Philately related abreviations and terms used on this site.
More detailed philatelic glossaries can be found on one of the followings sites:
Wikipedia,
StampsNet,
UPS.
Multi-language Philatelic Dictionary:
Stampshow
Block (Bl)
In philately, a block is a group of postage stamps still attached to each other. Blocks are of
interest not only because they are rarer than individual stamps, but
they also preserve relative positions of stamps as they were originally
printed, information that is crucial to understanding how the stamps
were produced.
More info on Wikipedia
Booklet
A postage stamp booklet is a booklet made up of one or more small panes of
postage stamps in a cardboard cover.
Booklets are often made from sheets especially printed for this purpose,
with a narrow selvedge at one side of the booklet pane for binding.
From the cutting, the panes are usually imperforate on the edges of the booklet.
Smaller and easier to handle than a whole sheet of stamps, in many countries
booklets have become a favored way to purchase stamps.
More info on Wikipedia
Cinderella
In philately, a cinderella
stamp has been defined as "Virtually anything resembling a postage
stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal
administration..."
As cinderella stamps are
defined by what they are not, there are many different types and the
term is usually construed fairly loosely.
Items normally regarded as
falling within the area are poster stamps, propaganda labels,
commemorative stickers, stamps issued by non-recognised countries or
governments, court fee stamps, charity labels like Christmas seals and
Easter seals, most telegraph stamps, some railway stamps, some local
stamps and purely decorative items created for advertising or
amusement. Revenue stamps are sometime considered cinderellas, but as
they are normally issued by an official government agency, they tend to
be classed separately from other cinderella stamps.
Cancellation
Any mark applied on a stamp to prevent the re-use of a stamp:
Postmark, Pen-cancellation, Overprint (specimen, sample, inutilizado), Punched with holes.
A mute cancellation is postmark without inscription, letters or numbers (also known as
"killers").
CTO: Cancelled To Order
a postage-stamp cancelled by the postal administration before sale to
stamp-collectors.
Commemorative stamp
is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary,
to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object.
More info on Wikipedia
Definitive stamp
A definitive stamp is a
postage stamp, that is part of a regular issue of a country's stamps
(often referred to as a 'regular issue') available for sale by the
postal service for an extended period of time. The term is used in
contrast with a "provisional stamp", one that is issued for a temporary
period until regular stamps are available, or a "commemorative stamp",
a stamp "issued to honor a person or mark a special event" available
only for a limited time. Commonly a definitive issue or series includes
stamps in a range of denominations sufficient to cover many or all
postal rates usefully.
More info on Wikipedia
FDC = First Day Cover
A First Day of Issue Cover or First Day Cover is a
postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on
the first day the issue is authorized for use[1] within the country or
territory of the stamp-issuing authority. Sometimes the issue is made
from a temporary or permanent foreign or overseas office. There will
usually be a first day of issue postmark, frequently a pictorial
cancellation, indicating the city and date where the item was first
issued, and "first day of issue" is often used to refer to this
postmark. Depending on the policy of the nation issuing the stamp,
official first day postmarks may sometimes be applied to covers weeks
or months after the date indicated.
Postal authorities may hold a first day ceremony to
generate publicity for the new issue, with postal officials revealing
the stamp, and with connected persons in attendance, such as
descendants of the person being honored by the stamp. The ceremony may
also be held in a location that has a special connection with the
stamp's subject, such as the birthplace of a social movement, or at a
stamp show.
Gum
In philately, gum is the substance applied to the back of a stamp to enable
it to adhere to a letter or other mailed item.
The term is generic, and applies both to
traditional types such as gum arabic and to synthetic modern
formulations. Gum is a matter of high importance in philately.
More info on Wikipedia
Gutter
In philately, a gutter is the space left between postage stamps which allows them to be separated or perforated.
When stamps are printed on large sheets of paper that will be guillotined into smaller sheets along the gutter
it will not exist on the finished sheet of stamps.
More info on Wikipedia
Illegal stamp
Illegal stamps are postage
stamp-like labels issued in the names of existing independent countries
or territories, entities claiming to be independent, or completely fictitious entities.
