Linn’s Stamp News reported last month that “all” 2020 U.S. “press sheets” had been removed from online sales, because quantities were too low. Since press sheets are rarely sold by USPS operations other than Stamp Fulfillment Services, and that operation is only taking orders by mail, in effect the press sheets were no longer available.

Press sheets are multi-pane sheets, as they come off the printing press. They are then perforated and cut apart to form the panes or “sheets” sold in post offices. There are often eight panes in a press sheet.

Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts tells The Virtual Stamp Club that only the first four 2020 press sheets have been taken off sale, and those are now completely sold out. However, the USPS continues to produce press sheets.

They are produced by the U.S. Postal Service in limited quantities, and often sell out quickly. This apparently has been the case in 2020.

The four 2020 issues whose press sheets have sold out are Year of the Rat, Made of Hearts, Gwen Ifill and Arnold Palmer. No press sheet was produced for the Maine Statehood stamp.

VSC also asked if ceremony programs had been produced, and then not put on sale, for ceremonies that had been canceled. “Ceremony Programs were not produced for cancelled events, Betts replied.