Glossary

56 Philatelic Terms Explained

Your complete A–Z guide to stamp collecting terminology — from cancellation to watermark, clearly defined.

A

Albino

Also: albino impression, inkless impression, colourless embossing

An albino is a colourless, inkless impression of a stamp design — usually embossed — caused when the printing or embossing process runs without ink reaching the paper.

Approvals

Also: approval service, approval books, stamps on approval

Approvals are selections of stamps sent by a dealer to a collector on trust, so the collector can keep and pay for the stamps they want and return the rest.

B

Backstamp

Also: arrival mark, receiving mark, transit mark, back stamp

A backstamp is a postmark applied to the back of a cover, usually recording the date a letter passed through a transit office or arrived at its destination.

Bisect

Also: bisected stamp, split stamp, half stamp

A bisect is a stamp cut in half — usually diagonally, vertically or horizontally — and used to pay postage at half its face value, typically during a shortage of lower denominations.

Block

Also: block of four, multiple, plate block, corner block

A block is a group of four or more unseparated stamps forming at least two rows and two columns, such as a block of four.

Bogus

Also: bogus issue, phantom, fantasy stamp, cinderella

A bogus stamp is a label made to look like a postage stamp but issued for a place, authority or occasion that never issued stamps, or in a design that never officially existed.

C

Cachet

Also: cacheted cover, cover design

A cachet is a printed, stamped or hand-drawn design on an envelope that commemorates the event, stamp issue or flight the cover was prepared for — most commonly on first day covers.

Cancellation

Also: cancel, CDS, obliteration

Cancellation is a mark applied to a stamp by a postal service or collector to prevent it from being reused.

Cancelled to Order (CTO)

Also: CTO, canceled to order, remainder cancel

Cancelled to order (CTO) stamps are stamps cancelled by a postal authority without ever being used on mail, usually in bulk for sale to collectors below face value.

Centering

Also: centring, centred, grade

Centering describes how well a stamp's printed design sits within its margins and perforations; a perfectly centred stamp has equal margins on all four sides.

Coil Stamp

A coil stamp is a stamp produced in a continuous roll for use in vending machines, with straight edges on two sides and perforations on the other two.

Commemorative Stamp

A commemorative stamp is a stamp issued for a limited time to mark a specific event, person, or anniversary.

Cover

Also: postal cover, entire, envelope, on cover

In philately, a cover is an envelope, wrapper or folded letter sheet that has been sent through the post, typically bearing stamps and postal markings.

D

Definitive Stamp

Also: regular issue, workhorse stamp

A definitive stamp is a standard stamp issued for everyday postal use, usually in a long-running series with consistent design.

Die

Also: master die, original die, die proof

A die is the original master engraving or design from which the printing plates for a stamp are made, especially in recess (intaglio) and embossed printing.

E

Error

Also: stamp error, EFO, errors freaks and oddities, major error

A stamp error is a major, unintended mistake in production — such as an inverted centre, a missing colour, missing perforations or the wrong paper — that sets a stamp apart from the normal issue.

Essay

Also: stamp essay, design essay, unadopted design

An essay is a proposed stamp design that was submitted or produced for consideration but was not adopted in that form for the issued stamp.

F

Face Value

Also: denomination, nominal value, FV

Face value is the postage value printed on a stamp — the amount it is worth for paying postage — as opposed to its market or catalogue value to collectors.

First Day Cover

Also: FDC

A first day cover is an envelope bearing a new stamp cancelled on its official first day of issue.

Forgery

Also: counterfeit, fake, postal forgery, philatelic forgery, facsimile

A forgery is an imitation of a genuine stamp, overprint or postmark made to deceive — either the post office, to avoid paying postage, or collectors, to sell a copy as genuine.

G

Grill

Also: grilled stamp, grille, Z grill, embossed grill

A grill is a pattern of small pyramid-shaped embossed points pressed into certain US stamps of 1867–1871 to break the paper fibres so cancellation ink would soak in and prevent stamp reuse.

Gum

Also: stamp gum, adhesive, OG, PVA gum, dextrin

Gum is the adhesive applied to the back of a stamp so it can be stuck to mail; its presence, type and condition strongly affect the value of mint stamps.

Gutter

Also: gutter pair, gutter block, interpanneau, traffic light gutter

A gutter is the blank strip of paper separating two panes on a printed sheet of stamps; a gutter pair is two stamps joined across that strip.

H

Hinge Remnant

Also: HR, heavy hinge remnant, HHR

A hinge remnant (HR) is a piece of an old stamp hinge still stuck to the back of a mint stamp, which reduces the stamp's value compared with a cleanly hinged or never-hinged copy.

I

Imperforate

Also: imperf, imperforate between, imperf error

An imperforate stamp has no perforations and must be cut apart with scissors; imperforates were normal for the earliest issues and are errors when a normally perforated stamp is found without perforations.

Invert

Also: inverted centre, inverted frame, inverted overprint, Inverted Jenny

An invert is a stamp error in which part of the design — such as the centre vignette, frame or overprint — is printed upside down relative to the rest of the stamp.

K

Kiloware

Also: stamps on paper, mission mixture, bulk mixture, on paper mixture

Kiloware is a bulk mixture of used stamps still on pieces of envelope paper, sold by weight rather than by count — a cheap source of stamps for sorting and searching.

