Looking for a Nolan Ryan 5,000 strike out $.20 cent USPO stamp.?

Question

My friend has one with Nolan's face and a small pic of him swinging. He is trying to find out if it's worth anything. Can you tell me of a site?

Answer 1

By federal law, living people cannot be honored on United States postage stamps, and Ryan is still among us (yay). This does not apply to stamps from other nations, however, and some have turned it into a cottage industry, particularly Grenada and St. Vincent in the Caribbean. Such collectible stamps were common in the 1980s through early 90s during the first big baseball card boom and glut.

Besides... Ryan rang up Henderson for #5000 in 1989; by that time the US first class rate was 25 cents with 21 cents for the second ounce. Not that stamps priced lower than first class/1 ounce don't exist, but it hardly seems likely that a 20-center would be produced soon after. The USPO takes its time about everything.

For valuation, surf eBay for completed sales of the same or similar items.

Answer 2

The person swinging wouldn't be Nolan Ryan, but Rickey Henderson, who was Ryan's 5000th strike out victim.

Henderson was also the last out of Ryan's 6th no-hitter. And of course, the day that Henderson passed Lou Brock as the North American Major League career stolen base champ, Ryan took away Hendersons limelight just a few hours later by pitching his 7th career no-hitter.