Plate blocks

Well, I just received my June shipment of plate blocks from Israel Post. The With Love definitive stamp came as a plate block of 4. Unfortunately, looking at the sheet, the plate block should have been a block of 6. The Menorah symbol (signifying first printing) is on the margin of the 3rd stamp down on the right side of the sheet. So, a block of 4 would not have this. Just something to watch out for.

My plate block collection was started by buying a few collections. Unfortunately, these collections ended around 1996. Starting in 2007, I subscribed to Israel post to get the new issue plate blocks directly. So, I have a roughly 10 year gap in my collection. Unlike the earlier Israel stamps, the ones I need are still valid for postage, and are therefore rather expensive, even at just face value. Last week, I saw a lot on E-bay offering 124 plate blocks from this missing decade in my collection with a total face value of NIS1658 (roughly $425). The starting bid was $299 (roughly 70% of face). I was the only bidder. It looks like I saved 30% (plus shipping costs) by not getting these direct from the postal service. A good deal for me, but a bad sign on the future value of my collection of these, I think.