Major 2024 federal duck stamp with ‘E-Stamp’ text surfaces early online

By Jay Bigalke

A third major version of the federal duck stamp issued June 28 surfaced online in July via an eBay seller in Minnesota. The “E-Stamp” version 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 United States migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp is issued annually by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to serve as a permit for waterfowl hunting and as a collectible for fans of wildlife art and conservation.

Although not valid for postage, duck stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service at post offices (in single-stamp panes only) and through its Stamp Fulfillment Services division in Kansas City, Mo. They are also available at selected national wildlife refuges, sporting goods retailers and from Amplex Corp.

The new 2024 $25 Northern Pintail stamps were offset printed by Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. in two self-adhesive formats: a pane of one and a pane of 20.

Both of these formats have been standard since 1998, with the pane of 20 switching to self-adhesive in 2018.

And that brings us to the stamp pictured here. An online seller in Minnesota that specializes in duck stamps listed a pane of one of the new 2024 duck stamp that differs from the other two.

This latest version includes the addition of “E-Stamp” in white text beneath the stamp’s expiration date in the upper left of the design.

The full pane is also shown nearby. The liner text differs from the normal issue because it does not include a barcode for the point of sale.

All three versions of the stamp Linn’s has seen have “FWS” microprinted in two places on the stamp and a glossy coating on the duck portion of the design.

“The physical e-stamp will not be shipped until after March 10, 2025, so the physical stamp is not currently available to anyone, including hunters,” said Vanessa Kauffman of the Division of Public Affairs for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after Linn’s inquired about the stamp.

Kauffman also shared the following about the e-stamp version:

“The ONLY way to get the physical e-stamp version is through one of the e-stamp states. E-stamps are issued and delivered to an identified individual.

“Additionally, e-stamps will only be available for 1 year — between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, (rather than 3 yrs for other stamp formats). And it is not guaranteed that all 30 states will have them available the entire year (some states only have e-stamps available for purchase during the migratory bird hunting season for their state so it can depend on the Flyway the e-stamp state is located in). All 2024-2025 e-stamps unsold on July 1, 2025, will be destroyed and are not available for sale.

“You do not have to be a hunter or a resident of that state to purchase an ‘e-stamp’ from one of the 30 e-stamp states listed (www.fws.gov/service/buy-duck-stamp-or-e-stamp). E-stamps are $29 each and then the states also add on whatever handling charges they choose. A collector should expect to spend upward to $45 purchasing from an e-stamp state through their state e-stamp site.

“A collector can also purchase (after shipment) from a private dealer who has obtained the physical e-stamp and did not have to sign across it or carry it in the field — a ‘mint’ stamp.”

Scott catalog editors have examined the pane of one with the e-stamp text and preliminarily determined that it will be listed as a major variety, likely Scott RW91B.

The single from the pane of 20 is listed as Scott RW91, and the normal pane of one stamp is RW91A. Those numbers were published in the Scott New Issues Update section of the August issue of Scott Stamp Monthly.

Additional details on the new e-stamp version of the duck stamp will be provided in a future issue of Linn’s.

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