PHILATELIC TERMS EXPLAINED: AN IN- DEPTH GUIDE TO THE MOST-USED STAMP TERMINOLOGY Stamp collecting is a rewarding hobby for all ages. However, it can be quite challenging if you don't know the meaning of the stamp terminology that’s widely used by collectors and dealers, This guide to stamp collecting abbreviations has been compiled for those who may need a bit more clarity to fully underst various classifications and philatelic terms. Adhesi ‘A stamp that is gummed Airmail Stamp: Issued to prepay the postage of mail carried by ait Albino: A design impression without any colour Aniline: A water soluble ink or dye Approvals: When a collector is offered a wide range of stamps to examine and choose from ahead of a purchase, but it must be bought or returned to the dealer in a specified period of time ANG - Average (AVG): A stamp is average if the design is cut into by the perforations in any way, if the outside margin shows on the perforation teeth or if heavy cancellation marks are present Average Mounted Mint (AVMM): As issued by the Post Office, with good gum and fully complete perforations, with hinge marks on the rear and other visible faults, Average Unmounted Mint (AVUM): A stamp which is in the state as issued by the Post Office, bearing good gum and ful complete perforations, but with visible f Its Average Used (AU): A stamp in a good used condition with cancellation marks, small defects or heavier postmarks Bisect: Describes part of a stamp cut in two for separate use; usually during an era of stamp shortages Blind perforation (Blind perf): A perforation which has not beenfully punched out and has left some paper where the perforation holes should be. Block: A group of four or more unseparated stamps, which form a square or rectangle Blunt perforation (Blunt perf): A stamp with a perforation which is shorter than would usually be expected Booklet: A small book which contains stamps in ‘panes’ Booklet Panes: A small leaf or page of stamps which is sold in a booklet format Cachet: A commemorative marking, illustration or description on an envelope which explains the commemorative purpose when it was mailed and Is usually applied by a rubber stamp Cancellation: An authorised mark applied to a stamp to prevent its reuse by defacing it surface Centring: The dosition of the design on @ stamp within its ns. For example: On a perfectly centred stamp, t design ‘well-centred’ when exactly in the middle perforat Chalky paper: Stamp paper is coated with a chalky solution for security purposes to prevent the attempted removal of the postmark, which would damage the stamp's surface Charity stamp: A stamp which was issued with a premium or surcharge for charitable purposes Circular date stamp (CDS): A circular cancellation mark which oft has the date and place name or location within it Classi : One of the earliest stamp Issues from a country, usually up to about 1900 Coil join: A tab which unites two sections from a roll of st mps Coil Stamps: vending machines and can often be identified by a pair of straight edges on opposite sides stamps which were produced in rolls for use in Comb perforation: When the perforation pins have been arranged in a comb pattem to perforate three sides of a stamp in one stroke Commemorative stamp: A stamp issued to mark a person, special event or anniversary - which is usually only on sale for alimited period of time Commemorative Sheet: A sheet of stamps with a commemorative inscription to mark an event or anniversary Cover: An envelope, postcard, letter-sheet or any other wrapper which has been used to send correspondence by mail Cut Square: The cut comer of an envelope or postcard bearing the imprinted stamp with ample margins Cylinder number: etters and numerals displayed in sheet margins which can identify printing cylinders. They are normally collected in a ‘cylinder block’ of six stamps Defective Mint (DEFM): A stamp which has heavy creasing, thins or missing perforations, but would otherwise be classed as ina ‘mint’ state Defe je Used (DU): When a stamp is in ‘used’ condition 6 also has noticeable defects, such as small tears, creases, clipped perforations or thins Definitive: A stamp issued for ordinary postal use which remains on sale for an extended period Denomination: The monetary value printed on a stamp Die small, flat piece of soft steel which is used to print stamps by using an engraving plate to impress the design onto the paper Disturbed gum (DG): When the gum of a stamp has been damaged in some way Doctor blade: A stee! blade used to remove surplus ink from a printing cylinder in the press Duck Stamp: Issued annually since 1934, these US duck hunting permits help to finance the federal waterfowl program Embossed Envelope: An envelope which bears a postage stamp with a raised surface design printed on the actual envelope Embossing: A form of printing in relief Error: Highly-collectible stamps because a mistake in stamp design, printing or production has occured during their design or manufacture Essay: A trial stamp design which sometimes differed from theactual issued stamps: Extremely Fine (XF): A stamp where the design is welll centred with the margins on all sides almost perfect, wider than usual and Clear fram any perforations. For used stamps, the cancellations are light present nd tidy, For unused or mint stamps, the original gum is, Face Scrape: Where part of the stamp’s front side has been scraped away to leave a spot in the overall stamp design Face value: The denomination or value of a stamp, which is expressed on its face Fine (F): A stamp design with unbalanced margins (top or bottom), but is not cut in any way by the perforations Fine to very fine (F-VF} : The stamp design is slightly off-centred (horizontally or vertically) but is clear from perforations - making it attractive, but widely collected because it does not come with an unaffordable price Fine Used (FU): Stamps which are lightly cancelled and have a circular date stamp First Day Cover (FDC) envelope or card which has been postmarked and used on the