Term | Explanation | Sample |
Album Weed | A forged stamp |
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Back of the book (BOB) | special stamps such as officials, revenue, postage dues, etc. that are listed in the back of stamp catalogues. |
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Backstamp | A post mark applied to the back cover by the post office while the mail is in transit. |
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Bilinguals | Stamps with inscriptions in two languages |
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Bisect/Trisect/Quadrisect etc. (aka Fractional Usages) | A stamp perforated into two or more parts (authorized by postal service) that represent part of the face value of the original stamp. Used by postal agencies during temporary shortages of common lower-denominated stamps. Only has additional value when it is cancelled and in cover. |
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Blind Perforations | Stamps with light perforations that has the perforated paper still left in tact |
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Bogus | A worthless stamp –stamps created for non-existent countries, countries with no postal addministrations, etc. |
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Canceled-to-order (CTOs) | Stamps issued by certain governments as a means of revenue in large quantities in full sheets with a pre-cancel or the cancellation imprinted as part of the production process. These are usually sold to dealers at a large discount to face value and usually has minimal collectible value. |
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Changeling | A stamp whose color has changed due to exposure to sunlight or chemicals |
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Cinderella | A label that looks like a stamp |
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Classic | Any stamp issued between 1840 and 1940 |
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Commemoratives | Stamps with a commemorative design issued in limited quantities compared to Definitives (see below) |
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Copyright Block | A block of stamps with copyright notice in margin |
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Counterfeit | A forged stamp intended to deceive postal authorities |
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Cross Gutter Block | A block of stamps containing the intersection of vertical and horizontal gutters. |
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Cut-to-shape | A non-rectangular stamp |
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Definitives | Stamps issued in large quantities for an extended period of time |
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Dummy Stamps | Stamps produced by postal departments for training and/or testing purposes. Usually have inscriptions indicating the status |
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Europa | Stamps with “Europa” inscription representing European Unity through participation in the Conference of European Postal & Telecommunication (CEPT) association. |
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Fake | A regular stamp altered in some way to make it appear more valuable |
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First Day Cover (FDC) | An envelope with a cancelled stamp sold by philatelic bureaus on the day of issue. In many countries including the US, FDCs can be bought in a range of date as opposed to just on the day of issue. |
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Forerunner | A postage stamp from another region/country used in a location not issuing regular stamps |
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Frama | A stamp auto-produced by vending machines |
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Hologram/3D stamp | Stamps that appear three-dimensional |
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Imperforate | Stamps without perforations (holes that separate one stamp from the next one in a block issued by the post office |
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Line Pair (LP) | Two stamps with a line of ink separating them |
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Never Hinged (NH) | A stamp without hinge marks in the back |
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Newspaper stamp | stamps issued for prepayment of mailing rates for newspapers and other periodicals |
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Non Denominated | Stamps with no face value inscription |
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Obliterations | Overprint on a stamp intentionally intended to deface the design |
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Occupation Issues | A stamp issued for use in an occupied territory |
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Official | Stamps issued specifically for use by government authorities |
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Omnibus or Joint Issues | A design/subject depicted in stamps from two or more postal administrations celebrating a common theme |
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Overprints | Stamps that have overprints on top of their original design. |
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Par Avion | Stamps imprinted with ‘Par Avion’ – French for mail transported by air |
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Perfins | Stamps perforated through the face with initials or other symbols |
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Plate Block | A set of stamps with margin showing plate number joined together |
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Plate Number Coil (PNC) | A stamp with plate number printed on it. |
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Postage Due | A stamp issued to collect unpaid postage |
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Precancels | Stamps cancelled by postal authority (for collectors) before use in mail |
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Presort Stamp | A stamp discounted compared to first-class postage rates for use in business mailers |
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Proofs | Trial impressions from pre-production runs |
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Regional | Stamps issued for a specific region of the postal entity |
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Reissue | A stamp issued again after it was no longer being issued |
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Remainders | Issues remaining with the postal authority after it is no longer sold – these are sometimes sold at a big discount to face value to dealers with a pre-cancellation. |
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Replicas | Reproductions of stamps (made for collectors – not suitable for postage) |
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Reprint | A stamp printed from the original plate for official purposes. Usually identified from the original issues by some mark. |
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Revenue or Fiscal Stamp | Stamps issued as proof of payment for certain taxes (not valid for postage) |
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Se-tenant | Stamps joined together that differ in design, value, or surcharge |
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Self-adhesives | Stamps with pressure sensitive adhesives. |
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Semipostals & Charity Stamps | Stamps with a surcharge added as support for charitable or other causes |
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Souvenir Sheet | A sheet of stamps with a commemorative design embellishment |
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Space Filler | A stamp in poor condition |
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Special Stamps | A third classification in addition to Definitive and Commemorative for stamps that are issued in large quantities compared to commemoratives but not for an indefinite period of time as with definitive usually signifying holiday season (Christmas) and/or religious/political themes. |
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Specimens | Stamps with a “SPECIMEN” overprint. These are distributed for identification & publicity purposes. |
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Speculative Issue | Stamps issued for collectors. Two or more stamps joined together with one stamp’s design inverted compared to the others. |
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Triptych | A se-tenant strip of three stamps together forming one design |
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Surcharge | An overprint that changes the value of the original issue |
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Used vs Unused | A stamp that has been used in mail as opposed to a mint unused stamp |
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Wing Margin | Stamps with selvage attached usually on one side |
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