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.
Glossary Term
Essay
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.
Also known as: stamp essay, design essay, unadopted design
An essay is a stamp design that was proposed but not used in that exact form. It might be an artist’s sketch, a competition entry, a printer’s sample, or a trial of a design that was later modified before issue. The word comes from the French essai, meaning “attempt” or “trial”.
Essays Versus Proofs
The distinction is fundamental in specialised collecting:
- An essay differs from the stamp as issued — in design, value, lettering, colour scheme or format.
- A proof is an impression of the design that was actually adopted, printed to check the die or plate.
If a printed trial matches the issued stamp in every respect except paper or colour, it is normally a proof (or a colour trial); if the design itself differs, it is an essay.
Kinds of Essay
- Artwork essays — original drawings or paintings by the designer.
- Composite or paste-up essays — photographs, cut-outs and lettering combined to show a proposed layout.
- Photographic essays — photographic prints of proposed designs, common in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
- Printed essays — designs printed from experimental dies or plates, sometimes by printers competing for a government contract.
- Printer’s samples — demonstration pieces showing a printer’s capabilities, sometimes adapted as essays.
Why Essays Are Collected
Essays document how a stamp came to be. A sequence of essays can show a monarch’s portrait being refined, a map being redrawn, or a value tablet being moved. For major issues — the Penny Black, early US issues, the first stamps of many colonies — essays are central to specialised exhibits.
Provenance and Authenticity
Because many essays are unique, provenance matters. Items that left postal or printer archives through official sales carry good pedigrees; others may have been removed improperly. Some “essays” on the market are later fantasies or reproductions, so expert opinion is advisable for significant purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions About Essay
What is the difference between an essay and a proof?
An essay is a design that differs from the stamp as issued — a rejected or preliminary version. A proof is a trial impression of the design as it was actually adopted, used to check the die or plate before printing.
What forms can essays take?
Essays range from hand-drawn artwork and paste-ups to photographic mock-ups and printed trial designs. Some were produced by competing printers bidding for a contract, others by the designer during development.
Are stamp essays rare?
Generally, yes. Most essays were made in very small numbers, often unique, and many survive only in postal archives. Those that reach the market are sought after by specialists studying the development of an issue.
Related Terms
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.
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.