first day of issue. First Flight Cover: An envelope or postcard which was carried on the inaugural mail flight between two destinations Flaw: When a printing fault causes a fortuitous blemish on a stamp Forgery: A fraudulent copy of a genuine stamp, overprint or postmark - usually done to deceive collectors Frama stamps: Also known as Machine Labels, these stamps are produced by a micto-processor machine after coins of the required value have been entered Gem: A term which can be used by anyone because it has no definite meaning - although it is mostly used to describe an extra high-quality stamp with fine centring, boardwalk margins and no faults or other special features. Graphite lines: GB definitives, from 1957 to 1959, had black vertical lines printed on the back of them so they could be used by automatic letter-sorting equipment.Greetings stamp: A stamp intended for use on a birthday card or other mail specifically for @ special greeting Gri I: This series of small dots is embossed on a stamp to allow ink from the postmark to sink in and prevent the stamp being cleaned and reused Gum: The coating of adhesive glue on the back of an unused stamp, Gum bend, Gum crease or Gum wrinkle: A natural occurrence in flat-plate printed stamps where the paper has shrunk and the gum did not shrink at the same rate, causing the stamp to wrinkle. This will not lower a stamp's value unless it is severe. Gum skip: A portion of the stamp has been left without gum because it was not spread completely over the stamp during its manufacture Gutter: The blank margins of narrow space dividing a sheet of stamps into panes and permitting perforation Handstamp: A postmark or overprint which has been applied by hand Heavily hinged (HH): When the gum has been hinged and the mark which has been left is very large or prominent Hinge Remnant (HR): The gum has had a hinge applied to it and a portion of it was so difficult to remove that it was left attached to the stamp Hinged (H): The gum surface has had a hinge applied to it Hinges: A small gummed strip which is used to fix stamps to the pages of an album Imperforate (Imperf): Stamps which have been deliberately printed and issued without perforations, so that they bear straight edges on all four sides Imprint: When the name of the printer or issuing authority is Inscribed on the stamps or in the sheet margins Imprinted stamps: Stamps which have been printed directly on to postal items such as po! tcards or envelopes Inclusion: When a foreign piece of material has been pressed into the paper during manufacturing to create a spot that can be seenon the front, back or in the middle of a stamp Invert: A stamp with one part of its design printed upside down in relation to the rest of the stamp. Jubilee Line: The coloured line found in the sheet margin of certain QV. and K.EMII British stamps Jumbo or Boardwalk Margins: A stamp where the border between the edge of the design and its perforations is larger or ‘smaller than that of other stamps in the same sheet. If this space is, large, the stamp is u ually referred to as a ‘jumbo! and is more attractive and desirable. Key type (U): A uniform design used by many colonial countries, where a standard key, head or plate was used with different duty plates to bear the country’s name and the stamp’s value Lightly hinged (LH): The gum has had a hinge applied but the mark which has been left is very small or light Line perforation (P): When a sheet of stamps is seperated by a single line or row of holes Local: A stamp with geographical limits of where it can be used to post items Machin: A common name given to GB definitives, first issued in 1967, which had the Queen's head designed by Arnold Machin Machine label: More popularly known as Frama stamps, these are stamps produced by a micro-processor machine after coins of the required value have been entered Maltese Cross: The cross-shaped cancellation which was used on the first British stamps Margi : The unprinted edging which surrounds or divides a sheet of stamps Maximum card: A picture postcard often with a stamp and cancellation which is relevant to the actual picture on the card Miniature sheet: A small sheet of one or several stamps which are usually decorative Asstamp in its original and unused pristine condition which was never cancelled and bears its full or original gum Mint Never Hinged (MINH): A stamp, as issued by the PostOffice, with full original gum and which has not been previously hinged it Sheet: An entire sheet of stamps in their original unused condition as issued by the Post Office Mounted Mint (MM} Office, including good gum and fully complete perforations, out In the slate as il was issued by the Post with hinge marks on the back Mulready: Envelopes and letler sheets issued by Great Britain during 1840 which had a pictorial motif designed by Wiliam Mulready Never hinged (NH): A stamp that has never had a hinge applied to it with full original gum and no marks of any kind - sometimes known as an unhinged New Printings: When additional supplies of current stamps are reprinted No gum (NG): An unused stamp without gum Non Value Indicator (NVI): A stamp with no monetary value on it, but with its postage class (Ist, 2nd) shown instead Obsolete: A stamp which is no longer sold by the Post Office even though it may still be valid for use on post Official Stamp: A stamp which was valid only for use by @ government agency Overprint: Printing added to a stamp after production to indicate a change in value or function, or to commemorate an event Pai Two unseparated stamps which are joined either vertically or horizontally as originally issued Pane: A formation or group of stamps within a sheet Perforation Gauge: A device which is used to gauge the number of perforations on a stamp in two centimetres Perforations: The holes which are punched between stamps on a sheet to make them easy to separate Personalised stamp: A stamp bearing an image taken from a personal photograph, but with an attached non-postal label Philately he technical name for