FORMATS FOR 2018 ISSUES IN WHITE ACE COMMEMORATIVE SUPPLEMENTS
This compilation is being published to assist in collecting currently available issues in advance of publication of the 2018 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 2018 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
LUNAR NEW YEAR - YEAR OF THE DOG (01/11/18)
-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)
LOVE FLOURISHES (01/18/18)
-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
LENA HORNE - BLACK HERITAGE SERIES (01/30/18)
-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
BIOLUMINESCENT LIFE (02/22/18)
-Singles – 10 singles & a block of 10
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 a block of 10
-Blocks – 1 a block of 10
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
ILLINOIS STATEHOOD (03/05/18)
-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
MISTER ROGERS (03/23/18)
-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
STEM EDUCATION (04/06/18)
-Singles – 4 singles & 1 vertical strip of 4
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 vertical strip of 4
-Blocks – 1 block of 8
-Plate Blocks – 1 full pane of 20
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 8
-Booklet Panes – 1 plate block of 8
AIRMAIL CENTENNIAL (blue) (05/01/18)
-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
SALLY RIDE (05/23/18)
-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
FLAG ACT OF 1818 (06/09/18)
-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
O BEAUTIFUL (07/04/18)
-Singles – 20 singles & 1 full sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
-Blocks – 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
SCOOBY-DOO! (07/14/18)
-Singles – 1 single & 1 full sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 4 & 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block
of 4
WORLD WAR I CENTENNIAL (07/27/18)
-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
THE ART OF MAGIC (08/07/18)
-Singles – 5 singles & (horizontal)
strip of 5
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – (horizontal)
strip of 5
-Blocks – 1(horizontal) strip of 5
-Plate Blocks – 2 plate blocks of 6
(2 wide x 3 high)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 6
(2 wide x 3 high)
THE ART OF MAGIC SOUVENIR SHEET (08/07/18)
-Singles – 1 souvenir sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir sheet
-Blocks – 1 souvenir sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 souvenir sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir sheet
DRAGONS (08/09/18)
-Singles – 4 singles, & 1 horizontal strip of 4
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 horizontal strip of 4
-Blocks – 1 block of 4
-Plate Blocks – 2 plate blocks of 4
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 4
AIRMAIL CENTENNIAL (red) (08/11/18)
-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
JOHN LENNON (09/07/18)
-Singles – 4 singles, & 1 vertical strip of 4
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 vertical strip of 4
-Blocks – 1 block of 8
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet of 16 (there
are no plate numbers)
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet of 16 (there
are no plate numbers)
FIRST RESPONDERS (09/13/18)
-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
HOT WHEELS (09/29/18)
-Singles – 10 singles, & 1 full sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
-Blocks – 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 full sheet
CHRISTMAS MADONNA CONVERTIBLE BOOKLET OF 20 (10/03/18)
-Singles – 1 single
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 single
-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
KWANZAA (10/10/18)
-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
SPARKLING HOLIDAYS SANTA CONVERTIBLE BOOKLET OF 20
(10/11/18)
-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
SPARKLING HOLIDAYS SANTA SOUVENIR SHEET (10/11/18)
-Singles – 1 souvenir sheet
-Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir sheet
-Blocks – 1 souvenir sheet
-Plate Blocks – 1 souvenir sheet
-Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 souvenir sheet
HANUKKAH (10/16/18)
-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
Many of the 2018 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.
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), John F. Kennedy (2017), etc. In our 2018 pages, we will
follow this pattern by including a full sheet of the Scooby-Doo issue in all but the Singles Simplified and
Plate Blocks Simplified pages.
The Hot Wheels set is the only 2018 issue for
which there seems to be no precedent. The staggered se-tenant layout makes it difficult for collectors to easily separate the sheet into a block or plate block. Where a block or plate block is normally indicated, a place for a full sheet will be shown.
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).
Thus, for the Art of Magic issue we will show 2 plate blocks of 6. By our definition above, a plate block from either of these sheets is 6 stamps: 2 wide by 3 high. Because there are two plate numbers on the sheet adjacent to different stamps, left and right 2 plate blocks of 6 are required. Prior issues with this configuration are Muscle Cars (2013), Lighthouses (2013), Latin Music Legends (2011), Gulf Coast Lighthouses (2009), Pacific Lighthouses (2007), the Sharks and Protect Pollinators issues from last year and others cited in the 2009 and 2007 commemorative format guides. For the Dragons issue we will show 2 plate blocks of 4.
Our format for souvenir sheets has been
to show the individual stamps and a full sheet in our
Commemorative Singles pages, and an unbroken souvenir sheet in
all of our other pages. For 2018, this is the case
for The Art of Magic and Sparkling Holidays.
Sometimes, issues released in pane of
stamps 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. For 2018, this will be followed for the Year of the Dog, Bioluminescent Life and John Lennon issues..
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 2018 (as in 2017), it appears that the
USPS has designated as Commemoratives only non-denominated
first-class single ounce rate stamps that celebrate a person
or event. Any issue paying a rate other than first class
single ounce or which bears a generic image such as fruit,
or animals is likely to be specifically designated a
definitive or euphemistically as "mail use." To avoid
confusion, we have accepted the USPS designations in
deciding in which album to show each issue. If you have 2018
stamps that do not appear in the list above, please check
the White Ace Regular Issue Format Guide as they are likely
to be listed there.
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 2018.
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.
