Draft:Printer's Waste

Printer's waste encompasses various issues related to postage stamp production, including unfinished products, defective stamps known as errors, freaks, and oddities (EFOs), damaged items, and failed printing trials.

Most of this material is intercepted at the printing facility and designated for destruction, either on-site or elsewhere. However, considering the billions of stamps produced annually, it's inevitable that some of this waste avoids destruction and ends up being purchased by postal customers. Furthermore, there's always a risk of employees stealing EFOs and other waste materials, which could then be sold to stamp dealers or collectors for significant amounts.

Printer's waste stamps do not have a Scott catalogue number and usually are not covered in philately catalogs. Printer's waste are usually considered stolen property and can be confiscated by the law enforcement.

The majority of the printers waste is found imperforate.

Nixon invert
One of the most famous examples of printer's waste is the Nixon invert (32¢, Scott 2955) issued in 1995, when a printing plant employee stole a set of misprinted inverted stamps and later sold it to some dealers. The first stamp that went to sale to the public sold for $16,675 in an auction. The printing plant employee was later arrested and charged for theft. Out of the 160 stamps that were stolen, all were recovered but two. The dealer's claimed that the 2 stamps are lost, but it is presumed they are in the hands of private collectors. The stamps cannot be sold publicly and if there whereabouts become known, they can be confiscated.

Other examples

 * Imperf 1893 Columbian 2¢ (Scott 231)
 * 1969 6¢ Apollo 8 (Scott 1371) - It have been known to trade the marketplace between $1500 to $2000 USD.
 * 1975 10¢ Pioneer-Jupiter (Scott 1556) - It have been known to trade the marketplace between $1500 to $2000 USD.