Glossary of Stamp-Collecting Terms For New Collectors | Linns.com None K Keytype: A basic stamp design utilized for the issues of two or more postal entities, usually differing in the country name and inscription of value. Many of the earlier colonial issues of Britain, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal are keytypes. Kiloware: A stamp mixture consisting of miscellaneous postally used stamps on envelope corner paper from various sources. Kiloware is sometimes sold by the kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). L Label: Any stamplike adhesive that is not a postage stamp or revenue stamp. Laid paper: One of the two basic types of paper used in stamp printing. Laid paper is distinguished from wove paper by the presence of thin, parallel lines visible when the paper is held to light. The lines are usually a few millimeters apart. See also Batonne. Letterpress: Printing done directly from the inked, raised surface of the printing plate. Line engraving: Printing done from an intaglio plate produced from a hand-engraved die and transfer roll rather than by photographic or chemical means. See also Gravure.

Line pair: A pair of coil stamps with a printed line between them. Stamps produced on a flatbed press have a line from the guideline between panes. Stamps produced on a rotary press have a joint line from the space where ink collects between the sections of curved rotary plates. Liner: Coated paper used as a backing for mint self-adhesive stamps. The liner allows the release of the stamp, which may then be applied with pressure to envelope paper. Linerless: An experimental form of self-adhesive coil stamp that requires no liner. The mint stamps are rolled upon each other in a manner similar to adhesive tape. See United States Scott 3132, 3133. Lithography: Printing from a flat surface with a design area that is ink-receptive. The area that is not to print is ink-repellant. The process is based on the principle that an oil-based design surface will attract oily ink. Locals: Stamps valid within a limited area or within a limited postal system. Local post mail requires the addition of nationally or internationally valid stamps for further service. Locals have been produced both privately and officially.

M Machin: The name given to a well-known series of British definitive stamps first issued in 1967. The design of the stamp depicts a plaster portrait of Queen Elizabeth II created by artist Arnold Machin. Mail Early block: "U.S. marginal marking block with the selvage bearing the inscription ""Mail Early (in the Day).'' This first appeared on U.S. marginal selvage in 1968. It was subsequently replaced by the copyright notice. ME blocks typically consist of four or six stamps." Makeshift booklets: U.S. stamp booklets manufactured using stamps normally issued in individual panes, packaged in generic blue cardboard covers and dispensed by vending machines. Marcophily: Postmark collecting. Margin: 1) The selvage surrounding the stamps in a sheet, often carrying inscriptions of various kinds. 2) The unprinted border area around the stamp design. The collectible grades of stamps are determined by the position of the design in relation to the edge of the stamp as perforated or, in the case of imperforate stamps, as cut from the sheet. Mat: A hard rubber plate used to apply overprints on postage stamps. Maximaphily: Maximum card collecting.

maximum card: A picture postcard, a cancel, and a stamp presenting maximum concordance. The stamp is usually affixed to the picture side of the card and is tied by the cancel. Collectors of maximum cards seek to find or create cards with stamp, cancel and picture in maximum agreement, or concordance. The statutes of the International Federation of Philately (FIP) give specific explanatory notes for the postage stamp, the picture postcard, the cancel, concordance of subject, concordance of place and concordance of time. (See Exhibiting chapter.) Meter: The mechanical or digital device that creates a valid denominated postage imprint known as a meter stamp. Postage is prepaid to the regulating postal authority. Meters were authorized by the UPU in 1920. They are used today by volume mailers to cut the cost of franking mail. Microprinting: Extremely small letters or numbers added to the designs of selected United States stamps as a security feature. In most cases, 8-power magnification or greater is needed to read microprinting. Miniature sheet: A smaller-than-normal pane of stamps issued only in that form or in addition to full panes.

A miniature sheet is usually without marginal markings or text saying that the sheet was issued in conjunction with or to commemorate some event. See also Souvenir sheet. Mint: A stamp in the same state as issued by a post office: unused, undamaged and with full original gum (if issued with gum). Over time, handling, light and atmospheric conditions may affect the mint state of stamps. Mirror image: An offset negative or reverse impression. Mission mixture: The lowest grade of stamp mixture, containing unsorted but primarily common stamps on paper, as purchased from missions or other institutions. See also Bank mixture. Missionaries: The first stamps of Hawaii, issued 1851-52, considered among the great classics of philately. Mixed perforation: See Compound perforation. Mixed postage: The franking on a cover bearing the stamps of two or more stamp-issuing entities, properly used. Mixture: A large group of stamps, understood to contain duplication. A mixture is said to be unpicked or picked. A picked mixture may have had stamps removed by a collector or dealer. Mobile Post Office: Portable mail-handling equipment and personnel, generally in railroad cars, streetcars, trucks or buses.

Mount: Acetate holders, clear on the front and with some sort of adhesive on the back. Collectors use mounts to affix stamps or covers to album or exhibit pages. Multicolor: More than two colors. Multiple: An unseparated unit of stamps including at least two stamps, but fewer than the number included in a full pane. ME block: "U.S. marginal marking block with the selvage bearing the inscription ""Mail Early (in the Day).'' This first appeared on U.S. marginal selvage in 1968. It was subsequently replaced by the copyright notice. ME blocks typically consist of four or six stamps." MPO: Mobile Post Office. Portable mail-handling equipment and personnel, generally in railroad cars, streetcars, trucks or buses. N Native paper: Crude, handmade paper produced locally, as opposed to finer, machine-made paper. Never hinged: A stamp without hinge marks. A never-hinged (NH) stamp usually has original gum, but this is not always the case. New issue service: A dealer service that automatically supplies subscribers with new issues of a given country, area or topic.

The issues provided are determined by a prearranged standing order that defines the quantity and types of issues. Newspaper stamps: Stamps issued specifically for the prepayment of mailing rates for newspapers, periodicals and printed matter. Nondenominated: A stamp with no numerical inscription designating the face value. The value of some nondenominated stamps are marked by a designated letter. Others may have a service inscription that indicates the rate the stamp fulfills. NH: Never Hinged. A stamp without hinge marks. A never-hinged (NH) stamp usually has original gum, but this is not always the case. O Obliteration: 1) A cancellation intended solely to deface a stamp-also called a killer. 2) An overprint intended to deface a portion of the design of a stamp, such as the face of a deposed ruler. Obsolete: A stamp no longer available from post offices, although possibly still postally valid. Occupation issue: An issue released for use in territory occupied by a foreign power. Off-center: A stamp design that is not centered in relation to the edges of the stamp. Generally, off-center stamps are less desirable than stamps more nearly centered in relation to the edges.

