One customer asked if I was going to go into the new issue business with these imperf press sheets. I’ve given it some thought and I decided not to go this route for several reasons.

I just got into worldwide approvals and I need to focus my time there. I just can’t do everything. There are some dealers offering these imperf copies. I think they are meeting the demands of these issues amongst collectors. I’m not sure I can offer anything new or different than they are doing already. How many collectors would switch their business to me to supply these issues? I don’t think it’s many.

The supply for these issues is low. Some of these press sheets have low printings and they sell out quickly. I don’t have special connections to make sure I get every issue. I don’t think it would be fair to my customers to supply some of the imperf sheets, but not all. Customers will turn to other dealers who can reliably supply every issue.

Demand is low for these issues too. The USPS prints a few thousand (at most) of any one issue in imperf press sheet form. I see a lot of work cutting up these sheets into singles and position pieces. All of this for dozens of orders? Maybe a few hundred orders at the most? I see a lot of work for not a lot of profit. I think my time could be better spent elsewhere.

Therefore, I came to the conclusion that I’m not going to offer the imperf press sheets on a regular basis. If the USPS does another deal like the Circus souvenir sheet, I may get involved in that again. We’ll see. Stay tuned!