Monday Morning Brief | Uncut press sheet quantities

Watch as Linn’s Stamp News managing editor Chad Snee discusses how the quantities printed of recent uncut press sheets were revealed through a Freedom of Information Act request. The United States Postal Service provided the quantities for 2016 issues and two from 2017.

Full video transcript:

Salutations fellow stamp enthusiasts! Welcome to the Monday Morning Brief for January 23.

Patience, as they say, is a virtue.

After six months of emails and phone calls, followed by more emails and phone calls, and, finally, a Freedom of Information request, Linn’s obtained from the United States Postal Service the quantities of uncut press sheets for recently issued stamps.

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Specifically, the Postal Service provided the quantities of uncut press sheets made available for sale for 10 2016 issues — Pets, Songbirds in Snow, Star Trek, Jack-o’-Lanterns, Diwali, Holiday Windows, Wonder Woman, Madonna and Child, Hanukkah, and Nativity — and two 2017 issues — Year of the Rooster and Love Skywriting.

We see no real surprises regarding the quantities. As you might expect, a popular issue such as the Star Trek stamps merited 5,000 uncut press sheets, while the somewhat less dramatic Love Skywriting stamp came in with only 800 sheets.

What is surprising (and, at times, frustrating) is the amount of time it took to obtain information that thousands of our readers count on us, week in and week out, to provide in a timely manner. Rest assured, however, that we will continue to press the Postal Service in support of our efforts as the go-to source for information and expertise that allow all stamp collectors to pursue the hobby with joy and passion.

Finally, we are saddened to report Rob Haeseler, who brought consummate journalistic and philatelic acumen to bear as a senior editor for Linn’s from 1995 to 2005, died January 16 at the age of 75.

Mr. Haeseler came to Linn’s after a decades-long career with the San Francisco Chronicle, where his investigative skills gave readers valuable insights into many of the day’s headline-making events.

On a more personal note, Rob was a mentor to me and a delightful, engaging hobby friend. I often marveled at his encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. postal history, and his passion in this area launched my own fascination with how stamps helped move the mail.

And he was very funny. I always enjoyed seeing his marvelous exhibit of the 1997 Bugs Bunny stamp, which he whimsically called “Hare Mail.”

For Linn’s Stamp News and the Scott catalogs, I’m Chad Snee. Have a great week enjoying our wonderful hobby. Cheers!