Stamps that are extremely off-center may be added to collections as production freaks. Offices abroad: At various times, many nations have maintained post offices in other countries, usually because of the unreliability of the local postal system. In China and the Turkish Empire, especially, many foreign nations maintained their own postal systems as part of their extraterritorial powers. Usually, special stationery and stamps were used by these offices. Most consisted of overprints on the regular issues of the nations maintaining the offices. Official: Stamp or stationery issued solely for the use of government departments and officials. In many countries such items may be available to collectors in unused condition from the postal authority. Offset: 1) A printing process that transfers an inked image from a plate to a roller. The roller then applies the ink to paper. 2) The transfer of part of a stamp design or an overprint from one sheet to the back of another, before the ink has dried (also called set off). Such impressions are in reverse (see Mirror image). They are different from stamps printed on both sides. OHMS: Abbreviation for On His (or Her) Majesty's Service.

Used in perfins, overprints or franks to indicate Official use in the British Commonwealth. Omnibus issue: An issue released by several postal entities to celebrate a common theme. Omnibus issues may or may not share a keytype design. On paper: Stamps (usually postally used) that are affixed to portions of original envelope or wrapper. Often used to describe stamps prior to soaking. On piece: A stamp on a portion of the original envelope or wrapper showing all or most of the cancel. Stamps on piece are usually saved that way. Original gum: The adhesive coating on a mint or unused stamp or envelope flap applied by a postal authority or security printer, usually before the item was issued. Upon request of stamp collectors, postal authorities have at times offered to add gum to items first issued ungummed. See also Regummed. Overprint: Any printing over the original completed design of a stamp. An overprint that changes the value of a stamp is also called a surcharge. Oxidation: Darkening of the ink on certain stamps caused by contact with air or light. Some inks used to print stamps, especially oranges, may in time turn brown or black.

OG: The adhesive coating on a mint or unused stamp or envelope flap applied by a postal authority or security printer, usually before the item was issued. Upon request of stamp collectors, postal authorities have at times offered to add gum to items first issued ungummed. See also Regummed. P Packet: 1) A presorted selection of all-different stamps, a common and economical way to begin a general collection; 2) a ship operating on a regular schedule and contracted by a government or post office to carry mail. Packet letter: A letter carried by a ship operating on a regular schedule and carrying mail by contract with a government or a post office. Pair: Two unseparated stamps. Pane: "The unit into which a full press sheet is divided before sale at post offices. What a post office customer may refer to as a ""sheet of stamps"" is more properly called a pane. Most United States full sheets are divided into four or more regular panes or many more booklet panes before they are shipped to post offices." Paquebot: Cancellation indicating an item was mailed aboard a ship.

Par Avion: "A French phrase meaning ""By Air,'' it appears on airmail etiquettes of most countries, along with a similar phrase in the predominant language of the country of origin." Parcel post stamps: Special stamps created for payment of parcel post fees. Part-perforate: A stamp with all perforations missing on one or more sides, but with at least one side perforated. Paste-up: The ends of rolls of coiled stamps joined together with glue or tape. Pelure paper: A strong, thin paper occasionally used in stamp printing. Pelure paper is translucent and resembles a slightly dark, thin onion-skin paper. Pen canceled: Stamps canceled with an ink pen or marker pen rather than a handstamp or machine cancel. Many early stamps were routinely canceled by pen. A pen cancel may also indicate that a stamp was used as a fiscal. Modern stamps may be pen canceled if a sorting clerk or delivery carrier notices a stamp has been missed by a canceling machine. Penny Black: The black 1-penny British stamp issued May 6, 1840, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria. It is the world's first adhesive stamp issued for the prepayment of postage.

Perfins: Stamps perforated through the face with identifying initials, designs or holes in coded positions. Perfins are normally used by a business or government office to discourage pilferage or misuse of stamps by employees. Perfins may be either privately or officially produced. Perforation: The punching out of holes between stamps to make separation easy. 1) Comb perforation-three sides of a stamp are perforated at once, with the process repeated in rows. 2) Harrow perforation-the entire sheet or unit of stamps is perforated in one operation. 3) Line perforation-holes are punched one row at a time. Line perforations are distinguished by the uneven crossing of perforation lines and irregular corners. Comb and harrow perforations usually show alignment of holes at the corners. Some forms of perforation may be difficult to distinguish. Perforation gauge: A scale printed or designed on metal, transparent or opaque plastic, cardboard or other material to measure the number of perforation holes or teeth within the space of 2 centimeters. Permit: Franking by the imprint of a number and additional information that identifies a mailer's prepaid postage account, thereby eliminating the need to affix and cancel stamps on large mailings.

The mailer must obtain a document (permit) that authorizes his use of this procedure. Phantom philately: The collection of bogus stamps. The name is derived from Frederick Melville's book Phantom Philately, one of the pioneer works on bogus issues. Philatelic cover: An envelope, postal card or other item franked and mailed by a stamp collector to create a collectible object. It may or may not have carried a personal or business message. A nonphilatelic cover is usually one that has carried business or personal correspondence and has had its stamps applied by a noncollector. Some stamps are known only on collector-created covers. It is impossible to say whether some covers are philatelically inspired or not. See also Used and Postally used. Philately: The collection and study of postage stamps, postal stationery and postal history. Phosphor: A chemical substance used in the production of selected stamps to activate machines that automatically cancel mail. The machines react to the phosphor under ultraviolet light. In 1959, Great Britain began to print phosphor lines on some of its stamps. See also Tagging. Photogravure: A modern stamp-printing process that is a form of intaglio printing.

Plates are made photographically and chemically, rather than by hand engraving a die and transferring it to a plate. The ink in this process rests in the design depressions. The surface of the printing plate is wiped clean. The paper is forced into the depressions and picks up the ink, in a manner much like the line-engraved printing process. Pictorial: Stamp bearing a picture of some sort, other than a portrait or coat of arms. Plate: The basic printing unit on a press used to produce stamps. Early stamps were printed from flat plates. Curved or cylindrical plates are used for most modern stamps. See also Cylinder and Sleeve. Plate block: A block of stamps from the corner or side of a pane including the selvage bearing the number(s) of the plate(s) used to print the sheet from which the pane was separated. Some stamp production methods, like booklet production, normally cut off plate numbers. In the United States, plate number blocks are collected normally as blocks of four to 20 stamps, depending on the press used to print the stamps. When each stamp in a pane is a different design, the entire pane is collected as the plate block.

Plate number: Numerals or an alphanumeric combination that identifies the printing plate used to print postage stamp images. In the United States, plate numbers on sheet stamps often appear in corner margin paper or side margin paper. Plate numbers on coil stamps were commonly trimmed off until about 1980; since then the number appears on stamps at specific intervals. Booklet plate numbers are often found on selvage attached to the pane. Plating: The reconstruction of a stamp pane by collecting blocks and individual stamps representing various positions. This is possible for many older issues, but most modern issues are too uniform to make the identification of individual positions possible. Plebiscite issue: A stamp issue promoting a popular vote. After World War I, a number of disputed areas were placed under temporary League of Nations administration, pending plebiscites to determine which nation the populace wished to join. Special issues note the upcoming vote in several of these areas; among them, Allenstein, Carinthia, Eastern Silesia, Marienwerder, Schleswig and Upper Silesia. PNC: 1) A plate number coil stamp; that is, a stamp from a coil that is inscribed with a plate number.

