FORMATS FOR 2015 ISSUES IN WHITE ACE COMMEMORATIVE
SUPPLEMENTS
This compilation is being published to assist in collecting currently available issues in advance of publication of the 2015 White Ace album supplements.
The Commemorative Singles SIMPLIFIED pages are
intended to simplify the collector's stamp purchasing
requirements, and are thus an ideal choice for a beginning
collector. Released for the first time by White Ace for the 1996
issues, they have been continued for each subsequent year's issues
and will continue to be published, in the same format, for the
2015 issues. These pages will generally seek to show each face
different stamp only once. For stamps issued in se-tenant format -
i.e. more than one stamp design in a pane - the smallest intact
unit will be shown that contains all designs. This will usually be
a strip, block or full booklet pane. All face different versions
of each commemorative issue will be included and will thus enable
the collector to assemble a complete commemorative collection.
The Commemorative Singles (complete) pages
will continue to be published in their original format for
collectors wishing to assemble a more detailed and comprehensive
collection. For se-tenant issues, these pages will show a set of
singles and a strip or block as in the past. Other stamp
formats will continue to be shown in a manner consistent with
prior printings of this album.
COMMEMORATIVE ALBUMS
WAR OF 1812 - BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS (01/08/15)
-Singles – 1 single & full sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4 & 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 full souvenir sheet
(there are no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full
souvenir sheet (there are no plate numbers)
FOREVER HEARTS (01/22/15)
-Singles – 2 singles & 1 pair
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 pair
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 2 plate blocks of 4 - 1
upper & 1 lower
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
LUNAR NEW YEAR - YEAR OF THE RAM (02/07/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet of 12 (there
are no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
of 12 (there are no plate numbers)
ROBERT ROBINSON TAYLOR - BLACK HERITAGE SERIES
(02/12/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
VINTAGE ROSE WEDDING STAMP (02/14/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
MARTIN RAMIREZ (03/26/15)
-Singles – 5 singles & strip of 5
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 strip of 5
-Blocks – 1 block of 10
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 10
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 10
FROM ME TO YOU (04/01/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4 (from
upper right side of sheet)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
MAYA ANGELOU (04/07/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
CIVIL WAR: 1865 (04/09/15)
-Singles – 2 singles, 1 pair & 1
souvenir sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir sheet
-Blocks – 1 block of 4 & 1 souvenir
sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 souvenir sheet (there
are no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir
sheet (there are no plate numbers)
GIFTS OF FRIENDSHIP (04/10/15)
-Singles – 4 singles, 1 of each pair
& 1 full sheet of 10
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet of 10
-Blocks – 1 block of 4 & 1 full sheet
of 10
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet (there are
no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
(there are no plate numbers)
SPECIAL OLYMPICS (05/09/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
FORGET-ME-NOT - MISSING CHILDREN (05/18/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
MEDAL OF HONOR: VIETNAM WAR (05/25/15)
-Singles – 3 singles, 1 strip of 3 &
1 full pane souvenir sheet of 12 (with photos around the stamps)
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full pane
souvenir sheet of 12
-Blocks – 1 block of 6 & 1 full sheet
of 12 (with photos around the stamps)
-Plate Blocks – 1 full pane souvenir
sheet of 12 (with photos around the stamps)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 6
(93c) FLANNERY O'CONNOR - LITERARY ARTS SERIES
(06/01/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
US COAST GUARD (08/04/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
ELVIS PRESLEY (08/12/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet (there are
no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
(there are no plate numbers)
WORLD STAMP SHOW NY 2016 (08/20/15)
-Singles – 2 singles and 1 pair
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 pair
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
INGRID BERGMAN - LEGENDS OF HOLLYWOOD SERIES
(08/20/15)
-Singles – 1 singles and 1 full sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4 & 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
and 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
NEON CELEBRATE (09/09/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
PAUL NEWMAN (09/18/15)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS CONVERTIBLE BOOKLET OF 20
(10/01/15)
-Singles – 10 singles and 1 full pane of
20
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full pane of 20
-Blocks – 1 full pane of 20
-Plate Blocks – 1 full pane of 20
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full pane of
20
-Booklet Panes – 1 full booklet pane of
20
GEOMETRIC SNOWFLAKES CONVERTIBLE BOOKLET OF 20
(10/23/15)
-Singles – 4 singles and 1 full pane of
20
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full pane of 20
-Blocks – 1 full pane of 20
-Plate Blocks – 1 full pane of 20
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full pane of
20
-Booklet Panes – 1 full booklet pane of
20
Many of the 2015 commemorative issues listed are unexceptional
and follow formats long established for each of the albums listed.
For those which are not common or do not fit established patterns,
we offer the following explanations.
The Civil War sheet has the now familiar layout which we treat
the same as for the previous issues of this series -- 2011, 2012,
2013 and 2014.
