FORMATS FOR 2021 ISSUES IN WHITE ACE COMMEMORATIVE SUPPLEMENTS

This compilation is being published to assist in collecting currently available issues in advance of publication of the 2021 White Ace album supplements. Please note that while the formats herein listed are believed to be accurate as of this date, we assume no responsibility for any changes made before publication of these albums. The supplements summarized here will be released in early 2022.

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 2021 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

LOVE (01/14/21)

 -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

AUGUST WILSON - BLACK HERITAGE SERIES (01/28/21)

 -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

LUNAR NEW YEAR - YEAR OF THE OX (02/02/21)

 -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

CHIEN-SHIUNG WU (02/11/21)

 -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

STAR WARS DROIDS (05/04/21)

 -Singles – 10 singles & a block of 10
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 block of 10
 -Blocks – 1 block of 10
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 10
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 10

HERITAGE BREEDS (05/17/21)

 -Singles – 10 singles & a block of 10
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 block of 10
 -Blocks – 1 block of 10
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 10
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 10

GO FOR BROKE (06/03/21)

 -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

EMILIO SANCHEZ (06/10/21)

 -Singles – 4 singles & 1 full sheet
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 (vertical) strip of 4
 -Blocks – 1 full sheet
 -Plate Blocks – 1 full sheet
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 6 (2 wide x 3 high)

SUN SCIENCE (06/18/21)

 -Singles – 10 singles & a block of 10
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED – 1 block of 10
 -Blocks – 1 block of 10
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 10
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 10

YOGI BERRA (06/24/21)

 -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

TAP DANCE (07/10/21)

 -Singles – 5 singles & (horizontal) strip of 5
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED –  (horizontal) strip of 5
 -Blocks – 1 block of 10
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 10
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 10

MYSTERY MESSAGE (07/14/21)

 -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

WESTERN WEAR (07/23/21)

 -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

URSULA K. LE GUIN (07/27/21)

 -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

RAVEN STORY (07/30/21)

 -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

MID-ATLANTIC LIGHTHOUSES (08/06/21)

 -Singles – 5 singles & 1 strip of 5
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED –  1 strip of 5
 -Blocks – 1 block of 6 (3 wide x 2 high)
 -Plate Blocks – 2 plate blocks of 6 from bottom of sheet (3 wide x 2 high)
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 6

MISSOURI STATEHOOD (08/10/21)

 -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

BACKYARD GAMES (08/12/21)

 -Singles – 8 singles & (horizontal) block of 8
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED –  (horizontal) block of 8
 -Blocks – 1 (horizontal) block of 8
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 8 (2 plate #s)
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 8 (2 plate #s)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (09/09/21)

 -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

MESSAGE MONSTERS (09/24/21)

 -Singles – 4 singles & (horizontal) strip of 4
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED –  (horizontal) strip of 4
 -Blocks – 1 horizontal block of 6 (3 wide x 2 high)
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 6 (3 wide x 2 high)
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 6 (3 wide x 2 high)

DAY OF THE DEAD (09/30/21)

 -Singles – 4 singles & (horizontal) strip of 4
 -Singles SIMPLIFIED –  (horizontal) strip of 4
 -Blocks – 1 block of 8
 -Plate Blocks – 1 plate block of 8 (2 plate #s)
 -Plate Blocks SIMPLIFIED – 1 plate block of 8 (2 plate #s)

A VISIT FROM ST. NICK (10/07/21)

 -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

OTTERS IN SNOW (10/12/21)

 -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 2021 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 2021 pages, we will follow this pattern by including a full sheet of the Emilio Sanchez 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).

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. If you have 2021 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.

For other issues for which our format may be puzzling, we direct the interested collector to examine our format guides posted on-line for prior issues of similar configuration which may be a precedent.