U.S. Seasonal Christmas Postage Stamps
Stamps have long been a collectible for many people. Holidays like Christmas have produced a wide number of designs and options of stamps. Here are some questions that may come up when selecting Christmas-themed stamps.
What types of Christmas stamps are available?The U.S. Postal Service has produced a number of stamp options for Christmas. Understanding the different types can be helpful when making a selection.
- Booklet: Self-adhesive stamp booklets will be printed on sheets of cardboard. These will typically have a decorative cover that depicts the stamps and will usually contain 20 in each booklet.
- Press sheet: Press sheets can contain hundreds of Christmas stamps and are produced by the Postal Service in uncut sheets. Some are eventually cut into smaller panels, but press sheets are available for collectors.
- Pane: These will typically be smaller sheets of holiday stamps. This can be a suitable option if you’re wanting to collect the series of designs without having to acquire a whole press sheet.
It can be difficult to make a choice with the number of holiday options available. Here are some tips for making a selection.
- Select a style: You can choose to collect individual stamps, sheets, panes, or booklets depending on what kind of collection that you want.
- Select a design: Each year, the U.S. Postal Service produces a new set of Christmas and holiday stamps. If you’re going to use them to send out Christmas cards, try and select from the various Forever-stamps that are available. Christmas styles have been made for over 50 years, so there is a large number of older Christmas stamps to choose for your collection.
- Select a subject: Some will display reproductions of various works of art while others will depict cartoon characters like Charlie Brown. Some themes will be used in multiple years, and you can collect a particular subject.
Whether you’re looking to collect certain Christmas stamps or you want to add an extra touch to your Christmas cards, there are several things to consider when making a selection. Here are some tips for what to look for.
- Decide on what type of collection that you want. Individual postage stamps may be easier to find, and you can decide on which ones to start with. Some collectors will decide upon a theme while others will try to obtain a full collection.
- Choose a quality. Many older postage stamps will have postmarks on them that can give you an idea of where they were delivered. Mint Never Hinged varieties will be more common with stamp-panes and newer releases.
- Choose a denomination. The U.S. Postal Service will occasionally change the price of stamps. This can be helpful if you are searching for pieces from a particular time period. You can use the denomination to help reference when the Christmas stamps were made.