The SSC Glossary of Philately terms is a great place for referencing common terms that might pop up on your stamp collecting journey. You will come across particular stamp collecting terms and phrases appear as you begin to identify your stamps. If you are just starting out on your stamp collecting adventure, take a look at the beginners guide to stamp collecting. Here are some of the top stamp collecting terms explained.
| Term | Definition |
| Adhesive | The gum on the back of a stamp or label. It may be water-activated or pressure-sensitive. |
| Advanced Coated Paper | Paper designed by Harrison & Sons to manage ink absorption in the drying process. |
| Aerophilately | The focused study of mail carried by air. |
| Albino | A stamp with a completely un-inked impression of the design. |
| Albums | Storage materials where stamps are typically organised. |
| Aniline | A water-soluble dye used as ink. |
| As Is | Auction term indicating that an item or lot is sold without guarantee regarding condition or authenticity, typically due to significant damage or questionable origin. |
| ATM Stamps | Stamps dispensed by automated kiosks or teller machines, where the monetary value is dynamically imprinted only at the time of purchase. |
| Average Used (AU) | A stamp in generally good condition, bearing cancellation marks and possibly minor defects. |
| Bishop Mark | The earliest form of documented postal dating, introduced in 1661, showing only the day and month of mailing. |
| Bleed Off | A printing design that extends beyond the edge of the paper and is cut off during trimming. |
| Bleuté Paper | Paper that has been intentionally tinged blue. |
| Blind Perforation (Blind perf) | Occurs when the pin fails to fully punch out the paper, leaving the sheet intact but typically marked. |
| Block | A unit of four or more unseparated stamps in a square or rectangular format. |
| Blued Paper | Paper with a blue discoloration caused by potassium prussiate in the printing ink reacting with the paper pulp. |
| Bogus Stamps | Unauthorised issues, or fantasy stamps without official status. |
| Bond Paper | A distinct, high-quality, thin, crisp paper with a hard surface. |
| Booklet Panes | Small groupings of stamps contained within a Booklet. |
| Booklets | Small books containing stamps in small groupings called Booklet Panes, which may be interleaved with sheets of commercial advertising. |
| Campaign Covers | Mail posted by military or naval personnel on active service in wartime. |
| Canceled-to-Order (CTO) / Cancelled by Favour | Stamps cancelled by the issuing authority specifically for sale to collectors; they bear a postmark while still retaining their full original gum. |
| Cancellation (Cancel) | Defacement applied to the stamp to prevent its fraudulent reuse. |
| Centering | A vital grading factor, assessing the relative position of the printed design in relation to the margins or perforations. |
| Charity Labels | A type of Cinderella Stamp created to raise funds for organisations. |
| Cinderella Stamps | A wide category of labels that mimic postage stamps but lack postal authorisation or validity. |
| Coil Stamps | Stamps produced in long rolls designed for use in stamp-affixing machines or automated dispensers; they are characterised by having perforations on only two opposite sides and straight edges on the other two. |
| Comb Perforation | Perforation using a comb-shaped head to perforate three sides of a stamp (or a row/block) simultaneously, yielding better alignment at the corners. |
| Commemorative Stamps | Released for a strictly limited duration to honour a specific person, event, or anniversary, such as historical events or birthdays. |
| Découpage | A manual technique involving placing composite layers of paper sheets (“cut-outs”) behind parts of the printing plate to lighten or deepen the impression during printing by adjusting local pressure. |
| Deep Etching | Used in photoengraving to accentuate lines in the design. |
| Definitive Stamps | Intended for regular, everyday use over a substantial period of time. |
| Demonetised | A stamp no longer accepted as valid for prepayment of postage and cannot be exchanged for money. |
| Die | The master engraved image from which all subsequent printing surfaces are derived. |
| Double Impression (Double Transfer) | Results when the design is printed twice with a slight offset. |
| Duplex Cancel | A single device that applies both the datestamp and the killer. |
| Electrotyping (Galvanotyping) | Synonymous methods where a design is copied precisely by the electro deposition of copper into a mold to form a printing plate. |
| Error | A severe, consistent, and repeatable production failure, such as the use of the wrong colour, wrong paper, or inverted design elements; they typically receive catalogue status. |
| Errors, Freaks, and Oddities (EFO) | The umbrella term for stamps exhibiting mistakes or abnormalities during production. |
| Exhibition and Event Stamps | A type of Cinderella Stamp produced for philatelic exhibitions, world fairs, or other significant events. |
| Fancy Cancels | Unique cancellation designs created by postmasters, often cut from cork or wood, popularised in the 19th century. |
| First Day Cover (FDC) | An envelope bearing a stamp and a special cancellation dated on the stamp’s first day of issue. |
