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| Glossary of Stamp Terms |
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| We have compiled the following list of stamp terms and their definitions. With some entries, translations of the term are provided below the definition. If you have comments about the definition or the translations, or if you have a suggestion for the improvement of this glossary, please contact us. |
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- Adhesive
- Paper postage stamp with gum on the back intended to be glued on letters, packages, etc.
- The gum used to affix a postage stamp which comes in two types: self-stick and water-activated
 Adhésif |  Adhesivo |  Kleber |  Adhesivo | | |
- Blind Perforation
- Perforation holes that have been lightly impressed into the stamps, leaving the paper intact, but considered as cut.
| Perforation sans
visibilité | Perforación oculta | Blinde Perforierung | | Perfuração
cega | | |
- Block
- Michel 2001 catalogue considers blocks (souvenir sheets/miniature sheets) and sheetlets as items containing one, two or three stamps; four to six stamp are blocks, provided three of the stamps are different; items with the same four stamps are blocks when said stamp also appears at the same time in a sheet.
- (German) block, souvenir sheet (of stamps).
- (Swedish) miniature sheet.
- Booklet
- A small book of one or more 'panes' of stamps. [see Booklet Pane]
| Carnet de Timbres | Cuadernillo de Sellos | Markenheftchen |  Libretto di Francobolli | | |
Covers are either stitched, stapled or folded over.
- Booklet Pane
- A block/page of stamps especially printed and cut for use in booklets. [see Booklet].
1895: The first booklets were issued in Luxembourg.
- Cachet
- A commemorative marking on an envelope. May be applied by rubber stamp, printed, painted or glued on.
- Cancellation
- Any mark placed on a stamp by a postal authority to deface the stamp to indicate that it has been used and to prevent its reuse.
(also known as Cancel). The cancellation often indicates location and date; can be a pen mark, perforations or manuscript, bars, or holes punched in stamps. For early Afghanistan stamps, pieces were torn from the stamp prior to affixing. Markings must be authorized to be postally collectable.
- Centering
- The position of a stamp design within its perforations e.g. 'well centered', 'off center' or 'perfectly centered'.
- Chalky Paper
- The paper of the stamp has been coated with a chalky solution. Attempting to remove the cancellation will damage the surface of the stamp.
- Charity Stamp
- A stamp with a surcharge or sold for a premuim. The extra is for charitable purposes. For
postal purposes the stamp is valued without surcharge. The surcharge is usually separated from the official postal value with a "+". [see Semi Postal]
- Coil Paste-Up
- A tab joining two sections of a roll of stamps. Paste-ups were created, particularly in earlier coils when the coil broke during production.
- Coil Stamp
- A single stamp from a coil of stamps; issued in a continuous roll, with parallel straight edges on two sides and perforations only between two stamps. Some coil stamps were also issued in a long strip with perforations on all four sides. Some of these stamps are only used in vending machines or in machines that will directly apply the postage to the envelope.
- Commemorative
- A stamp issued to mark or commemorate a person, anniversary or historical event. Generally these stamps are issued in set, limited quantities for a set period.
| Commemoratif | Commemorativo | Commemorativo |
The first government adhesive issued was Peru, 1871, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the first railway in South America. The first used by USA as a stamped envelope of 1876 to celebrate the Centenary of Independence. The first commemorativr stamp issued by the USA was the 1893 Christopher Columbus series.
- Commemorative Stamp
- [see Commemorative]
- Condition
- Describes the centering of the stamp, whether it is used or not and state of the stamp gum.
