# 4880a - 2014 First-Class Forever Stamp - Imperforate Music Icons Series: Jimi Hendrix

U.S. #4880a

2014 49¢ Jimi Hendrix Imperforate

Music Icons

Part of the Music Icons series, this Jimi Hendrix stamp was issued to honor one of the greatest guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine. Hendrix used guitar and speaker effects to pioneer a new sound and inspire generations. Yet he could not read or write music.

As a young boy in Seattle, Washington, Hendrix (1942-70) was drawn to the guitar, practicing on brooms before he got a real instrument. After a brief time as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, Hendrix became a backup guitarist. He worked with top acts such as Ike and Tina Turner, the Isley Brothers, and Little Richard. 

 Hendrix moved to London in 1966 to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In less than a year, their debut album, Are You Experienced, topped the British charts with such classics as “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze,” and “Foxy Lady.” Hendrix then returned to America to play the Monterey International Pop Festival, becoming an overnight sensation after lighting his guitar on fire during “Wild Thing.” His stage performances became the stuff of legend – his 1969 Woodstock performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is considered one of the defining moments of the 1960s.

Hendrix’ meteoric career was cut short after just four years when he died suddenly in 1970. However, a trove of previously unreleased recordings and countless tributes keep Hendrix near the top of the charts and the inspiration of acts in all types of music.

Artist Rudy Gutierrez used acrylic paints and colored pencils to create the design for the stamps. The vibrant colors resemble artwork from the 1960s. The stamps were arranged diagonally on the panes in blocks of four to give a kaleidoscope effect.

49¢ Jimi Hendrix, issued to satisfy the first-class mail rate

Issue Date: March 13, 2014

City: Austin, TX, at the South by Southwest music festival

Category: Commemorative

Printed By: Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products

Printing Method: Photogravure in sheets of 144, with nine panes of 16 per sheet

Perforations: Imperforate

Self-adhesive

The Jimi Hendrix stamp was the fourth in the Music Icons series. The series, which began in 2013, recognizes American musicians and their impact on the culture of the nation and the world.

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.