The abbreviations PNC3 and PNC5 identify strips of three or five coil stamps with the PNC located in the center position of the strip. 2) A philatelic-numismatic combination: a cover bearing a stamp and containing a coin, medal or token. The coin and stamp are usually related in such cases; often the cover is canceled on the first day of use of the coin. Pneumatic post: Letter distribution through pressurized air tubes. Pneumatic posts existed in many large cities in Europe, and special stamps and stationery were often produced for the service. Postage dues: Stamps or markings indicating that insufficient postage has been affixed to the mailing piece. Postage dues are usually affixed at the office of delivery. The additional postage is collected from the addressee. Postal card: A government-produced postcard bearing a stamp imprint in the upper-right corner representing prepayment of postage. Postal fiscal: Revenue or fiscal stamps used postally. Postal history: The study of postal markings, rates and routes, or anything to do with the history of the posts. Postal stationery: Stationery bearing imprinted stamps, as opposed to adhesive stamps.

Postal stationery includes postal cards, lettercards, stamped envelopes, wrappers, aerograms, telegraph cards, postal savings forms and similar government-produced items. The cost to the mailer is often the price of postage plus an additional charge for the stationery item. Postally used: "A stamp or cover that has seen legitimate postal use, as opposed to one that has been canceled-to-order or favor-canceled. The term ""postally used"" suggests that an item exists because it was used to carry a personal or business communication, without the sender thinking of creating an item to be collected." Postcard: A small card, usually with a picture on one side and a space for a written message on the other. Postcards have no imprinted stamp, so the mailer must also purchase postage to mail the postcard. See also Postal card. Postmark: Any official postal marking. The term is usually used specifically in reference to cancellations bearing the name of a post office of origin and a mailing date. Precancel: "Stamp with a special overprint cancellation allowing it to bypass normal canceling.

In some cases the precancel also designates a specific mail-handling service, such as ""Presorted First-Class."" Other precancels may include the city and state of the issuing post office. Precanceled stamps are used by volume mailers who hold a permit to use them. U.S. precancels fall into two categories: 1) Locals have the mark or text applied by a town or city post office; 2) Bureaus have the mark or text applied by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. See also Service inscribed." Prestamp covers: Folded letters or their outer enclosures used before the introduction of adhesive postage stamps or postal stationery. Prestige booklet: A stamp booklet with oversized panes, descriptive information and stamp issues commemorating a special topic. Prestige booklets often include panes with no stamps that instead bear labels or additional information, along with panes bearing stamps. Prexies: The nickname for the U.S. 1938-54 Presidential definitive series, Scott 803-34, 839-51.

Printer's waste: Misprinted, misperforated or misgummed stamps often created during the normal process of stamp production. Printer's waste is supposed to be destroyed, but such material enters the philatelic market through carelessness and theft. Printing: The process of imprinting designs on paper from an inked surface. Processing: Steps that finish a printed stamp sheet. Processing includes perforation, trimming, dividing the sheet into individual panes, and packaging for distribution. Pro Juventute: Latin, meaning for the benefit of youth. Switzerland has issued Pro Juventute semipostals nearly every year since 1913. Proofs: Trial impressions from a die or printing plate before actual stamp production. Proofs are made to examine a die or plate for defects or to compare the results of using different inks. Provisional: A postage stamp issued for temporary use to meet postal demands until new or regular stocks of stamps can be obtained. Plate number block: A block of stamps from the corner or side of a pane including the selvage bearing the number(s) of the plate(s) used to print the sheet from which the pane was separated. Some stamp production methods, like booklet production, normally cut off plate numbers.

In the United States, plate number blocks are collected normally as blocks of four to 20 stamps, depending on the press used to print the stamps. When each stamp in a pane is a different design, the entire pane is collected as the plate block. Press sheet: A complete unit of stamps as printed. Stamps are usually printed in large sheets and are separated into two or more panes before shipment to post offices. Q Quadripartition: A block or strip of four stamps that together complete a single entire design. See United States Scott 1448-51, the 1972 Cape Hatteras National Seashore issue. R Railway Post Office: Portable mail-handling equipment for sorting mail in transit on trains. The last official U.S. RPO ran June 30, 1977. RPOs were used in many countries. See also Mobile Post Office. Receiving mark: A postmark or other postal marking applied by the receiving, rather than the originating, post office. See also Backstamp. Redrawn: A stamp design that has been slightly altered yet maintains the basic design as originally issued.

Re-engraved: A stamp with an altered design as the result of a change made to a transfer roll or printing plate prior to a later printing, thereby distinguishing it from the original die. Regional: Stamp sold or valid in a specific area of a stamp-issuing entity. Great Britain has issued stamps for the regions of Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Regionals are usually sold only in a given region but are often valid for postage throughout a country. Registered mail: First-class mail with a numbered receipt, including a valuation of the registered item, for full or limited compensation if the mail is lost. Some countries have issued registered mail stamps. Registered mail is signed for by each postal employee who handles it. Registration labels: Adhesive labels indicating the registry number and, often, the city of origin for registered articles sent through the mail. Regummed: A stamp bearing adhesive from an unauthorized source. Reissue: An official reprinting of a stamp from an obsolete or discontinued issue. Reissues are valid for postage. See also Reprint. Remainders: Stocks of stamps remaining unsold at the time that an issue is declared obsolete by a post office.

Some countries have sold remainders to the stamp trade at substantial discounts from face value. The countries normally mark the stamps with a distinctive cancel. Uncanceled remainders usually cannot be distinguished from stamps sold over the counter before the issue was invalidated. Repaired stamp: A damaged stamp that has been repaired in some way to reinforce it or to make it resemble an undamaged stamp. Replica: A reproduction of a stamp or cover. In the 19th century, replica stamps were sold as stamp album space fillers. Replica stamps are often printed in one color in a sheet containing a number of different designs. Replicas can sometimes deceive either a postal clerk or collectors. Reprint: A stamp printed from the original plate, after the issue has ceased to be postally valid. Official reprints are sometimes made for presentation purposes or official collections. They are often distinguishable in some way from the originals: different colors, perforations, paper or gum. Private reprints, on the other hand, are usually produced strictly for sale to collectors and often closely resemble the original stamps. Private reprints normally sell for less than original copies. Reprints are not valid for postage. See also Reissue.

Retouch: The repairing of a damaged plate or die, often producing a minor, but detectable, difference in the design of the printed stamps. Revenues: "Stamps representing the prepayment or payment of various taxes. Revenues are affixed to official documents and to merchandise. Some stamps, including many issues of the British Commonwealth, are inscribed ""Postage and Revenue'' and were available for either use. Such issues are usually worth less fiscally canceled than postally used. In some cases, revenues have been used provisionally as postage stamps. See also Fiscal." Rocket mail: Mail flown in a rocket, even if only a short distance. Many rocket mail experiments have been conducted since 1931. Special labels, cachets or cancels usually note that mail was carried on a rocket. Rotary plate: A curved or cylindrical printing plate used on a press that rotates the plate to make continuous impressions. Flat plates make single impressions. Rouletting: The piercing of the paper between stamps to make their separation more convenient. No paper is actually removed from the sheet, as it is in perforating. Rouletting has been made by dash, sawtooth or wavy line.