They are a subset of philatelic fakes and
forgeries for which a member nation of the Universal Postal Union (UPU)
has caused the issue of an "International Bureau Circular" advising
others of this label.
There is no definitive method to identifying illegal stamp issues.
Most illegal stamps are issued in the names of
countries or territories from Africa or the former Soviet Union, or
smaller island nations from around the world. Older illegal issues
(from the 1970s) were most often in the names of Arab states.
The designs usually feature popular topics such
as animals, sporting heroes, and movie stars.
They are usually, but not always, unrelated to the country or territory named on the stamps.
Most illegal stamps are not listed in the major stamp catalogues, (Scott's,
Stanley Gibbons, Yvert and Tellier, Michel).
The WADP Numbering System (WNS), developed by the World Association for the
Development of Philately and the UPU, catalogues stamps issued by UPU member nations since 2002.
Not all UPU members participate.
The UPU periodically issues advisories at the request of the postal authorities of member nations, listing
illegal stamps.
More info on Wikipedia
MC = Maximum card
A maximum card is an illustrated postcard that has one or more stamps and cancels.
Mint stamp
Mint says something about the condition the stamp is in.
A mint stamp has the same condition as on the day that it was printed.
Sometimes the term "mint never hinged" is used for stamps in this condition, because many people
use "mint" for stamps that were unused and hinged.
In philately, a mint stamp is a stamp which is in its original state of issue, is unused, has
never been mounted and has full gum, if issued with gum.
More info on Wikipedia
MS = Miniature-Sheet
A souvenir sheet or
miniature sheet is a small group of postage stamps still attached to
the sheet on which they were printed. They may be either regular issues
that just happen to be printed in small groups (typical of many early
stamps), or special issues often commemorating some event, such as a
national anniversary, philatelic exhibition, or government program. The
number of stamps ranges from one to about 25; larger sheets of stamps
are simply called "sheets" with no qualifier.
Overprint
An overprint is an additional printing on a stamp
after the stamp was completed. The overprint was not part of the
original design.Overprints can be made in words, figures, dots,
stripes and images.There are many reasons for overprints, some of them
are:
To change the function of the stamp (i.e. from postage to official).
To add the new name of the country.
To add a commemorative slogan (i.e. philatelic exhibition).
To cover the stamp partially (i.e. king out of grace).
When the face value is changed the overprint is called a surcharge.
More info on Wikipedia
Perforation
Perforations are the rows of punched holes
separating stamps from one another in a sheet. The Irishmen Henry
Archer is considered to be the inventor of perforation. He sold his
patents to the British Ministry of Finance.
For about the first ten years of postage stamp use
(depending on the country), stamps were issued without perforations.
Scissors or other cutting tools had to be used to separate individual
stamps. If cutting tools were not used, individual stamps were torn
off, as evidenced by the ragged edges of surviving such examples. This
proved to be quite an inconvenience for postal clerks and businesses,
both of which had to deal with large numbers of individual stamps on a
daily basis. By 1850, various methods such as rouletting wheels were
being devised in an effort to make stamp separation more efficient and
to allow for large numbers of stamps to be quickly separated.
Collectors distinguish different gauges of
perforation by reckoning the number of holes in a length of 2
centimetres.
A perforation gauge is used to determine the gauge of a perforation.
More info on Wikipedia
PC = Postcard
A postcard can be produced
by postal authorities. In such cases it usually has a design indicating
prepayment of postage. Very often this value is included in an image
that looks like a stamp.
The word "postcard" is also
used for privately produced cards generally bearing an illustration on
one side and space for postage, message, and address on the other side.
A postcard issued by the
postal authorities belongs to postal stationery, but a picture-postcard
mostly does not belong to this group.
PS = Postal stationary
A piece of postal stationery
is a stationary item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal
card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or
inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related
service has been prepaid. It does not, however, include any postcard
without a pre-printed stamp.
