Content of Michel Catalog USA Spezial 2021/2022:

United States of America, Guam, Hawaii, Confederate States of America, Cuba (1898–1902), Panama Canal Zone, Philippines (1898–1946) and Puerto Rico (1898–1900)

Description:

• 10th Anniversary edition after a 7-year break!
• Many new colour photos, also in the classic collection area
• Quick identification of individual stamps due to our ABC list, which has been updated and supplemented to include today’s FOREVER issues
• Revision and adaptation of all 75000+ price quotations that show particularly significant price increases of classic issues in good quality and mint condition
• Plus increases in value concerning contemporary type variations with flawed colours or perforation
• Nearly 800 principal numbers have been added for the first time, most of which have been separated based on postage rate increases and several print shops involved and broken down in a clear and detailed way.
• All novelties presented in MICHEL Rundschau up to No. 7/2021 have been catalogued
• Over 7000 colour photos and approx. 75,500 appraisals

The catalog is organized according to collection areas. Cataloging within these sections is chronological, based on issue date. Special stamp types, like official stamps, are located at the end of a collection area section. In order to assist collectors organize their stamps, numerous illustrations are provided, as well as information on similar stamps to help avoid possible mix-ups.

The “Blue Boy of Alexandria“ is not only rare but even one of a kind: The only envelope with the postmaster stamp of the American city of Alexandria in a striking shade of blue resurfaced on the market in 2019 and, besides being rare, has something else to offer that has always thrilled collectors: a love story. Because even this one and only Blue Boy really shouldn’t exist any more. At the end of the love letter sent in that envelope the sender allegedly asked his sweetheart to burn the whole letter, envelope and all, like all of his other letters. Fortunately she refused to do so, and after her daughter had discovered the letter many decades later, American philately could claim one of its most famous and dearest specimens.

Like many other classic issues, in the new USA Specialised this philatelic highlight can finally be admired not only in the colour that gave the stamp its name but also for its notable price quotation, which is quite dazzling.

Photo: POMM Alexandria MiNo. 2 I

Target Group:

Stamp collectors specialized in issues of the United States, experts, dealers, thematic collectors, study groups, teachers

Additional Information:

10th Edition, in colour
928 pages
155 mm x 230 mm, hardcover
On sale: 6 August 2021
Language: German
ISBN: 978-3-95402-371-4

Press Release

Here comes the 10th edition of the Michel Catalog USA Spezial 2021/2022 – after quite a long pause! The reference work, which has been revised and updated in detail, sparkles in a new dress: Even in the complicated classic collection area almost all stamps are now depicted in colour, which makes identifying of specific issues much easier. With their nearly 6000 MICHEL principal numbers just for stamps of the core area, plus the postmaster stamps from various cities and those of the Confederate States the issues of the United States of America are one of the most complex areas of philately. To provide even more help, the ABC list has been updated and complemented to include today’s FOREVER issues that can now be located more quickly directly in their year of issue, which is printed on the stamp.

As a result of the still generous issuing policy of the U.S. Postal System, almost 800 main numbers – not counting the large number of subtypes – as well as more than 60 foil sheets and stamp booklets had to be included for the first time and specially catalogued. Quite a lot of precision work was required to present the wealth of subtypes on the occasion of postage rate increases in a clear overview because a great number of minor variations are created whenever the issues are printed in several different print shops.

The appraisals, which amount to more than 75 000, were reviewed comprehensively and updated based on the market supply. This has clearly shown that, in the area of classic issues, some specimens in good quality – and here particularly stamps in mint condition – enjoyed quite large increases in value. When liquidating a series of top collections, collectors paid stunning amounts for rare specimens that had not been on the market for years under the aspect of ”quality sells“.

The sale of the “Blue Boy of Alexandria“, that one-of-a-kind legendary  postmaster stamp from a German philatelist’s outstanding collection which changed hands for more than one million U.S. dollars, must be considered a philatelic highlight. Specimens in flawed quality, however, such as unused stamps with hinges, were hard to sell.

The most modifications to the price quotations for contemporary material were made to coil stamps with plate numbers and type variations with colour or perforation flaws. There has been quite a demand for issues missing the phosphor print or perforation, which has led to higher prices. Contemporary material regarding the so-called FOREVER stamps issued in 2010 or later has seen price increases due to the fact that the nominal value of these issues has risen from 44 cents to 55 cents.

All U.S. novelties catalogued up to and including Issue No. 7/2021 of MICHEL Rundschau can be found in this edition. It is a smart idea to subscribe to MICHEL Rundschau, starting with No. 8/2021, or MICHEL Online, so as to stay updated.

We want to thank all assistants and “stamp lovers“ in Germany and abroad who have actively supported the re-editing process with their advice and practical assistance as well as with suggestions for improvements and supplements for their valuable help. Specifically we want to thank Mr. Larry Lyons, Director of the Philatelic Foundation, New York, for supplying us with a large number of colour photos from the databank of his organization. His support is greatly appreciated.

We hope all collectors will enjoy using this anniversary edition of the Michel Catalog USA Spezial 2021/2022, which will finally meet the demand for information they had to do without for the last years.

Schwaneberger Publishing House
The Editorial Team

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