Rural Free Delivery: System for free home delivery of mail in rural areas of the United States, begun just prior to the turn of the 20th century. Rust: A brown mold resembling the rust in iron. Rust affects stamp paper and gum in tropical regions. RPO: Railway Post Office. Portable mail-handling equipment for sorting mail in transit on trains. The last official U.S. RPO ran June 30, 1977. RPOs were used in many countries. See also Mobile Post Office. RFD: Rural Free Delivery. System for free home delivery of mail in rural areas of the United States, begun just prior to the turn of the 20th century. S SASE: A self-addressed, stamped envelope. An unused envelope bearing the address of the sender and sufficient return postage. Enclosed with correspondence to make answering easy. Secret mark: A minute alteration to a stamp design added to distinguish later printings from earlier printings by a different firm. Secret marks may positively distinguish genuine stamps from counterfeits. Seebeck: The nickname for various Latin American issues produced 1890-99 in contract with Nicholas Frederick Seebeck, the agent for the Hamilton Bank Note Co.

of New York. Seebeck agreed to provide new issues of stamps and stationery each year at no charge, in return for the right to sell remainders and reprints to collectors. The resulting furor destroyed Seebeck and blackened the philatelic reputations of the countries involved. Self-adhesive: Stamp gum that adheres to envelope paper by the application of pressure alone. Most self-adhesive stamps are sold on a coated paper release liner. See also Liner, Linerless, Water-activated. Selvage: The marginal paper on a sheet or pane of stamps. Selvage may be unprinted or may contain printer's markings or other information. Semipostal: "A stamp sold at a price greater than postal value, with the additional charge dedicated for a special purpose. Usually recognized by the presence of two (often different) values, separated by a ""+'' sign, on a single stamp." Series: A group of stamps with a similar design or theme, issued over a period of time. A series may be planned or may evolve.

Service inscribed: "A stamp with wording as part of the initial printed design that identifies the mail-handling service for which the stamp is intended, such as ""Presorted First-Class."" See also Precancel." Set: Stamps sharing common design elements, often issued at one time and usually collected as a group. Se-tenant: "French for ""joined together.'' Two or more unseparated stamps of different designs, colors, denominations or types." Shade: The minor variation commonly found in any basic color. Shades may be accorded catalog status when they are very distinctive. Sheet: A complete unit of stamps as printed. Stamps are usually printed in large sheets and are separated into two or more panes before shipment to post offices. Ship letter: Mail carried by private ship. Short set: An incomplete set of stamps, usually lacking either the high value or one or more key values. Sleeper: Stamp or other collectible item that seems to be underpriced and may have good investment potential. Sleeve: 1) A seamless cylindrical printing plate used in rotary intaglio printing. 2) A flat transparent holder, often specifically for protecting and storing a cover. Soaking: Removal of stamps from envelope paper.

Most stamps may be safely soaked in water. Fugitive inks, however, will run in water, and chalky-surfaced papers will lose their designs entirely, so some knowledge of stamps is a necessity. Colored envelope paper should be soaked separately. Souvenir card: A philatelic card, not valid for postage, issued in conjunction with some special event. The souvenir card often illustrates the design of a postage stamp. Souvenir page: An announcement of a new United States stamp issue created by the U.S. Postal Service, bearing a copy of the new stamp tied by a first day of issue cancellation. Souvenir sheet: A small sheet of stamps, including one value or a set of stamps. A souvenir sheet usually has a wide margin and an inscription describing an event being commemorated. Stamps on a souvenir sheet may be perforated or imperforate. Space filler: A stamp in poor condition used to fill the designated space in a stamp album until a better copy can be found. Special delivery: A service providing expedited delivery of mail. Called Express by some nations. Special handling: A U.S. service providing expeditious handling for fourth-class material.

Special printing: Reissue of a stamp of current or recent design, often with distinctive color, paper or perforations. Specialist: A stamp collector who intensively studies and collects the stamps and postal history of a given country, area, or time period, or who has otherwise limited his collecting field. Special stamps: Regular postage stamp issues that fall outside the traditional definitions of commemorative and definitive stamps. In the United States, holiday issues such as Contemporary Christmas, Traditional Christmas, Hanukkah and the like are considered special stamps. They are printed in substantially greater quantities than commemorative stamps, and sometimes return to press for additional printings. Love stamps are also considered special stamps. Specimen: "Stamp or stationery item distributed to Universal Postal Union members for identification purposes and to the philatelic press and trade for publicity purposes. Specimens are overprinted or punched with the word ""SPECIMEN'' or its equivalent, or are overprinted or punched in a way to make them different from the issued stamps. Specimens of scarce stamps tend to be less valuable than the actual stamps. Specimens of relatively common stamps are more valuable." Speculative issue: A stamp or issue released primarily for sale to collectors, rather than to meet any legitimate postal need.

Splice: The repair of a break in a roll of stamp paper, or the joining of two rolls of paper for continuous printing. Stamps printed over a splice are usually removed and destroyed before the normal stamps are issued. Stamp: An officially issued postage label, often adhesive, attesting that payment has been rendered for mail delivery. Initially used as a verb, meaning to imprint or impress; as in, to stamp a design. Stampless cover: A folded sheet or envelope carried as mail without a postage stamp. This term usually refers to covers predating the requirement that stamps be affixed to all letters (in the United States, 1856). Stock book: A specially manufactured blank book containing rows of pockets on each page to hold stamps. Straight edge: Flat-plate or rotary-plate stamps from the margins of panes where the sheets were cut apart. Straight-edge stamps have no perforations on one or two adjacent sides. Sometimes straight-edge stamps show a guideline. Strip: Three or more unseparated stamps in a row, vertically or horizontally. Surcharge: An overprint that changes or restates the denomination of a stamp or postal stationery item.

Surface-colored paper: Paper colored on the surface only, with a white or uncolored back. Surtax: The portion of a semipostal stamp purchase price exceeding the postage value. The surtax is designated for donation to a charity or some other purpose. Sweatbox: A closed box containing dampened spongelike material, over which stuck-together unused stamps are placed on a grill. Humidity softens the gum, allowing separation of stamps. In some cases, the sweatbox may be used to help remove a postally used stamp from envelope paper. T T: "Abbreviation for the French ""Taxe.'' Handstamped on a stamp, the T indicates the stamp's use as a postage due. Handstamped on a cover, it indicates that postage due has been charged. Several countries have used regular stamps with a perforated initial T as postage dues." Tagging: Phosphor material on stamps used to activate automatic mail-handling equipment. This may be lines, bars, letters, part of the design area or the entire stamp surface. The tagging may also permeate the stamp paper. Some stamps are issued both with and without tagging. Catalogs describe them as tagged or untagged.