More info on Wikipedia
Precancel
A precanceled stamp, or
precancel for short, is a postage stamp that has been cancelled before
being affixed to mail. Precancels are typically used by mass mailers,
who can save a postal system time and effort by prearranging to use the
precancels, and delivering the stamped mail ready for sorting.
Precancels were also used on newspaper wrappers in Canada, Austria and
Great Britain. The postal administration will typically offer an
incentive in the form of a reduced price for precancelled stamps in
volume. Precancels cannot normally be purchased by the general public,
although they are often seen in one's daily mail.
PP = Presentation Pack
A Presentation Pack is a
folder, produced for philatelists and stamp collectors, that contains a
full set of a new stamp issue.
A Presentation Pack normally
consists of a cardboard folder with notes about the stamps, a holder
for the stamps and a clear sleeve on the outside. They are normally
sold at a small margin above the face value of the stamps.
More info on Wikipedia
Proof
In philately a Die Proof is a printed image pulled directly from the master die for an engraved stamp.
As a stamp is engraved it is necessary to check progress and a series of proofs are printed or
'pulled' from the die. These are known as progressive or contemporary die proofs.
Progressive proofs also form
part of the design and approval process for a stamp. Any changes made
during this process turn the proofs into essays which may be identified
retrospectively because they differ from the issued stamp. Die proofs
for engraved stamps are normally printed under great pressure on to
over-sized card and as they are printed from the master die they are
normally of high quality. By contrast they may also be printed on India
Paper, a strong, thin, opaque paper. The proofs are not necessarily in
the same colour(s) as the issued stamp. A proof on India or other paper
mounted on a die-sunk card is known as a hybrid proof.
Once the die is completed,
it is transferred multiple times to the plate from which the stamps are
printed.
Any pulls from the master
die after the stamp has been printed are known as posthumous die proofs
and are normally produced for presentation purposes, as samples of the
printer's work or to satisfy philatelic demand.
More info on Wikipedia
Sa = Self-adhesives
Peel and stick stamps are rather new to the postal service and it can be peeled off the non-stick
paper. No licking is needed.
More info on Wikipedia
Set
A set is a complete
collection of single stamps of an issue. These stamps are of different
design or denomination and may be issued together or over a period (definitives).
Publishers of catalogues
play an important role in determining which stamps belong together.
Collectors and dealers trade use this information and often stamps can
only be bought and sold as a set as stated in the catalogue used.
Dealers usually prefer selling sets, because not only the difficult ones but also the easy to
get stamps (stamps most collectors already possess) are sold.
Stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as
evidence of payment of postage.
Typically, stamps are made
from special paper, with a national designation and denomination
(price) on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side. Postage
stamps are purchased from a postal administration or other authorized
vendor and are used to pay for the costs involved in moving mail as
well as other business necessities such as insurance and registration.
More info on Wikipedia
Strip
A strip consists of three or more stamps that have not been separated.
Generally a strip is made up from stamps from the same row of a sheet, but this term is also used
for stamps from a roll. Especially strips of classics can be very
expensive, because only few survived.
Sh = Sheet
A sheet of stamps or press
sheet is a unit of stamps as printed, usually on large sheets of paper
based on the size of the printing plate, that are separated into panes
that are sold at post offices.
Where more than one pane is
on a printed sheet they are arranged in a table-like arrangement.The
spaces between the single stamps are all of the same size and provide
space for a cut or perforation.
More info on Wikipedia
Tab
Tab is an abbreviation for
"tablet" and with this term a usually rectangular extra piece attached
to each postage stamp in a sheet. The tabs can be removed, because
between tab and stamp perforation is applied. The stamp without tab can
be used, but the tab itself is not valid for franking.
In Switzerland and some
other countries the margin of the sheet was used for this purpose. On
tabs often information about the design or occasion of the issue is
given (Israel, The Netherlands). In Belgium many stamps were issued
with a tab in the years 1893-1913. The bilingual tabs with the text "Ne
pas livrer le dimanche / niet bestellen op zondag" could be used by the
sender to inform postal employees whether or not the letter should be
delivered on Sundays.
Those stamps without tab are worth considerably less.