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| Flag Over Porch | |||||
| by Mike Goodman | |||||
 If you like studying US definitives you'll find plenty to occupy your time with the 32c Flag Over Porch issue. It's common and recent, but it offers more than a dozen main varieties as well as plate numbers and booklet combinations.
Its introduction coincided with the wide availability of self-stick stamps in different formats with different die cutting gauges, while the USPS used three different printers, and also used three different year date imprints in combinations of red and blue. With a little practice single die cut specimens can easily be distinguished from perforated ones by the clean cut separations, while the gauge is usually different. The first "Flags" appeared from 18 April 1995 to pay the First Class domestic letter rate that had been increased from 29c as from 1 January 1995. They replaced the "G" series provisionals, another variety-rich issue. The traditional theme of the design undoubtedly contributes to the issue's appeal. Designer Dave LaFleur of Derby Kansas told reporters at the launch ceremony: "I wanted an Americana feel, a very straightforward association with small town USA where everyone flies their flag off the porch". Perhaps LaFleur was inspired by the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia where the first US flag was produced by Betsy Ross in 1776. In those days there were only 13 states. Distinguishing the different varieties is a philatelic challenge, especially when they were still being issued and the philatelic press and collectors had yet to "digest" new variants. Linn's Stamp News has provided a mine of information on a continuing basis. The Scott Specialised Catalogue took some time to number the different variants, and in my opinion it has yet to list them adequately. The writer has easily filled 16 album pages with this issue and no doubt specialists can fill up entire albums. The best starting point is to distinguish between the three different printers, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), Stamp Venturers (SVS) and Avery Dennison (AD). Avery Dennison printings are distinguished by the thicker "USA 32" and a pale blue background. They were the first to appear on 18 April 1995, the issue having been advanced a month to meet demand for self sticks. They are booklet stamps, die cut 8.7 on 2, 3 or 4 sides. The first plate bore a small blue 1995 date imprint and is scarce (Scott 2920b). Subsequent printings, designated Scott 2920 bear a larger date. Avery Dennison also produced coil stamps, die cut 8.7 vertically, issued on the same date and bearing a large blue 1995 date (Scott 2915). These are scarce, particularly used, as they were sold mainly through the US Philatelic Bureau.
The prints of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing show a thin "USA 32". The Sky is a darker blue than on other prints, and the curtains of the house are darker. But the main feature is that all bear a red date imprint. The first BEP prints were issued on 19 May 1995 with red 1995 date, perforated 10.8 x 9.8 on two or three sides, on ordinary gummed paper and in booklet panes of 10 (Scott 2916). They exist imperforate in error (Scott 2916b). Another BEP booklet stamp followed in 1996, die cut 9.8 with a red 1996 date (Scott 2921). A further variety bears a 1997 date and was issued 24 January 1997 in booklet panes of 15 - one pane of 10 plus one of five with label (Scott 2921c). BEP also printed coil stamps. The first issued 19 May 1995 bearing a red 1995 date and perforated 9.8 has pronounced light blue shading in the flag (Scott 2913). In 1997 it was reissued with shiny gum but still with the 1995 date. The following year on 21 May 1996 these coil stamps were issued die cut 9.8. The gauge may be identical to the perforated ones, but the imprint is always 1996. There are several variants of this stamp (Scott 2915A) with straight cuts at the bottom or the top. There are also four different styles of die cutting, distinguished under a magnifier by the "ties" - the narrow pieces of paper which remain on the die cut edges. BEP used different suppliers for the die mats, two suppliers chemically etched them and a third machined them. Style 'A' has no ties on the straight portion of the die cut, Style 'B' has "dot" ties, Style 'C' is clean cut with no ties, while with Style 'D' the ties resemble "dashes". A further coil variety was die cut 11 with a 1996 date (Scott 2915C) with Style 'A' die cut only. This too was issued 21 May 1996. In 1997 the die cut 9.8 coil was reissued with a 1997 year date (Scott 2915D). This is also distinguished from the 1996 issue by the rounded die cut corners at top and bottom. It was issued on peelable backing paper larger than the stamps. Plate numbers on coils add much to the spice of varieties in this issue. Some, like Scott 2914, 2915, 2915B, 2915D and 3133 bear only one number. But 2913 and 2915A boast over 10 different plate numbers. Add to that the die cut styles and the fact that some copies of 2915A have 10 or 11 teeth per side and there are some interesting and sometimes scarce combinations. Complete booklet panes also bear plate numbers. Scott 2920 appears in self- stick panes of 20 with a "Time to Re-order" label. These were folded to make booklets. All bear plate numbers beginning with "V". The "small 1995" date mentioned earlier only appears on plate V11111. There are also panes of 5 and 10 for other booklet stamps. Some booklet covers bear special slogans. So called "makeshift" booklets and panes were produced in panes of 15 plus label. These were a stopgap measure to get $4.80 one pane, and $9.60 two pane booklets into vending machines taking $5 and $10 bills. The purpose was to minimise the change needed. Interesting ephemera connected with this issue include souvenir panes "vended" free at Pacific '97 by Avery Dennison to show how postage was vended through bank cash machines. Many self-stick panes of the 32c flags were sold in this way. Inevitably there appeared colour shifts, scarce missing colours and imperforate varieties. In February 1999, with a rise in postage rates, the "Flag Over Porch" was superseded by the 33c "Flag and City" series, and in April 1999 by the "Fruit Berries". These also yield some interesting varieties, for example the small and large red 1999 dates on the "Flag and City" coils and the linerless 33c coil of the Fruit Berries. Newer specimens show year 2000 dates. But that is another and continuing story. Note. The Scott Catalogue numbers for this article are taken from the 2000 edition of the United States Specialised Catalogue. Later editions carry a number of changes, notably bringing in as major varieties a number of varieties previously listed as minor varieties. One such is Scott 2920D (previously 2920d) - the 11.3 die cut booklet stamp with blue 1996 year date. | |||||
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| Reprinted with permission from The Mayflower, journal of the American Stamp Club of Great Britain | |||||
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