. How much are they worth?

Also I have a set of Kennedy stamps from Ajman, issued in 1967. It is a complete set of nine, which shows John Kennedy from his boyhood to the presidency. How much are they worth and why doesn’t Scott list later issues of Ajman?--M.L.

A: Your Albanian stamps are not listed in Scott’s catalogue. This means that either there is some doubt about their validity as legitimate postal issues or the editors of Scott haven’t heard much about them. It sounds as though you have a local Albanian issue, and a specialist in Albanian philately would be required to properly identify them.

It is entirely possible that they are worth 5 cents each. Remember that rare and old do not equal valuable in every case.

Ajman is on the Oman Peninsula of Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Scott doesn’t list issues after 1965 because Ajman became part of the United Arab Emirates and since 1972 has used U.A.E. stamps.

Your Kennedy set from Ajman was issued Dec. 15, 1964, and contains eight stamps priced currently in the catalogues at $8.71 mint, $2.25 canceled. You say you have nine values. Does this include a souvenir sheet that is mentioned but unpriced at the end of the Kennedy-set listing?