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Find the
most common terminology you need to know about stamps. |
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BASIC TERMINOLOGY |
A
Adhesive - A gummed stamp.
Albino - A design impression without colour.
B
Blind perforation - A perforation which has
not been punched out.
Block - A group of four or more unseparated
stamps.
Bogus - A spurious, pretend stamp.
Booklet - A small book containing 'panes' of
stamps.
Booklet pane - A leaf or page of stamps from a
booklet.
C
Cachet - A commemorative marking, usually
applied by rubber stamp.
Cancellation - Any authorised defacing mark on
a stamp.
Centre - The position of a stamp design within
its perforations e.g. 'well centred' or 'off centre'.
Chalky paper - Stamp paper coated with a
chalky solution for security purposes. Attempted removal of
the postmark damages the surface of the stamp.
Charity stamp - One bearing a premium or
surcharge for charitable purposes.
Coil stamp - One from a roll of stamps used in
vending machines.
Coil join - A tab uniting two sections of a
roll of stamps.
Commemorative - A stamp issued to mark a
special anniversary or event.
Cover - A postally used envelope, letter-sheet
or wrapper.
Cylinder - number Letters/numerals in sheet
margins identifying printing cylinders. Normally collected
in 'Cylinder block' of six stamps. (See also Plate number).
D
Die - An engraved plate for impressing designs
etc. on softer metal.
Doctor blade - A steel blade which removes
surplus ink from the printing cylinder in the press.
E
Error - A mistake in stamp design, printing or
production.
Essay - A trial stamp design, sometimes
differing from the issued stamps.
F
Face value - The denomination of a stamp,
expressed on its face.
Fake - A genuine stamp doctored in some way to
deceive collectors.
First Day Cover - A cover bearing stamps
postmarked on their day of issue.
Flaw - A fortuitous blemish on a stamp, a
printing fault.
Forgery - A fraudulent copy of a genuine
postage stamp, overprint or postmark.
G
Greetings stamp - Stamp intended for use on
birthday or other greetings mail.
Gum Mucilage - on the back of adhesive stamps.
Not 'glue'.
Gutter - The narrow space between stamps in
the sheet permitting perforation.
Gutter margin - The blank margins dividing a
sheet of stamps into panes.
H
Handstamp - A postmark or overprint applied by
hand.
I
Imperforate - Stamps printed and issued
without perforations, deliberately or in error.
Imprint - The name of the printer or issuing
authority inscribed on the stamps or in the sheet margins.
Imprinted stamps - Stamps other than
adhesives, printed direct on postal stationery items
(postcards, envelopes etc).
Invert - The central design ('vignette') or
portion of a stamp printed upside-down in relation to the
frame, or vice versa.
J
K
L
Line perforation - Perforation of a sheet of
stamps by a single line or row of holes - the simplest form
of perforation.
Local - A stamp with geographical limits of
postal use and validity.
M
Machin - The name given to G.B. definitives,
first issued in 1967 bearing the Queen's head designed by
Arnold Machin.
Margin - The unprinted edging surrounding or
dividing a sheet of stamps. See also 'Gutter margin'.
Miniature sheet - A small sheet of one or
several stamps, usually with a decorative margins, issued as
a souvenir for collectors.
Mint - A stamp in it's original pristine
state, with full gum (if so issued), when it is said to have
it's 'original gum' ('O.G') 'Unmounted mint' stamps have not
been hinged. Also see 'Unused' .
N
O
Obsolete - A stamp no longer sold by a post
office though may still be valid for postage.
Overprint - A printed addition to a stamp.
Also see 'Surcharge'.
P
Pair - Two unseparated stamps, joined as
originally issued.
Pane - A formation or group of stamps within
the sheet. Also see 'Booklet pane'.
Perforations - Holes punched between stamps in
sheets to enable easy separation.
Phosphor stamps - Stamps overprinted or coated
with phosphorescent materials recognised by high technology
letter sorting machinery.
Plate number - Letters/numerals in sheet
margins identifying printing plates. (See also Cylinder
number).
Postmark - Any mark cancelling the stamp and
recording an item's passage through the mails.
Proof - A trial impression taken from an
original die or printing plate.
Provisional - A stamp, usually overprinted or
surcharged, issued for temporary use.
Q
R
Remainders - Stamps remaining in official
stocks after becoming obsolete.
Reprints - Stamps printed anew after being
withdrawn. The printing of additional supplies of current
stamps is best described as 'new printings'.
Roulette - Stamps separated by a series of
cuts instead of perforations.
S
Self-adhesive - Gummed stamps (with protective
backing) which do not require moistening.
Se-tenant - Stamps of different design or face
value etc. joined together.
Specimen - Sample stamp usually with
'specimen' overprinted or perforated on it.
Strip - Three or more stamps joined in a row.
Surcharge - An overprint which specifically
changes a stamp's face value.
T
Tête-bêche - A stamp inverted in relation to
the adjoining stamp in a pair.
U
Unused - An uncancelled stamp, not necessarily
'mint'.
Used - A stamp which has been postally used
and appropriately postmarked.
Used abroad - Stamps of one country used and
postmarked in another.
V
Variety - A stamp differing in some detail
from the normal issue.
W
Watermark - A distinctive device or emblem in
stamps, formed by 'thinning of the paper during production.
A watermark is normally viewed through the front of the
stamp.
X
Y
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