| Condition | Condición | Bedingung | | Circunstãncia | | |
Centering refers to the positioning of the design of the stamp between the edges of the stamp. VG or Very Good, has the edges or perforations of the stamp touching or just into the design of the stamp. VF or Very Fine stamps have the design clear of the edges or perforations and a roughly equal distance on all sides of the design from the edges of the stamp. F or Fine stamps are somewhere in between VG and VF with the disign noticably closer to one edge. Generally, stamps issued between 1840 and 1900 are considered collectable VG to VF, from 1900 to 1950 F to VF and after 1950 VF only. This reflects improvements in the cutting or perforating processes. A rule of thumb is that the price of a stamp doubles with each grade improvement. Stamps where the perforations are at least 25% into the design of the stamp are also collectable as varieties and command a premuim. Collectable stamps are usually either M for Mint or NH for Never Hinged, with their original gum on the back of the stamp, never having been used to move the mail or U for Used and cancelled, having moved the mail. Although used stamps are assumed to have moved the mail, an exception is the CTO (Cancelled to Order) which has been cancelled to be sold to collectors without actually having been used. Quite often CTO stamps still reain their original gum, which does not add to the value. Some conder CTO stamps to be not collectible. Mint stamps are those that have been hinged at some point where as NH have not. Preference is now given to NH (usually at least 2 to 4 times more expensive). Stamps upto about 1950 are collected either M or NH and after 1950 only NH. This reflects the fact that older stamps were usually hinged as that was the about the only method available to affix them in an album. With the advent of high quality plastic mounts in the 1970's there was a alternative and most collectors prefer NH.
- Cover
- Any postally used envelope, folded letter sheet, postal card, postal wrapper or other piece of postal stationery.
- An envelope or item of postal stationery that has been canceled as a souvenir.
| Lettre, Entier | Carta, Sobre | Brief | | Lettera, Busa | | |
The term cover comes from pre-envelope times when a sheet of paper was used to cover a letter for sending. Mostly a cover refers to a postally used cover or envelope but, in cases like First Day Covers [see First Day Cover] or Exhibition Covers, the cover is manufactured with a stamp and cancel but has not been postally used.
- Cylinder number
- The serial number engraved on a cylinder which usually appears in a corner of a sheet of stamps. This number is used to keep the plates from getting mixed up at the printing plant.
In British and Commonwealth stamp sheets, if the number has a period, it is from the right side of the cylinder, if there is no period, it is from the left side. If more than one color is used, the numbers will be in the color applied by that particular cylinder.
- Die
- A block of metal that has been hand or machine engraved from which plates are prepared to print stamps.
- terms Die I, Die II, etc. denote first and later states of the same die.
- terms Die I, Die II, etc. are also used to designate stamps printed from these dies.
- Doctor blade
- A steel blade used to remove surplus ink from the printing cylinder in the press.
- Error
- A mistake in the printing of a stamp design during printing or production.
- Essay
- A trial design for a proposed postage stamp which is often differs from the stamp that was issued
- Rejected and unused stamp design.
- Face Value
- The denomination of a stamp printed, or surcharged in its design.
- Fake
- A genuine stamp altered as to color, design, value, etc. to increase its monetary value for sale to collectors. These can include imperforate singles, blind perforations, omitted colors and inverts.
- First Day Cover
- A cover bearing stamps postmarked on their day of issue. (abbreviation FDC) [see Cover]
- Flaw
- A blemish in the stamp design that occurred during manufacture. A flaw may also be considered a variety. [see Variety]
- Forgery
- A fraudulent copy of a genuine postage stamp, overprint or postmark.
- Greetings Stamp
- Stamp intended for use on birthday or other greetings mail.
- Gum
- The coating of an adhesive substance on the reverse of an unused or mint postage stamp. Not 'glue'. [see Never Hinged, Lightly Hinged, Original Gum, Partial Original Gum, Ungummed, Condition]
| Gummi |  Gummi |  Gummering |  Guma |  Gummi | |
Obtained from plants, animals, trees and shrubs, can also be synthesized chemically by altering starches found in rice, wheat, potatoes and cassava (tapioca), or synthesized in the laboratory using basic chemical building blocks. [see Arabic gum, Chemically Synthetic Gum, Dextrine Gum, Water Soluble Gum, Senegal Gum]
- Gutter
- The narrow space between stamps in the sheet permitting perforation. [see Perforation]
- Gutter Margin
- The blank margins dividing a sheet of stamps into panes.
- Handstamp
- A hand-held device for printing that is struck on an ink pad, and then applied to paper.
- To print with that type of device.
- Name given to the impression or postmark imprinted.
- Postmarked or canceled by hand, usually by a rubber stamp, may also be a steel device.