L

Local Stamp

Also: local, local post, local carrier stamp, zemstvo

A local stamp is a postage stamp valid only within a limited area or on a particular route, issued by a local authority, private carrier or territory rather than a national postal service.

M

Margin

Also: selvage, selvedge, sheet margin, marginal

A margin is either the unprinted border around a stamp's design, or the selvage — the blank paper at the edge of a sheet or pane, which may carry printing information.

Mint

Also: mint condition, MNH, MH, mint never hinged, mint hinged

A mint stamp is an unused stamp in the condition in which it was issued by the post office, with full original gum and no cancellation.

N

Never Hinged

Also: NH, MNH, mint never hinged, unmounted mint, UM, postfrisch

Never hinged (NH) describes a mint stamp whose original gum has never been disturbed by a stamp hinge or any other mounting.

O

Original Gum

Also: OG, full original gum, part original gum, o.g.

Original gum (OG) is the adhesive applied to a stamp at the time of printing, as opposed to gum added later; its presence is a key value factor for unused stamps.

Overprint

An overprint is text or a design printed on top of an existing stamp, usually to change its country, purpose, or validity.

P

Pane

Also: post office pane, booklet pane, counter sheet

A pane is a portion of a full printed sheet of stamps as it is sold at the post office — or a page of stamps in a stamp booklet.

Perforation

Also: perfs, perf

Perforation is the series of small holes punched between stamps to allow easy separation.

Perforation Gauge

A perforation gauge is a tool used to measure the number of perforations per 2 centimetres on a stamp.

Philately

Also: stamp collecting, philatelist, philatelic

Philately is the collection and study of postage stamps, postal history and related items, including how stamps were designed, printed and used.

Plate Number

Also: plate block, plate number block, PNC, plate number coil, cylinder number

A plate number is a number printed in a sheet margin — or sometimes within the stamp design — identifying which printing plate produced the stamps.

Postmark

Also: postal cancellation, date stamp

A postmark is an official cancellation mark applied by a postal service to indicate that a stamp has been used.

Proof

Also: die proof, plate proof, colour trial, trial colour proof, stamp proof

A proof is a trial impression of a stamp design taken from the die or printing plate before or during production, to check the engraving, colour or plate before stamps are issued.

R

Regummed

Also: RG, regum, re-gummed

A regummed stamp has had new gum applied to its back after issue, usually to make a stamp with no gum or disturbed gum appear to have original, never-hinged gum.

Reprint

Also: official reprint, private reprint, reissue

A reprint is a stamp printed from the original plates or dies after the stamp was no longer current or valid, usually for collectors or official reference rather than postage.

S

Scott Number

Also: Scott catalogue number, Scott #, catalogue number, SG number, Michel number, Yvert number

A Scott number is the identification number assigned to a stamp by the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, the most widely used stamp catalogue in the United States.

Se-tenant

Also: setenant

Se-tenant is a term for two or more stamps of different designs, values, or colours that are joined together as originally issued.

Sheet

Also: full sheet, printer's sheet, press sheet, post office sheet

A sheet is the full piece of paper on which a set of stamps is printed; it may be issued whole or divided into smaller panes for sale at post offices.

Souvenir Sheet

Also: miniature sheet, sheetlet, MS

A souvenir sheet is a small sheet containing one or more stamps, issued for a special occasion, usually with decorative margins.

Specimen

Also: specimen overprint, SPECIMEN stamp, muestra, annulé, cancelled specimen

A specimen stamp is overprinted or perforated with the word SPECIMEN (or an equivalent) to show it is a sample, invalid for postage, distributed to postal administrations, officials or the press.

Stamp Hinge

Also: philatelic hinge, hinge

A stamp hinge is a small folded piece of gummed paper used to mount stamps in an album.

Stamp Mount

Also: hingeless mount, Hawid mount, Showgard mount

A stamp mount is a clear plastic sleeve used to display stamps in an album without touching or damaging the gum.

Surcharge

A surcharge is a specific type of overprint that changes the face value of a stamp.

T

Tête-bêche

Also: tete-beche, tête-bêche pair, head-to-tail

Tête-bêche describes a pair of joined stamps in which one stamp is printed upside down or sideways relative to the other.

Thin

Also: thinned, thin spot, light thin, surface thin

A thin is a spot where some of a stamp's paper has been lost from the back, usually when a hinge or paper was pulled off, leaving the stamp thinner and weaker at that point.

U

Unused

Also: uncancelled, unused no gum, (*)

An unused stamp has not been cancelled or used for postage; unlike 'mint', the term does not guarantee the stamp retains its full original gum.

Used

Also: postally used, fine used, FU, cancelled

A used stamp has been cancelled after carrying mail through the postal system, typically showing a postmark or other cancellation.

V

Variety

Also: stamp variety, plate flaw, constant variety, re-entry, shade variety, EFO

A variety is a stamp that differs in a recognisable, usually minor, way from the normal version — such as a shade, plate flaw, re-entry, paper or perforation difference.

W

Watermark

A watermark is a design embedded into stamp paper during manufacture, used to identify and authenticate stamps.