Teeth: The protruding points along the outer edge of a perforated postage stamp when it has been removed from the pane. Telegraph stamp: Label used for the prepayment of telegraph fees. Telegraph stamps resemble postage stamps. Tete-beche: "French for ""head to tail.'' Two or more unsevered stamps, one of which is inverted in relation to the other." Thematic: A collection of stamps or covers relating to a specific topic. The topic is expanded by careful inquiry and is presented as a logical story. See also Topical. Tied: A stamp is said to be tied to a cover when the cancel extends over both the stamp and the envelope paper. Stamps can also be tied by the aging of the mucilage or glue that holds them to the paper. Tong: Tweezerlike tool with rounded, polished tips, used to handle stamps. Tongs prevent stamps from being soiled by dirt, oil or perspiration. Topical: 1) Stamp or cover showing a given subject. Examples are flowers, art, birds, elephants or the Statue of Liberty. 2) The collection of stamps by the topic depicted on them, rather than by country of origin. See also Thematic.

Transit mark: A postal marking applied by a post office between the originating and receiving post offices. It can be on the front or back of a cover, card or wrapper. Triptych: A se-tenant strip of three related stamps forming one overall design. See United States Scott 1629-31, the 1976 Spirit of 76 issue. Type: A basic design of a stamp or a set. Catalogs use type numbers or letters to save space. Catalogs show a typical design of one type rather than every stamp with that design or a similar design. U Underprint: A fine printing underlying the design of a stamp, most often used to deter counterfeiting. Ungummed: A stamp without gum. Ungummed stamps are either stamps issued without gum or an uncanceled gummed stamp that has had its gum soaked off. Many countries in tropical climates have issued stamps without gum. Unhinged: A stamp without hinge marks, but not necessarily with original gum. Universal Postal Union: An international organization formed in Bern, Switzerland, in 1874, to regulate and standardize postal usage and to facilitate the movement of mail between member nations.

Today, most nations belong to the UPU. (See UPU section of this almanac.) Unused: An uncanceled stamp that has not been used but has a hinge mark or some other characteristic or defect that keeps it from being considered a mint stamp. Uncanceled stamps without gum may have been used and missed being canceled, or they may have lost their gum by accident. used: A stamp or stationery item that has been canceled by a postal authority to prevent its reuse on mail. In general, a used stamp is any stamp with a cancel or a precanceled stamp without gum. See also Postally Used and Philatelic Cover. UPU: Universal Postal Union. An international organization formed in Bern, Switzerland, in 1874, to regulate and standardize postal usage and to facilitate the movement of mail between member nations. Today, most nations belong to the UPU. V Variety: A variation from the standard form of a stamp. Varieties include different watermarks, inverts, imperforates, missing colors, wrong colors and major color shifts. See also Freak, Error. Vignette: The central part of a stamp design, usually surrounded by a border.

In some cases the vignette shades off gradually into the surrounding area. W Want list: A list of needed stamps or covers, identified by catalog number or some other description, submitted by a collector to a dealer, usually including requirements on condition and price. Water-activated adhesive: Stamp gum designed to adhere to envelope paper only if the gum is moistened. All gummed stamps before 1963 used water-activated adhesive. Watermark: A deliberate thinning of paper during its manufacture to produce a semitranslucent pattern. Watermarks appear frequently in paper used in stamp printing or envelope manufacture. See also Batonne. Web: A continuous roll of paper used in stamp printing. Wing margin: Early British stamps from the side of a pane with selvage attached. British sheets printed before 1880 were perforated down the center of the gutter, producing oversized margins on one side of stamps adjacent to the gutter. Such copies are distinctive and scarcer than normal copies. Wove paper: A paper showing few differences in texture and thickness when held to light. In the production of wove paper, the pulp is pressed against a very fine netting, producing a virtually uniform texture.

Wove paper is the most commonly used paper in stamp production. Wrapper: A flat sheet or strip open at both ends that can be folded and sealed around a newspaper or periodical. Wrappers can have an imprinted stamp or have a stamp attached. Z Zemstvo: A local stamp issued by Russian municipal governments or zemstvos, in accordance with an imperial edict of 1870. Zeppelins: The stamps issued for, or in honor of, zeppelin flights. Cacheted covers carried on such flights are Zeppelin covers. ZIP block: "U.S. marginal marking block with the selvage bearing the image of the ""Mr. ZIP"" cartoon character and/or an inscription urging the use of ZIP code. This first appeared on U.S. marginal selvage in 1964. Typically a ZIP block is a block of four stamps." ZIP code: The U.S. numerical post code used to speed and mechanize mail handling and delivery. The letters stand for Zoning Improvement Plan. Subscribe to our Newsletters Philatelic Glossary Service Performance Results Philatelic Glossary Accessories: The tools used by stamp collectors, such as tongs, hinges, etc.

Adhesive: A gummed stamp made to be attached to mail. Aerogrammes: Air letters designed to be letters and envelopes in one. They are specially stamped and ready for folding. Aerophilately: Stamp collecting that focuses on stamps or postage relating to airmail. Album: A book designed to hold stamps and covers. Approvals: Stamps sent by a dealer to a collector for examination. Approvals must either be bought or returned to the dealer within a specified time. Auction: A sale at which philatelic material is sold to the highest bidder. B Bar code: A series of vertical full bars and half bars representing the ZIP Code information printed on a mail piece to facilitate automated processing by bar code reader equipment. Black Jack: The nickname for the very popular U.S. two-cent black Andrew Jackson stamp, which was issued in various forms between 1863 and 1875. Block: An unseparated group of stamps, at least two stamps high and two stamps wide. Bluish Paper: Used to print portions of several issues in 1909; the paper was made with 35 percent rag stock instead of all wood pulp.

The color goes through the paper, showing clearly on back and face. Board of Governors (BOG): As the governing body of the Postal Service, the Board is comparable to a board of directors of a private corporation. The Board includes nine governors who are appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The nine governors select a Postmaster General, who becomes a member of the Board, and those 10 select a Deputy Postmaster General, who also serves on the Board. The Board directs and controls the expenditures and reviews the practices and policies of the Postal Service. Bogus: A completely fictitious, worthless "stamp," created only for sale to collectors. Bogus stamps include labels for nonexistent values added to regularly issued sets, issues for nations without postal systems, etc. Booklet Pane: A small sheet of stamps specially cut to be sold in booklets. Bourse: A marketplace, such as a stamp exhibition, where stamps are bought, sold, or exchanged. C Cachet (ka-shay'): A design on an envelope describing an event. Cachets appear on first day of issue, first flight and stamp exhibition covers, etc.

Cancellation: A mark placed on a stamp by a postal authority to show that it has been used. Centering: The position of the design on a postage stamp. On perfectly centered stamps the design is exactly in the middle. Cinderella: Any stamp-like label without an official postal value. Classic: An early stamp issue. Most people consider these to be rare stamps, but classic stamps aren't necessarily rare. Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC): A group of independent citizens appointed by the Postmaster General to review the more than 40,000 suggestions for stamp subjects the Postal Service receives each year. Classification Reform: On July 1, 1996, the Postal Service adjusted the domestic mail classification system to establish a simple, more consistent rate structure and to keep its products in line with the changing needs of the marketplace. Coils: Stamps issued in rolls (one stamp wide) for use in dispensers or vending machines. Commemoratives: Stamps that honor anniversaries, important people, special events, or aspects of national culture. Compound Perforations: Different gauge perforations on different (normally adjacent) sides of a single stamp.