- Hinge
- Hinges are small rectangular gummed pieces of glassine or paper used to affix stamps to album pages.
| charnière | bisagra | klebefalz | | dobradiça | | |
Hinges usually come prefolded with a short leg put on the stamp and long leg on the album page. Moisten the gum on the short leg and put on the stamp, then moisten the longer leg and put the stamp and hinges on the album page. Do not over moisten as it can get over onto the back of the stamp and cause the stamp to stick directly to the album page (Removing the stamp from the album can then damage the stamp). Put the fold up close to, but below the top of the stamp. That allows the stamp to be flipped up so you can see the back of the stamp. Historically hinges were the main method of putting stamps in albums. Now they are mainly used on less expensive, easily replacable used stamps. Expensive stamps (because removing hinges may damage the stamp) and unhinged mint stamps (hinging a previously never hinged stamp very significantly reduces its value) are usually put in album with mounts.
- Imperforate
- Stamps printed and issued without perforations, deliberately or in error. They are usually separated by scissors and are collected in pairs or strips.
- Imprint
- Any part of a stamp's design printed at the time of the original stamp's production as opposed to an overprint, which is added at a later time.
- The name of the printer or issuing authority inscribed on the stamps or in the sheet margins.
- Inscription with name, initials, etc., usually of the producers of the stamps; found in the margins of the sheets of the stamps.
- 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.
- Line Perforation
- Perforation of a sheet stamp one line at a time in each direction, creates perforation at the intersection of the stamps that intersect; the two sets of perforations are not required to register at the corners of the stamps.
- Local
- Any private mail-carrying entity, many issued their own adhesives.
- A postage stamp authorized for use within a limited territory or area.
- Machin
- The name given to G.B. definitives, first issued in 1967 bearing the Queen's head designed from a plaster cast of the queen's profile by Arnold Machin,
- Margin
- The unprinted edging surrounding or dividing a sheet of stamps. [see Gutter Margin]
- Miniature Sheet
- (abbreviation M/S) A small sheet of one or several stamps, usually with a decorative margins, issued as a souvenir for collectors.
- Mint
- A stamp as issued by the government printing office with full original gum [see Original Gum]. where available, unhinged and uncanceled.
- Never Hinged
- (abbreviation NH) A term meaning that the stamp has never been hinged and has the original gum in post office condition.
| Neuf sans Charniáre | Nuevo con Goma sin SeÑal de Charnela | Postfrisch | | Illinguellato | | |
- NH
- [see Never Hinged].
- Obsolete Stamp
- Stamps that are no longer sold by the postal service.
- Stamps no longer valid for postage.
- Overprint
- (abbreviation Opt or Ovpt) Any additional printing on a stamp that was not part of the original design; for example. The Molly Pitcher US stamp of 1928 has the words "Molly Pitcher" overprinted on top of the design. Where the additional inscription changes the face value of the stamps, this is then named a surcharge.
| Overstemple or Overtryk | Overtrykk | |
- Pair
- Two of a kind; stamps that have not been separated, two attached stamps.
- Two se-tenant postage stamps; understood to be se-tenant horizontally
| paire | pareja | paar | | paio or coppia | | |
- Pane
- stamps as sold by the post office; usually a commemorative pane consists of 50 stamps; four panes of 50 stamps make up a "sheet" of stamps as printed; more recently panes consist of 20 stamps.
- page of booklet postage stamps. [see Booklet Pane]
- Perf
- abbreviation for Perforation [see Perforation]
- Perforated
- [see Perforation]
- Perforated Edges
- The number of sides of a stamp that have perforations. see Perforation (Perf).
| Bords Perforés | Bordes Perforados | Perforierte Ränder | | Bordas Perfuradas | | |
Often a coil stamp has 2 opposite sides of the stamp perforated and the other 2 sides are not. A single stamp from a booklet may have 2 adjacent sides perforated and the other 2 sides are not perforated, or onlty one side not perforated. [see Perforation]
- Perforation
- Holes punched, in a line, into the stamp paper between rows of stamps to permit easy separation of the stamps. (abbreviation Perf)
| Perforation | Perforación | Perforierung | | Perfuraão | Perforering | Perforering | | Perforazione | | |
Perforations are measured by counting the number of peaks or valleys in the perforating in any given 2cm space.
A 11 x 13 has 11 perforations in 2cm on the top (or bottom) and 13 on either side. A single number measure means that the perforation count is the same on all sides. A 10 verticle means that both left and right are perforated 10 and the top and bottom are not perforated. 10 horizontal means that the top and bottom perforations are perfed 10 and the left and right are not perforated at all. These last 2 are usually coil stamps, issued in long stripes or coils, one stamp wide, so for seperating the stamps, only 2 sides need to be perforated.
