Common Stamp Collecting Terms - An Introduction

Philatelic glossary is an extremely packed one that entire books are devoted to explaining them. This post focuses on some of the frequent terms that apply to a variety/types of stamps. Below is our list:

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

Many countries also maintain an indigenous set of philatelic terms and nicknames for specific stamps that apply to their region.

Last Updated: 09/2015.