The 2015 Medal of Honor: Vietnam War stamps is somewhat different
from the two prior Medal of Honor issues. While the layout of
stamps on the outside covers of the 2015 Medal of Honor prestige
folder is the same, the selvage photos surrounding the twelve
stamps are entirely different. On 2013 Made in America issue,
there were 5 souvenir sheets which contained the same stamps but
differed in their selvage. In that instance we showed only a
single souvenir sheet, as we will do here. Because of the souvenir
sheet format of both covers, we will provide space for either the
front and back cover in all but our simplified singles and plate
block pages. Because the stamps are laid out in setenant
strips of 3, we also show 3 singles, and a strip of 3 in our
singles complete pages, and in our blocks and plate block
simplified pages we show units of six stamps. In our Plate Blocks
complete pages, we would be compelled to show left and right plate
blocks of six -- which would constitute two half sheets.
Thus, it seems more reasonable to simply show only a full souvenir
sheet / cover in these pages.
As most users of White Ace Commemorative pages are aware, we
showed a full pane of the Legends of Hollywood series issue―with a large illustrated area of selvage on
one side of the sheet―in all of our
Commemorative albums except for the Singles Simplified, Plate
Blocks Simplified, and Copyright Singles or Blocks.
Including a full sheet when it has this layout began with the
Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe issues in the early 1990s,
and has continued for issues having similar format ever
since. For example, refer to Frida Kahlo (2001), Daffy Duck
(1999), Andy Warhol (2002), etc. In our 2015 pages, we will
follow this pattern by including a full sheet of the Ingrid
Bergman issue in all but the Singles Simplified and Plate Blocks
Simplified pages.
In the White Ace Plate Block Albums, a plate block is considered
the smallest block (of 4 or more stamps) that can be taken from
the margin of the sheet, that contains all stamp designs, and has
attached selvage bearing a plate number. If more than one such
block can be removed from a sheet and the plate number is adjacent
to a different stamp design in any of these, then each such
example is shown in our Plate Blocks Complete pages. In our Plate
Blocks Simplified pages, any such plate position can be collected.
In most cases, there will be two rows or columns of stamps
opposite the plate number. (This definition may vary somewhat
where there is a particularly attractive header or illustrated
selvage or where there is more than one plate number along the
same margin of the sheet).
Sometimes, issues having souvenir sheet
or booklet format have either no plate number, or have plate
numbers on the back of the pane. Our practice has been, and
continues to be, to include examples of such issues in our plate
block pages as souvenir sheets. Issues of this sort for 2015 are
War of 1812, Lunar New Year, Civil War, and Elvis Presley.
In recent years it has become
increasingly difficult to distinguish between commemoratives and
definitives. Sometimes the USPS makes the designation in the
Postal Bulletin and sometimes not. The Wikipedia entries
for Definitive Stamp and Commemorative Stamp are
instructive. Commemoratives are issued to celebrate some
event, person or cultural feature and are usually not reprinted
when sold out. Definitives are intended to satisfy a
particular postal rate or be used in conjunction with other
stamps to pay postage for a period of time and are reprinted
when inventory is depleted. In addition to these
categories, the USPS issues "special" stamps such as love and
greeting stamps, which we include in our commemorative
pages. The difficulty with these definitions is that
definitives can often be regarded as "commemorating" the image
they bear, commemoratives are not restricted to the first class
one ounce rate and at the time of the first printing even the
USPS may not know if it will reprint an issue when it is
depleted.
In 2012, the USPS
advised that its 65¢ Wedding Cake stamp was a
definitive. Likewise, the 2013 66¢ Wedding Cake and 66¢ Yes
I Do stamps were declared to be definitives. In 2014,
the Postal Bulletin announcements for the 70¢ Wedding Cake and
70¢ Yes I Do stamps the USPS indicated that these were
definitives. While our instinct was to regard these as
"special" stamps, we never-the-less accepted the USPS's
judgment and placed these in our Regular Issue pages. In 2015,
the USPS issued the 70¢
Vintage Tulip Wedding Stamp, Two Ounce Rate (71¢) Wedding Cake Stamp, Two Ounce Rate (71¢) Yes I Do Stamp, and Two Ounce Rate
(71¢) Vintage Tulip Stamp.
While no designation of these as definitives has
been made by the Postal Service, we will show them
in our regular issue albums to be consistent with
these previous "Two Ounce Rate" definitives.
What the USPS began in 2010 and has continued
since, is that copyright markings are either absent or on the back
of the sheet for every issue. Because there are no copyright
markings on the face of any pane, there will be no Copyright
Singles or Copyright Blocks album pages for 2015.
For other issues for which our format may be puzzling, we direct
the interested collector examine our format guides posted on-line
for prior issues of similar configuration which may be a
precedent.
