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by Arturo B.

del Ayre

PHILATELIC JARGON

Like any other hobby, philately also has a glossary of specific words.
Many of which specify what type of stamps are issued, the manner of
presentation, the mode of printing, and a lot more.

TYPES . Postage stamps are generally of three types:


Commemoratives, Definitives, and Special Issues. A
COMMEMORATIVE stamps, Fig. 1, are issued for a limited
time and quantity to honor a certain person, event,
anniversary or group. DEFINITIVES , Fig. 2, on the other
hand, are usually small, regular stamp issued in big
Fig. 1: Commemorative
quantities and sold longer than the commemoratives.
Early Republic issues were one-color definitives
depicting heroes and heroines, as well as official seals
of various cities and localities. SPECIAL ISSUES , on the
other hand, promote several causes, the Philippine
Heritage, native flora and fauna, myriad of scenic and
tourist spots and others that depict national
Fig. 2: Definitive consciousness and awareness.

Other types are almost rare nowadays. AIRMAIL are postage used for
letters sent by plane. The last Philippine airmail issue was a sheetlet for
ESPAMER '77 Exposicion Filatelica de America y Europa. OFFICIAL USE
stamps are adhesive postage prepaid for the franking of
correspondence of government departments. The Philippine equivalent
is marked with "G.O." until the early 70s or "O.B.", usually hand-written.
Anti-TB stamps, a SURTAX were compulsary on all mail matters since
1958 as per Republic Act No. 1635. With its repeal on August 14, 1974,
these stamps were voluntary and later used as regular postage. RE-
ISSUE is a stamp or series of stamps brought back into use after it had
been superseded or out of use. While, a REPRINT is an impression taken
from an original plate of stamps, that have gone out of use, or from new
plates derived from the original die.

MARKS . Postage marks are vary according to purpose. A POSTMARK


is any mark tapped on mail by postal officials for any postal purposes.
Most mail are now franked by postage meter machines. A

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CANCELLATION , however, is an imprint, e.g., CANCELLED, SPECIMEN,
SAMPLE, applied to a stamp to render stamps invalid for postal use.
Stamps featuring Philippine Fauna issued in 1978 until 1985 printed by
House of Questa, England were cancelled-to-order sold at 10% of face
value. Also, an OVERPRINT is any inscription printed on a regular issue
stamp in addition to its original vignette or design usually denoting a
change of government, in a war, commemorate events, propaganda,
etc. Moreover, a SURCHARGE is an overprint altering the stamp's face
value.
PRESENTATION . Although majority of stamps
are issued singularly, a number is also issued in
other forms. A PAIR , Fig. 3 is a couple of stamps
that have not been separated. Two different or
variations of stamps in an unseparated pair,
occasionally each with different denomination,
Fig. 3: Pair / Se-Tenant however, is collectively known as SE-TENANT .
While a STRIP is three or more stamps unservered in a
single row or column; a sheet of stamps containing
strips inverted in relation to their neighbors is a TETE-
BECHE . A group of stamps, usually four or more is
called a BLOCK . Blocks can be in three
configurations, four in a row, four in a colum, or the
more common two rows by two columns. Also,
stamps are issued in a portable booklet form. On
June 03, 1998 the Philippine Centennial Prestige
Booklet was issued. Heroes of the Revolution Fig. 4: Block of Four
definitives were also released as booklet panes.
PRINTING . Most of the Philippines' stamps are now printed either by
offset lithography or by phogravure. In OFFSET PROCESS the stamps'
designs are produced by a specially prepared lithographic plates
printed into a rubber-blanketed cylinder. While LITHOGRAPH stamps are
printed from designs drawn or transferred upon a metal surface, thus
they are smooth to touch. Local lithographers, such as Government
Printing Office / Philippine Bureau of Printing, Asian Productivity
Organization Production Unit-National Economic and Development
Authority (APO-NEDA), and Amstar Company produced in succession
most of Philippine stamps beginning 1969, 1975, and 1989,
respectively. PHOTOGRAVURE stamps are printed from plates produced
by photography and etching. Foreign printers like Courvoisier, S.A.,
Switzerland and Harrison & Sons, England produced the 1960s issues.
From the onset of the Philippine Republic, most stamps were printed
by the American Bank Note Co. These stamps were ENGRAVED or
printed from plates engraved in recess.

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PHILATELIC
ITEMS Stamp
hobbyists are
collecting other
philatelic items, now
more than ever, in
addition to stamps.
With increasing
awareness for
beautifully designed
items of recent
years, collectors are
Fig. 5: First-Day Cover clamoring for more
of the same.

FIRST-DAY COVER , Fig. 5, is the stamp cancelled showing the first-day of


issue and retained on its original envelope. SOUVENIR SHEET is a small
sheet of stamps with incriptions commemorating an event.

MINIATURE SHEET , Fig. 6, is a limited


number of stamps in a small sheet
inscribed with numerical markings and,
sometimes, labels. POSTAL CARD is an
officially produced post card with a
pre-paid imprint of postage. COVER , an
envelope or wrapper which is complete
and bear proof of having served
postally. AEROGRAMME is a pre-formed
stationery-cum-envelope with gummed Fig. 6: Miniature Sheet

flaps sent via air mail.

CONTEST , In anticipation of the Tenth World Teachers' Day, this


writer is giving away mementos from Education International to
promote its aim that an important collection of "stamps of recognition"
dedicated to andpublicize the important work of the millions of
teachers across the globewill have been issued by all countries of the
world by the year 2003. To join, visit http://www.geocities.com/abda/
and click on Contest .
Note: A series of articles about Philately and Stamp Collecting will appear in this column regularly. Future
topics will discuss the nature of the hobby, to include: personal reflections, narratives, insights; the state of
Philippine Philately and stamp collecting to include issues affecting stamp collectors in the Philippines,
postal history, breakthroughs, highlights on philatelic clubs and personalities; and a stamp collector's
comprehensive guide on the 5W and 1H of stamp collecting.

This article, parts or verbatim, also appears on the Net. Visit: ABdA's Philippine Philatelic Web Site at
http://www.geocities.com/abda/ and the electronic magazine: The Philippine Philatelist at
http://abda.webprovider.com. For comments or suggestions, send e-mail to abda@geocities.com. 12/05/99

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