Condition: Condition is the most important characteristic in determining the value of a stamp. It refers to the state of a stamp regarding such details as centering, color, and gum. Cover: An envelope that has been sent through the mail. Cracked Plate: A term used to describe stamps which show evidence that the plate from which they were printed was cracked. CustomerPerfect!: A quality process management system that builds customer satisfaction and excellence into every process and procedure of the Postal Service. Definitives: Regular issues of postage stamps, usually sold over long periods of time. They tend to be fairly small and printed in large quantities often more than once. Denomination: The postage value appearing on a stamp, such as 5 cents. Deputy Postmaster General (DPMG): A member of the Board of Governors, jointly appointed by the Postmaster General and the Board of Governors. Die Cut: Scoring of self-adhesive stamps that allow a stamp to be separated from the liner. Directory Markings: Postal markings that indicate a failed delivery attempt, stating reasons such as "No Such Number" or "Address Unknown." Double Transfer: The condition on a printing plate that shows evidence of a duplication of all or part of the design.

Dry Printing: Begun as an experiment in 1953, this type of printing results in a whiter paper, a higher sheen on the surface, a thicker and stiffer feel and designs that stand out more clearly than on more standard "wet" printings. Duplicates: Extra copies of stamps that can be sold or traded. Duplicates should be examined carefully for color and perforation variations. E Electronic Commerce Services (ECS): An umbrella of services that would bring electronic mail up to the same level of acceptance that regular mail enjoys today. ECS includes a time and date stamp, return receipt, registered, certified, verification of sender and recipient, and archival services. Plans also call for creating public and private authentication keys to enable individuals to prove who they are when communicating on the Internet. Electronic postmark: An electronic time and date stamp on electronic mail that will authenticate a document's existence at a particular point in time. Entire: An intact piece of postal stationery, in contrast to a cut-out of the printed design. Error: A stamp with something incorrect in its design or manufacture. Exploded: A stamp booklet is said to be "exploded" when it has been separated into its various components for show.

Express Mail: The Postal Service's premium delivery service, providing guaranteed overnight delivery for documents and packages weighing up to 70 pounds. Both domestic and international services are offered. External First-Class Measurement System (EXFC): A test conducted by an independent accounting firm whereby First-Class Mail service is measured from the customer's perspective (from point of deposit to point of delivery or door to door). F Face Value: The monetary value or denomination of a stamp. Fake: A genuine stamp that has been altered in some way to make it more attractive to collectors. It may be repaired, reperforated, or regummed to resemble a more valuable variety. First Day Cover (FDC): An envelope with a new stamp and cancellation showing the date the stamp was issued. First Day Ceremony Program: A program given to those who attend first day of issue stamp ceremonies. It contains the actual stamp affixed and postmarked, a list of participants, and information on the stamp subject. First-Class Mail: A class of mail including letters, postcards and postal cards, all matter wholly or partially in writing or typewriting, and all matter sealed or otherwise closed against inspection.

Foreign Entry: When original transfers are erased incompletely from a plate, they can appear with new transfers of a different design which are subsequently entered on the plate. Franks: Written, hand-stamped, or imprinted markings on the face of the cover indicating that it is carried free of postage. Franking is usually limited to official government correspondence. Freak: An abnormal variety of stamps occurring because of paper fold, over-inking, perforation shift, etc., as opposed to a continually appearing variety or a major error. G Global Priority Mail (GPM): A category of international mail that provides fast service at attractive rates to 27 countries. Grill: A pattern of small, square pyramids in parallel rows impressed or embossed on the stamp to break paper fibers, allowing cancellation ink to soak in and preventing washing and reuse. Gum: The coating of glue on the back of an unused stamp. H Hinges: Small strips of gummed material used by collectors to affix stamps to album pages. Hologram: An image that appears to be three-dimensional when viewed from an angle. Holograms have appeared on some modern stamps and stationary.

On Paper: Stamps "on paper" are those that still have portions of the original envelope or wrapper stuck to them. Overprint: Additional printing on a stamp that was not part of the original design. Optical Character Reader (OCR): An automated mail processing machine that optically scans letter mail, locates the address and translates the address information into a bar code representation of the ZIP+4 delivery point bar code. P Pack and Send: A pilot retail service offered at selected post offices that allow customers to bring in any mailable item to have it securely packaged and, if they wish, mailed. Packet: A presorted unit of all different stamps. This is one of the most common and economical ways to begin a collection. Pane: A full "sheet" of stamps as sold by a Post Office. Four panes typically make up the original sheet of stamps as printed. Par Avion: French for mail transported "by air." Perforations: Lines of small holes or cuts between rows of stamps that make them easy to separate. Philately: The collection and study of postage stamps and other postal materials. Pictorials: Stamps with a picture of some sort, other than portraits or static designs such as coats of arms.

Plate Block (PB) (or Plate Number Block): A block of stamps with the margin attached that bears the plate number used in printing that sheet. Plate Number Coils (PNC): For most coil stamp rolls beginning with #1891, a small plate number appears at varying intervals in the roll in the design of the stamp. Postage Due: A stamp issued to collect unpaid postage. Postal Cards: See "stamped postal cards." Postal Inspection Service: The investigative arm of the Postal Service responsible for internal audits and investigating criminal acts involving the mails and misuse of the postal system. Postal Rate Commission (PRC): An independent federal agency that makes recommendations concerning Postal Service requests for changes in postal rates and mail classifications. Postal Stationery: Envelopes, aerogrammes, stamped postal cards, and letter sheets with printed or embossed stamp designs. Postal Stores: A modernized Postal Service retail unit that has postal products on open display, offering customers self-service selection and full service counter assistance. Postcards: Commercially-produced mailable cards without imprinted postage. Postmark: A mark put on envelopes or other mailing pieces showing the date and location of mailing.

Postmark America: The Postal Service's first large-scale retail store, debuting at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, designed to test the market interest in postal-inspired clothing and other products. Postmaster General (PMG): The chief executive officer of the Postal Service, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Board of Governors. Post Office Express (POE): A postal retail unit located within an independent business to serve consumer needs related to merchandise and postal products and services. Precancels: Stamps cancelled by a proper authority prior to their use on mail. Presort Stamp: A discounted stamp used by business mailers who presort their mail. Prestige Booklet: A booklet commemorating a special topic and containing stamps, narrative, and images. Priority Mail: Priority Mail provides two to three day delivery service. Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC): A large mail sorting and dispatching plant that serves as a hub for mail originating from post offices, collection boxes and customer mailboxes, and large-volume mailers in a designated service area. Registered Mail: First class mail with a numbered receipt, including a valuation of the registered item. This guarantees customers will get their money back if an item is lost in the mail.