stamp collectingPhosphor stamps: Stamps which have been overprinted or coated with phosphorescent materials so they can be recognised by automatic letter sorting machinery Pictorial: Any stamp which features a decorative image, rather than the usual symbolic designs such as a portrait or coat of arms Plate Block: When four or more attached stamps are still fastened to the margin which has the number of the printing plate clearly inscribed Plate number: This is when the letters and numerals in a sheet margin identify the printing plate Postal Stationery: Postcards, envelopes, cards or any other covers which bear imprinted or impressed stamps on them Postmark: Any markings on a postal item, such as a cancellation, which records the date and/or origin of its connection with the postal service and its transit t rough the mail system Precancel: A stamp which was intended for use by a bulk poster and supplied with a pre-printed cancellation by the post office Presentation pack: A stamp collecting souvenir which contains a set of stamps and some descriptive text about the issue Prestige booklet: A booklet of stamps devoted to one subject or event which contains special panes of stamps accompanied by descriptive text alongside them Proof: A trial impression stamp which has been taken from an original die or printing plate Provisional: A stamp issued for temporary use often overprinted or surcharged Pulled perf - Pulled perforation (PP): A stamp where the perfor n tip is missing completely Region I: A collectors’ term for issues by Royal Mail for use in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Seperate issues were also made for Guernsey and Jersey to 1969 and until 1973 for the Isle of Man, Re-gummed (RG): A stamp which has had new gum applied in place of the original Remainders: Stamos which remain in official stocks even afterbecoming obsolete Re-perforated (RP or Reperf): When alterations have been made to a stamp to add perforations to one or more edges. This is often done for dishonest reasons, such as t improve the worth of a lower-value stamp Reprints: Stamps which are printed from original plates after being withdrawn Revenue Stamp: Any stamp which indicates the payment of a fee or tax Roulett When slits or cuts have been used between stamps to seperate them instead of perforations Seahorse: The high value definitive stamps associated with King George V Self-Adhesive: A gummed stamp with a pressure-sensitive adhesive that does not need moistening to fix it to the postal item Selvege: More often known as the margin, this is the unprinted paper around a pane of stamps ‘Semi-Postal: A stamp where alll of part of the money generated by its sale is donated to charity Se-Tenant: When adjoining stamps differ from each other in some aspect, such as their design or denomination Short Perforation (SP or Short Perf): When a portion of the perforation tip is still present, but is not as long as it should be ‘Socked on the Nose (SON, CDS and itis applied very close to dead centre on the stamp. his means that the stamp has a Spacefiller: A heavily defective stamp with considerable faults which sells for a greatly reduced price ‘Specimen: A sample stamp which has the words ‘specimen’ perforated or overprinted on it Straight edge (SE): A philatelic term for when one or more edges of a stamp do not have perforations. Not to be confused with a coil stamp (always has two edges without perforations}, a booklet stamp (can have one, 1 or three edges without perforations) or an imperforate stamp (which has no perforations) Strip: Three or more stamps which are joined together in a row‘Superb (5): A nearly perfectly-centred stamp with a design that is perfect in all aspects. These are usually scarce and worth more in value Surcharge: When an overprint has been used to alter or change a stamp's established face value .d or descriptive label which is attached to @ Téte-béche: A stamp which is inverted in relation to the adjoining stamp in a pair Thin: A ‘thin’ tamp gets its name from having an area where some of the paper is thinner than the remainder of the stamp. Tongs: The American philatelic term for metal tweezers which are used to handle stamps safely and easily Topicals: A group of stamps which are all of the same theme, such as trains Traffic lights: The term used by collectors for the coloured check dots found in sheet margins Unmounted Mint (UM): A stamp in its original unused condition, as issued by the Post Office, with good gum that has never been hinged and complete perforations. Also known as unused never hinged Unused ("): A stamp with no cancellation or any other sign of use, usually without gum Unused never hinged (**): Also known as an ‘Unmounted Min! this is a stamp in its original unused condition that has not been hinged Used (0): A stamp that has been used postally and appropriately postmarked Used abroad: Stamps from one country which has been used and postmarked in another country Used on ece: A stamp which has been kept on part of the, original cover to completely preserve its postmark Variety: When a stamp differs in some detail from its ‘norma issueVery fine (VF): Well centred with full perforations and light cancellation if used Very Fine Used (VFU): A very fine stamp which is undamaged, almost perfectly centred and bears a light postmark Vignette: The central portion of a stamp’s design which has been printed separately within the frame Watermark: The distinctive design or pattern formed in paper by ‘thinning’ it during the manufacturing process to protect against forgery and act as a valuable security precaution Watermark Detection: A method where collectors place a stamp in a tray filled with special fluid to safely determine the existence of a watermark Wilding: The popular name issued to British definitive stamps, which were first issued in 1952, featuring the Queen's head and taken [rom a photographic portrait by Dorothy Wilding Wing margin: When a wide margin occurs on one side of a stamp because of the central perforation of the sheet gutter margin