Perforations are usually measured using a perforation gauge. [see Perforation Gauge]
- Perforation Gauge
- An instrument designed to measure the number of peaks or valleys in the perforating in any given 2cm space.
Perforations are usually measured using a perforation gauge. Paper perforation gauges have rows of dots or a sawtooth arrangement where you line up the teeth of perforations of your stamp with the row of dots and read off the perforation count. Clear plastic perforation gauges is also available. With it you can lay the gauge on the stamp (useful if it is on a cover). It also has slanted verticle lines on the plastic, when the perforations on the stamp line up with the lines, then you read the perforation count off of the gauge. It also has the advantage of being able to measure fractional perforations, like a 13.2 .
- Phosphor
- A chemical printed on stamps in order to help automated machines process the mail by reacting to the phosphor under ultraviolet lights. It started in Great Britain in 1959, and many countries now use a phosphor "tagging" on their stamps.
- Plate Block
- (abbreviation PB) A block of stamps with the sheet margin attached showing the plate number used in printing that sheet. Usually collected as a block of four stamps or more.
- Plate Number
- The serial number engraved on a plate which usually appears in a corner of a sheet of stamps. This number is used to keep the plates from getting mixed up at the printing plant.
- Single digit suffix numbers are printed on the coils, instead of the whole serial number.
- Postmark
- (abbreviation Pm, or Pmk) Any mark cancelling the stamp and recording an item's passage through the mails.
| obliteration postale | matasello | poststempel | | bollo | | |
- Proof
- A trial printing, known as a strike, taken from a new printing plate for inspection purposes; this can be used to inspect for defects, or to see which ink color looks best for that particular stamp.
- Provisional
- A stamp, usually overprinted or surcharged, issued for temporary use.
| provisoire | provisionale | provisorio | | provisorie | provisorio | provisorie |
- Remainders
- Stamps remaining on hand at postal administration after the issue has been discontinued
- Stamp collection, usually mounted in album(s) from which the most desirable items have been removed
- Reprint
- Stamps printed from the original plates after the issue has become demonetized or obsolete; usually reprints have a distinguishing feature so that the difference can be seen
- USPS uses the term for a stamp with the same denomination and design as previously issued, not reproduced on the same plates.
- Reproductions: stamps made from a new plate to imitate the original issue as the US Special Printing issue of 1875.
| réimpression | eimpressión | nachdruck | | ristampa | | |
- Roulette
- Perforation consisting of short knife dash-like cuts of which, many forms exist.
| perçage | corte de lineas | durchstich | | feratura | | |
- Se-tenant
- (abbreviation Seten.) (French) (Joined Together), Two or more unseparated stamps having different colors, denominations, or designs.
- Semi Postal
- A stamp with a surcharge or sold for a premuim. The extra is for charitable purposes. For
postal purposes the stamp is valued without surcharge. The surcharge is usually separated from the official postal value with a "+". [see Charity Stamp]
- Souvenir sheet
- Sheet of a stamp or stamps, surrounded with a paper margin issued for a specific event or purpose. (abbreviation SS)
| bloc feuillet | hoja blocque | gedenkblock | | foglietto | | |
The first US SS is the White Plains pane of 25 stamps for an international stamp exhibition, held Oct. 16-23, 1926.
- Specimen
- Sample stamp usually with 'specimen' overprinted or perforated on it.
- Strip
- Three or more stamps joined in a row.
| bande | tira | streifen | | striscia | | |
- Surcharge
- An overprint which changes the denomination of a stamp either up or down.
- Universal Postal Union language is additional fee.
- Used on Britain and British Colonies issues may mean postage due.
- Can change a regular definitive stamp into a semi-postal stamp, or regular issue to an air mail issue.
- Tête-bêche
- A stamp inverted in relation to the adjoining stamp in a pair.
- Unused
- An uncancelled stamp, not necessarily 'mint'.
- Used
- A stamp which has been postally used and appropriately postmarked.
| oblitéré | usado | gebraucht | | usato | | |
- Variety
- A difference from the standard or normal form of the stamp such as a color variation or minor flaws, etc.
| variété | variedad | abart | | variant | variant | varietá |  varietate | | |
- Watermark
- (abbreviation Wmk.) 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.
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