Reissue: An official reprinting of a stamp that was no longer being printed. Replicas: Reproductions of stamps sold during the early days of collecting. Usually printed in one color on a sheet containing a number of different designs. Replicas were never intended to deceive either the post office or the collector. Reprint: A stamp printed from the original plate after the issue is no longer valid for postage. Official reprints are sometimes made for presentation purposes, official collections, etc., and are often distinguished in some way from the "real" ones. Revenue Stamps: Stamps issued as proof of payment of certain taxes but not valid for postage. Ribbed Paper: Paper which shows fine parallel ridges on one or both sides of a stamp. Rouletting: The piercing of the paper between stamps to facilitate their separation, often giving the appearance of a series of dashes. Rural Free Delivery (RFD): Began in 1896 as an experiment in West Virginia, RFD brought daily mail delivery to farmers and others living outside urban areas. Scrambled Indicia®: A patented process that conceals encoded text or graphics within the visible design.

These hidden images can only be viewed through a special lens, the Stamp Decoder™, available from the U.S. Postal Service. Se-tenant: An attached pair, strip or block of stamps that differ in design, value or surcharge. Secret Marks: Many stamps have included tiny reference points in their designs to foil attempts at counterfeiting and to differentiate issues. Self-adhesive Stamp: A stamp with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Selvage: The unprinted paper around panes of stamps, sometimes called the margin. Semipostal Stamp: A First-Class Mail stamp priced to include an additional charge earmarked for a specific purpose, e.g., breast cancer research. Series: A number of individual stamps or sets of stamps having a common purpose or theme, issued over an extended periods of time (generally a year or more), including all variations of design and/or denomination. Set: A group of stamps with a common design or theme issued at one time for a common purpose or over a limited period of time (generally less than a year). Souvenir Sheet: A small sheet of stamps with a commemorative inscription. Special Issues: Stamps with a commemorative appearance that supplement definitives and meet specific needs.

These include Christmas, Love, Holiday Celebrations, Airmail, Express Mail, and Priority Mail stamps. Speculative: A stamp or issue released primarily for sale to collectors, rather than to meet any legitimate postal need. Stamp Decoder™: A device with a special lens that reveals hidden images on stamps. It is available from the U.S. Postal Service. Stamped Postal Card: The current term for a mailable card with postage imprinted on it. Stamped Envelope: A mailable envelope with postage embossed or imprinted on it. Standard Mail: New name for the merger of third-class mail and fourth-class mail as one class under Classification Reform implementation of July 1, 1996. Star Route: A mail route serviced by an outside contractor rather than a postal employee. Strip: Three or more unseparated stamps in a row. Surcharge: An overprint that changes the denomination of a stamp from its original face value. Sweatbox: A closed box with a grill over which stuck together unused stamps are placed. A wet, sponge-like material under the grill creates humidity so the stamps can be separated without removing the gum.

T Tagging: The marking of stamps with a phosphor or similar coating (which may be in lines, bars, letters, overall design area or entire stamp surface), done by many countries for use with automatic mail-handling equipment. When a stamp is issued both with and without this marking, catalogs will often note varieties, as "tagged" or "untagged." Thematic: A stamp collection that relates to a specific theme and is arranged to present a logical story and progression. Tied On: Describes a stamp whose postmark touches the envelope. Tongs: A tweezer-like tool with rounded or flattened tips used to handle stamps. Topicals: Indicates a group of stamps with the same theme—space travel, for example. U Unhinged: A stamp without hinge marks, but not necessarily with original gum. United States Postal Service (USPS): The successor to the Post Office Department, the USPS was established by the Postal Reorganization Act of July 1, 1971, as an independent, self-supporting federal agency within the executive branch. Universal service: The Postal Service's mandate and commitment to the nation to provide mail delivery service at uniform and reasonable rates to everyone, everywhere, six days a week.

Unused: The condition of a stamp that has no cancellation or other sign of use. Used: The condition of a stamp that has been canceled. Want List: A list of philatelic material sought by a collector. Watermark: A design pressed into stamp paper during its manufacture. Water-activated Gum: Water-soluble adhesives such as sugar-based starches on the back of an unused stamp. Wet Printing: Has a moisture content of 15-35 percent, compared to 5-10 percent for "dry' printings, also has a duller look than "dry' printings. Wove Paper: A uniform paper which, when held to the light, shows no light or dark figures. Z Zoning Improvement Plan (ZIP): Established in 1963, a system of five-digit codes or ZIP codes that identifies the individual post office or metropolitan area delivery station associated with every mailing address. This system was later expanded to ZIP+4, which includes more defined delivery areas. Stamp grading and terminology.

Matthew Crandell stamps and stamp collecting supplies Miscellaneous (CDS, SON, PFC, APES, APEX, GEM) Used or Unused Determination of whether a stamp is used or unused relies on it's cancellation. If the stamp has been cancelled it is used, if it has not been cancelled it is unused. Gum is irrelevant, some used stamps still have their gum and some unused stamps have no gum. There is one exception to this rule and that is precancelled stamps. Precancelled stamps are stamps that in fact are cancelled before they are even purchased from the Post Office. Older pre-cancelled stamps usually will have the name of a city and state printed in black over top of the stamp design. Newer pre-cancelled stamps are generally imprinted with the type of rate they are to pay right in the design of the stamp. They may say "bulk rate" or "pre-sorted" or whichever rate the stamp is designed to pay. Stamp you receive on your "junk mail" are generally precancels. These stamps are not normally cancelled when they go through the mail stream, they remain uncancelled but are still used.

In the case of precancelled stamps the gum is the determining factor, full gum means the stamp is unused, no gum means the stamp is used. Some pre-cancels do get cancelled in the mail stream and this of course makes them used. Here are symbols that are most often used to describe used or unused O - Used ** - Unused never hinged - See gum condition section for definition of never hinged Gum Condition Gum is an important factor in determining a stamp's value. Some collectors care very little about the gum side of the stamp, other collectors only collect stamps that have pristine gum. Even if you fall into the first category, you should be aware of the conditions that affect gum, there is no sense in paying NH prices for NG stamps. Here are some common terms, including those just used. NH - Never hinged - The stamp has never had a hinge applied to it. NH has an expanded meaning though, the gum must be in like new condition with no marks of any kind whether made by a hinge or by something else. H - Hinged - The gum has had a hinge applied to it. LH - Lightly hinged - The gum has had a hinge applied, but the mark left is unusually small or light.

HH - Heavily hinged - The gum has been hinged and the mark left is large or very prominent. HR - Hinge Remnant - The gum has had a hinge applied to it and a portion of the hinge was so difficult to remove that it was left in place, attached to the stamp. DG - Disturbed gum - The gum has been damaged in some way other than hinging. This can include fingerprints, glazing, bubbling or anything else that affects the gum. NG - No gum - The stamp is unused and has no gum. RG - Re-gummed - The stamp has had new gum applied to it in place of the original gum. This is most often done to try and deceive buyers into believing they are buying an original gum, never hinged stamp. There is nothing wrong with the buying or selling of re-gummed stamps as long as both parties know the true condition of the stamp. Regummed stamps generally will sell at or slightly above the price of a NG stamp. Gum skip - When the gum was applied during manufacture it was not spread completely over the stamp and it left a portion of the stamp without gum. It's usually a thin line of area left ungummed.