| Freak | An accidental, often striking, but non-repeatable abnormality, such as a severe paper fold or a diagonal misperforation; they usually do not obtain catalogue status. |
| Fumigated Mail (Disinfected Mail) | Mail treated historically to prevent the spread of infection. |
| G.C. Paper (Grande Consommation) | An emergency grade paper used for certain French stamps during and after WWI material shortages. |
| Garter Watermark | Watermark representing the insignia of the Order of the Garter. |
| Harrow Perforation | Perforation that completes the entire sheet or pane in a single operation, producing the most consistent hole alignment |
| Imperforate (Imperf) | Stamps which have been deliberately printed and issued without perforations, so that they bear straight edges on all four sides. |
| Inclusion | Foreign material pressed into the paper during the manufacturing process. |
| Inverted Center | Occurs in multi-colour issues when the central vignette is printed upside down relative to the surrounding frame. |
| Inverted Overprint | An overprint that is printed upside down. |
| Joint Issue | The simultaneous issuance of stamps with similar designs by two or more postal administrations to honour a shared theme or event. |
| Line Perforation | Perforation involving punching one row at a time, often resulting in characteristic unevenness or irregular corners. |
| Maximum Card | Consists of a picture postcard, a stamp, and a cancellation chosen to achieve the highest possible congruence in theme and design. |
| Mint | Defined as an unused, perfectly preserved stamp, retaining its original gum. |
| Mint Never Hinged (MNH) / Never Hinged (NH) | Signifies that the stamp retains its full, original gum and has never had a stamp hinge applied, meaning the gum remains completely undisturbed. |
| Missing Color Error (Color-omitted Error) | Occurs when one or more colours are absent, usually because one run in a multi-colour printing process was skipped. |
| Missing Overprint | When a stamp, often only valid for postage when overprinted, is issued without the required overprint. |
| Mounted Mint (MM) | Grade indicating a stamp is in the state as issued by the Post Office, including good gum and fully complete perforations, but with hinge marks on the back. |
| Mounts | Specialized materials used to affix stamps to Albums. |
| Mulready | The name given to the pictorial envelopes and letter sheets issued in Great Britain in 1840. |
| Multiples | Two or more unseparated stamps. |
| Newspaper Stamps | Issued to prepay the reduced cost associated with mailing periodicals and newspapers. |
| No Gum (NG) | An unused stamp lacking gum, either due to removal or specific circumstance of issue. |
| Non Value Indicator (NVI) / Forever Stamp | A stamp that displays a service class (e.g., 1st Class) rather than a fixed monetary denomination; it remains valid for the current rate regardless of rate increases. |
| Obsolete | A stamp no longer sold by the post office, although it may remain valid for postage. |
| Obliteration (Killer) | The heavy, typically barred portion of the mark designed specifically to cover the stamp. |
| Oddities | Minor, less obvious irregularities, such as constant flaws arising from plate wear, requiring close inspection. |
| Official Mail Stamp (Official Stamp) | Issued specifically for the use of the government or a designated government agency, with usage strictly restricted. |
| Overprinting | The process of applying a secondary layer of printing to an existing stamp to change its function or denomination. |
| Pair | Two joined stamps, either vertically or horizontally. |
| Panes | Smaller units into which the full sheet of stamps is typically divided for distribution. |
| Perforation | The punching of parallel rows of holes between stamps for separation. |
| Perforation Gauge | A specialised scale utilized to measure the Perforation Number. |
| Perforation Number | The precise count of perforation holes (or “perfs”) contained within a 2 cm span, a measurement critical for distinguishing between printing varieties and issues. |
| Philately | The comprehensive and rigorous study of postage stamps, postal history, postal stationery, cancellations, and all related materials. |
| Plate Block | A block of stamps including the selvage that bears the Plate Number, identifying the printing plate used. |
| Plate Number | The number identifying the printing plate used to print a stamp. |
| Postage Dues | Stamps or markings indicating the insufficient postage that must be collected from the addressee upon delivery. |
| Postal Fiscal | A revenue stamp that was exceptionally permitted for use as postage. |
| Postal History | The specialized study dedicated to postal systems, operational methods, routes, rates, and historical episodes of mail carriage. |
| Postally Used | Stamps or covers that have undergone legitimate mail carriage, distinguishing them from stamps that were cancelled solely for collector sale. |
| Postmark | Technically refers only to the portion containing the mailing date and location, although the terms are often used interchangeably with cancellation. |
| Precancel | A stamp that has been marked by the postal administration before being applied to mail, intended for use by mass mailers to expedite sorting. |
