U.S. # 4825-44b
2013 46¢ Harry Potter Imperforate
Souvenir Booklet
Living with his aunt and uncle, young Harry Potter believed he was an ordinary boy. But when hundreds of owls began delivering letters to his home, he soon discovered that he was a wizard, invited to attend the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Known far and wide in the magical world as the best school of its kind, Hogwarts was founded over 1,000 years ago by four witches and wizards. They divided the school into four houses, each one selecting students based on particular traits. There are the brave Gryffindor, patient Hufflepuff, intelligent Ravenclaw, and cunning Slytherin. Each house also has its own mascot, further exemplifying these traits – the Gryffindor lion, Hufflepuff badger, Ravenclaw eagle, and Slytherin snake.
Throughout the school year, students compete in a “House Cup,” earning or losing points for good and bad deeds. They also earn points through Quidditch games, a sport where students fly high above the ground on magical brooms.
Author J.K. Rowling has said she may have named the school after the hogwort plant, which she had seen in Kew Gardens. She also chose the school’s motto, “Never tickle a sleeping dragon,” to poke fun at the generic and sensible mottos of most schools.
Value: 46¢ 1-ounce first-class letter rate
Issued: November 19, 2013
First Day City: Orlando, FL at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort
Type of Stamp: Commemorative
Method: Offset printing in souvenir booklets of 20
Perforation: Imperforate
Self-Adhesive
This set of 20 stamps shows scenes from the popular Harry Potter movies. They were the first U.S. stamps to show photographs of living people.
Scarce Modern Imperforates
The modern imperforate stamps are one of the hottest stories around. In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service released some issues as press sheets. The sheets with die cut perforations were issued in limited quantities.
To the surprise of many collectors, officials then issued a small number of press sheets without perforations. The uncut sheets were only available in Kansas City, Missouri, yet most sold out immediately. In an instant, the imperforate stamp sheets became modern rarities. For example, only 75,000 Baseball All-Star se-tenant sheets were issued compared to 118,000 Bugs Bunny sheets with the 10th stamp imperforate.
In a controversial move, the editors of Scott Catalogue announced they would not list or give numbers to these stamps because they did not fit Scott guidelines. This decision was strongly debated since the imperforate stamps are valid for postage. They eventually decided to give the stamps minor numbers and have continued issuing imperforates in the years since.
Because they were issued in such limited quantities, these scarce modern imperforates can be difficult to find. Luckily Mystic purchased a small number of each imperforate stamp issued so you can add these modern rarities to your collection. Be one of the lucky few – order today.