MNH - Mint or Mint Never Hinged - Mint means the stamp is in new condition, as it was when it was purchased from the Post Office. Many times you will see stamps listed as "Mint NH" or "MNH", this is a misuse of terminology as it is redundant. By saying mint, you are already saying NH as that is the condition it was in when it was purchased by the post office. Even though it's technically incorrect, MNH is still a commonnly used term. Cente ring Besides catalog value, this is the most important factor in judging a stamp's value to most people. Centering is how well the design of the stamp is centered within the perforations or edge of the stamp. I have included images of a stamp in each grade as I list the grades. Click here to open in a new browser. S - Superb - The stamp at the right is superb. The design is very nearly perfectly centered within the perforations. XF - Extremely Fine - The next stamp is XF. You can see the design is just towards the top, but still very nicely centered, almost perfect. VF - Very fine - The next stamp is VF.

The design is further off from center, but still well away from the edge and very attractive. F-VF - Fine to very fine - The next stamp is F-VF. The design is closer to the edge, but still well away. This is the most widely collected centering, good enough to be attractive, but not sky high in price. F - Fine - The next stamp is fine. The determination of fine is that the design can be very close to the edge, but it cannot be cut by the perforations. AVG - Average - The last stamp is average. If the design is cut into by the perforations at all then the stamp is average. The hardest thing about centering is that it is somewhat in the eye of the beholder. The above examples are stamps that I am personally grading and I believe I do a very fair job. Other collectors or dealers can look at the same stamps and grade the centering a little different. When buying stamps, it is always a good idea to see pictures of stamps that the dealer has graded. Even if you cannot see the actual stamp you are buying you can look and see how that dealer grades his stamps and you can then make a judgment on how well centered the stamp you are buying is.

Also of note is when sellers try and claim their stamps are "XF for the issue", or "VF for the era" or some other similar statement to make their stamps sound better than they actually are. It is true that stamps from some issues or some eras are much harder to find well centered but stamps are not graded on a curve. An issue known for poor centering may have very few VF stamp in existance, and that boosts the price for the VF copies that are out there, but it should never boost a F stamp to VF status just because genuinely VF copies are rare. Stamp centering should be graded uniformly, with a blind eye towards what era or issue the stamps are from. Fa ults There are quite a few different types of faults that can affect a stamp, all will reduce the value by varying degrees. How much the value is reduced is dependent upon a lot of factors - severity and type of fault, rarity of stamp and the disposition of the buyer and seller. Here is a list of the most common fault terms and what they mean. SP - Short perf - Short Perforation. This is when one or more of the perforation tips is not as long as it should be, but a portion of the tip is still present.

PP - Pulled perf - Pulled perforation. This is when a perforation tip is completely missing. A severely pulled perf can even mean some of the stamp has been taken away with the perf tip. SE - Straight edge - This is when one one or more edges of the stamp do not have perforations. Some sheet stamps were made with straight edges on some sides of the sheets, other straight edges come from trimming the perforations off. Do not confuse a straight edged sheet stamp with a coil stamp that always has two edges without perforations, a booklet stamp that can have one, two or three edges without perforations, or an imperforate stamp that has no perforations. RP - Re-perf - Re-perforated - This is an alteration made to the stamp to add perforations to one or more edges. Just like re-gumming it is often done by a dishonest person to try and improve the value of a stamp buy making it appear like what it is not. Re-perforations often occur on stamps with straight edges to make them look like fully perforated stamps. It is also often done to imperforate stamps to try and change them into a more expensive coil or sheet stamps with the same design.

Thin - A stamp with a thin has an area on the back where some of the paper has been removed. There will be a spot that is thinner than the remainder of the stamp. A thin can range from a very small speck, to as large as the entire stamp. Gum bend - Gum crease - Gum wrinkle - This is a natural occurrence in many flat plate printed stamps. When the stamps were made the paper had a tendency to shrink. The gum did not shrink at the same rate so the stamps would wrinkle up. Most often on the issues where these wrinkles are common, they do not lower the value of the stamp. If they are severe, or if there are a lot on one stamp, they can then lower the value. Face Scrape - A face scrape is where a portion of the front side of the stamp has been scraped away, leaving a spot in the stamp design. Inclusion - An inclusion is a foreign piece of material that has been pressed into the paper when the paper was manufactured. It is normally a brown or black spot that can be on the front, back or in the middle of the stamp.

Tears - stains - creases - pinholes - holes - corner missing - missing pieces - These are other faults that can affect a stamp, they are just as they sound I do not think further definition is needed. Mis cellaneous Here are other terms that can be used in a stamps description. CDS - Circular date stamp - This is a type of cancellation that is a circle, it often has the date and city name within the cancellation. Gem - This is a term that has no definite meaning, it does not matter what stamp I have I can call it a "gem" and there is no authoritative definition to prove me wrong. Generally it it used to describe an extra high quality stamp that often has features like XF or S centering, boardwalk margins, no faults and fresh appearance Jumbo - Boardwalk Margins - Today, when stamps are made they all turn out the same size. Many years ago, because of the way perforations were applied, stamps from the same sheet could come in different sizes. The actual design of the stamp was the same size, it was the border between the edge of the design and the perforations that could be larger or smaller.

When this space is large it makes the stamp more attractive and desirable and then it is called a jumbo. PFC - APES - APEX - These are expertizing services and the use of these initials means the stamp has a certificate from one of these services. An expertizing service is a place where you can send your stamp and pay a fee, they have a panel of experts that will examine your stamps and they will render their opinion on all aspects of the stamp's genuiness and presence of any faults. Because of the proliferation of fakes and alterations on more expensive stamps this is a valuable asset when buying expensive items. SON - Socked on the Nose - This means that the stamp has a CDS and it is applied very close to dead center on the stamp. Scott number - Scott catalogs are the most used reference guide for stamps used in the United States and possibly the world. Each time a new stamp goes on sale Scott issues it a reference number and this number is used by collectors to reference that particular stamp. Rather than saying something like "the one cent green, Benjamin Franklin stamp issued in 1908 with perf 12 and double line watermark", we can just say Scott number 331.

SCV - Scott catalog value - In addition to identifying stamps by their Scott numbers, the Scott catalogs list values for stamps. These values should only be treated as guides, many stamps sell for well under Scott catalog value and many stamps sell for well over. The condition of the stamp, current supply and demand and attitudes of the buyer and seller all must be taken into account in order to set the price. Spacefiller - A spacefiller is a heavily damaged stamp. If you are buying spacefillers, expect to receive stamps with multiple large faults. Many collectors buy spacefillers of the more expensive stamps as they sell for greatly reduced prices. Contact me:

Question: Concerning the condition of a stamp what do the letters O.G. mean to a philatelist?
Answer: Original Gum