| Printer’s waste | Mistakes smuggled out by employees, considered illicit and illegitimate because they were not sold to the public by the postal authority. |
| Propaganda Labels | A type of Cinderella Stamp created during times of political unrest or war to convey messages or rally support. |
| Provenance | The documented, chronological history of the ownership and custody of a philatelic object. |
| Provisional Stamp | Issued for temporary use, typically when a postal administration faces sudden changes in postal rates, currency changes, or a shortage of specific denominations. |
| Pulled Perforation (PP) | A fault where a perforation tip is entirely missing, often due to careless separation. |
| Re-gummed (RG) | Stamps that have had new adhesive applied to conceal gum damage or loss, a practice that constitutes a deliberate alteration. |
| Re-perforated (RP or Reperf) | Stamps altered by adding perforations to straight edges, often done fraudulently to inflate the perceived value of a common imperforate stamp. |
| Remainders | Unsold, withdrawn stocks of stamps. |
| Reprints | Stamps manufactured from the original plates after the stamp has been officially withdrawn from sale. |
| Revenue Stamp (Fiscal Stamp) | Indicates the mandatory payment of a tax or fee levied by the government on documents, controlled substances, or licenses, rather than prepayment of postal carriage. |
| Roulette | Making cuts or slits between stamps rather than punching out paper for separation. |
| Self-Adhesive | A gummed stamp with a pressure-sensitive adhesive that does not need moistening to fix it to the postal item. |
| Selvage (Margin) | The unprinted paper surrounding the stamps. |
| Semi-Postal Stamp | Generates revenue earmarked for charity: its sale price includes the postal fee plus an additional premium donated to a specific charitable cause. |
| Socked on the Nose (SON) | Meaning the Circular Date Stamp (CDS) is applied cleanly and close to the dead centre of the design. |
| Spacefiller | A heavily defective stamp with considerable faults, used merely to temporarily occupy a spot in an album until a superior copy can be acquired. |
| Specimen | A stamp sample, often overprinted “Specimen,” provided for reference or promotion but possessing no postal validity. |
| Stockbooks | Utilize protective transparent strips for holding trade stock or duplicate items without permanently affixing them. |
| Surcharging | A specific type of overprint that formally alters the stamp’s face value, used to raise or lower the face value of existing stamps when prices have changed too quickly to produce a new appropriate issue. |
| Tête-bêche (Head-to-Tail) | Describes an unseparated pair of stamps where one is inverted relative to the other, produced intentionally or accidentally. |
| Thematic Philately | Concentrates solely on the subject matter or design depicted on the stamps, irrespective of their country of origin or technical production.6 |
| Thin | A critical flaw where a layer of the paper has been removed from the back of the stamp, which severely diminishes value. |
| Tied to Cover | Means the cancellation mark runs continuously over the stamp and the adjacent paper of the cover, verifying that the stamp was affixed and cancelled during authentic postal handling. |
| Timbromania | The earlier, less formal designation for the hobby, meaning “stamp mania”. |
| Tongs | Essential metal instruments, often distinct from common tweezers, used exclusively to handle stamps safely to prevent damage to the paper or gum. |
| Topical Philately | Concentrates solely on the subject matter or design depicted on the stamps, irrespective of their country of origin or technical production. |
| Traffic Lights | Coloured check dots found in sheet margins used by printers to monitor colour consistency. |
| Unofficial FDC | An FDC that lacks the official city or postal authority endorsement, or is produced by a private company other than the post office. |
| Used Stamps | Those that have served their postal function and bear a cancellation mark. |
| Variety | A general term for any stamp exhibiting characteristics different from the normal state of the issue, encompassing everything from shades of colour to minor plate flaws. |
| 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. |
| Watermark Errors | Errors related to watermarks, such as stamps printed on paper watermarked for a different issue or having an inverted orientation. |
| Web | The continuous roll of paper referred to, on which stamps are printed for modern, high-speed rotary presses |
| Wing Margin | An oversized margin found on stamps adjacent to the gutter, resulting from the perforation running down the centre of the sheet gutter. |
| Wove Paper | Standard paper showing little textural variation when viewed in light. |
| Wrong Overprint | An overprint intended for a different issue is incorrectly used. |
If you’re looking for more guides and helpful tips, you might enjoy Definitive Postage Stamps, or What are Cinderella Stamps?
Two other great guides you can use are Warwick and Warwick’s Philatelic Terms Explained and this handy PDF glossary from the Postal Museum.
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🙂 glad to hear it!!