STAMPS: BEP vs KCS printing

Mike Noel

unread,

Jul 30, 1991, 3:51:13 PM7/30/91

to

As I was trying to catalog some new US issues I realized that some of
the stamps from the same issue have been printed by different
companies and have been given different Scott numbers depending on
which company printed the stamp. For example, the F rate stamp has
two different numbers.

I have seen a couple times that the same issue of a stamp has been
printed by both BEP and KCS. I guess that BEP is the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing but I don't know what KCS is. Also, how can I
tell if a stamp has been printed by BEP vs KCS?

***************************************************************************
* Mike NOel * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* no...@cse.ogi.edu * He who laughs last is usually the dumbest *
***************************************************************************

thanks for any information.

Steve Anderson

unread,

Jul 31, 1991, 12:01:07 PM7/31/91

to

In article <24...@ogicse.ogi.edu>, no...@ogicse.cse.ogi.edu (Mike Noel) writes:
>
> As I was trying to catalog some new US issues I realized that some of
> the stamps from the same issue have been printed by different
> companies and have been given different Scott numbers depending on
> which company printed the stamp. For example, the F rate stamp has
> two different numbers.
>
> I have seen a couple times that the same issue of a stamp has been
> printed by both BEP and KCS. I guess that BEP is the Bureau of
> Engraving and Printing but I don't know what KCS is. Also, how can I
> tell if a stamp has been printed by BEP vs KCS?
>

You got BEP right. The information I have on KCS is that company is called
KCS Industries and is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. KCS is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Banta Corporation. Things get muddy here. There are three
other companies which really control KCS. These are Banta Security Printing
(30%), Fergusson Stamp Venture Group (30%), and Unique Binders, Inc (40%).
Unique Binders is a subsidiary of Sennett Enterprises. Sennett Enterprises
and Stamp Venturers are run by the same guy. Sennett also does the printing
for Fergusson. My source on this is Linns.

Editorial on - IMHO all of this is a ruse to fool the federal procurement
process into thinking there is competition when in fact there is none. Except
for USBNC and the BEP, all of the bids are really coming from the same person.
If my memory serves me right, this person was convicted of price fixing in
the late 70's along with another person who now heads the procurement process
for the USPS. I suspect this will be just another one of the long series
of scandals which have come out of the Reagan and Bush administrations. The
real losers in all of this is the American taxpayer. Editorial off.

Now how can you tell the stamps apart. KCS did the booklets for the F-stamp,
the 29c Tulip, the Wood Duck (red lettering), and the Flag with Olympic ring
issues. So if the stamp has one or two straight edges, it was done by KCS.

Steve Anderson

Mike Noel

unread,

Aug 1, 1991, 10:13:27 PM8/1/91

to

In article <11010...@timbuk.cray.com> s...@redwood19.cray.com (Steve Anderson) writes:
]>
]>In article <24...@ogicse.ogi.edu>, no...@ogicse.cse.ogi.edu (Mike Noel) writes:
]>>
<some stuff deleted>
]>>
]>> I have seen a couple times that the same issue of a stamp has been

]>> printed by both BEP and KCS. I guess that BEP is the Bureau of
]>> Engraving and Printing but I don't know what KCS is. Also, how can I
]>> tell if a stamp has been printed by BEP vs KCS?
]>>
]>
]>You got BEP right. The information I have on KCS is that company is called
]>KCS Industries and is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. KCS is a wholly owned
]>subsidiary of Banta Corporation. Things get muddy here. There are three
]>other companies which really control KCS. These are Banta Security Printing
]>(30%), Fergusson Stamp Venture Group (30%), and Unique Binders, Inc (40%).
]>Unique Binders is a subsidiary of Sennett Enterprises. Sennett Enterprises
]>and Stamp Venturers are run by the same guy. Sennett also does the printing
]>for Fergusson. My source on this is Linns.

]>
<an editorial deleted>
]>
]>Now how can you tell the stamps apart. KCS did the booklets for the F-stamp,

]>the 29c Tulip, the Wood Duck (red lettering), and the Flag with Olympic ring
]>issues. So if the stamp has one or two straight edges, it was done by KCS.
]>
]>Steve Anderson

Thanks for the info on the 29c Tulip, the Wood Duck, and the Flag with
Olympic rings. However, The Stamp Collector (newspaper) explains that
the F-rate flower stamp was issued in booklets by both BEP and KCS.
How can I tell these two apart?

Also, by "one or two straight edges" I assume you mean adjacent
edges.

***************************************************************************
* Mike NOel * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* no...@cse.ogi.edu * He who laughs last is usually the dumbest *
***************************************************************************

--

Fred Rump from home

unread,

Aug 1, 1991, 9:21:23 PM8/1/91

to

s...@redwood19.cray.com (Steve Anderson) writes:

>I suspect this will be just another one of the long series
>of scandals which have come out of the Reagan and Bush administrations. The
>real losers in all of this is the American taxpayer. Editorial off.

I don't quite get the connection here. The USPS is an independent agency that
is not supposed to be under direct government control as it used to be.

It makes it's own rules and being that there is no real competition, these
rules can be quite liberal in setting up costs for labor, equipment and
outsourcing of jobs.

I think the congress run by the Democrats for these last few decades is more
to blame than the current administration of the federal government for job
padding and general inefficiency of government. I know this does not belong in
rec.collecting but let's at least face facts.

Fred
--
W. Fred Rump office: fr...@COMPU.COM
26 Warren St. home: fr...@icdi10.COMPU.COM
Beverly, NJ. 08010 bang: ...{dsinc uunet}!cdin-1!icdi10!fred
609-386-6846 "Freude... Alle Menschen werden Brueder..." - The Ode

Steve Anderson

unread,

Aug 2, 1991, 12:43:50 PM8/2/91

to

In article <24...@ogicse.ogi.edu>, no...@ogicse.ogi.edu (Mike Noel) writes:
> However, The Stamp Collector (newspaper) explains that
> the F-rate flower stamp was issued in booklets by both BEP and KCS.
> How can I tell these two apart?
>

Yup, that's right. Haven't got a clue, yet on how to tell them apart. AP
just mentions that there were two printers without any additional comments.
If you are lucky enough to get a plate number, it will have a K prefix for
the KCS printing. The BEP printing will have no prefix. Anybody else out
there know? I'll dig some more this weekend, but we are buying a house and
moving soon so things are a mess.

> Also, by "one or two straight edges" I assume you mean adjacent
> edges.
>

Generally this is true, but for some of the commemorative sized booklets, the
stamps look like coils with straight edges on opposite sides.

Steve Anderson

Douglas Harms

unread,

Aug 3, 1991, 12:52:27 PM8/3/91

to

In article <24...@ogicse.ogi.edu>, no...@ogicse.cse.ogi.edu (Mike Noel) writes:
>

> (some stuff deleted)

>
> I have seen a couple times that the same issue of a stamp has been
> printed by both BEP and KCS. I guess that BEP is the Bureau of
> Engraving and Printing but I don't know what KCS is. Also, how can I
> tell if a stamp has been printed by BEP vs KCS?

Regarding the F booklet stamp, the May issue of Scott Stamp Monthly (page 59)
briefly describes the differences between the KCS booklet (#2520) and the BEP
booklet (#2519) as follows:

"No. 2519 has bullseye perforations that measure approximately 11.2. No. 2520
has less pronounced black lines in the leaf, which is a much brighter green
than No. 2519."

Since I do not have both stamps, I cannot speak from experience how easy it is
to tell them apart, but it seems that having at least one copy of each would
help alot!

--Doug