Stamp Collecting Terms: What Do They Mean?
Uncover the meanings behind common words and phrases used by stamp collectors
A - F
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Aerophilately | The study and collection of airmail stamps, covers, and postal history related to mail carried by air. |
| Album | A book with pages designed to display and store a stamp collection |
| Airmail Stamp | A stamp specifically issued to pay for the postage of mail transported by air. |
| Backprint | Printing on the back of a stamp |
| Bisect | A stamp that has been cut in half (or another portion) and used for postage, often during stamp shortages |
| Block | A group of four or more unseparated stamps |
| Booklet | A small booklet containing panes of stamps |
| Cachet | A design or inscription on an envelope, often commemorating a special event |
| Cancellation | A mark placed on a stamp to show it has been used |
| Cancelled to Order (CTO) | A stamp cancelled by the postal authority but never actually used in the mail, typically produced for collectors |
| Catalogue | A publication listing and valuing stamps |
| Centred | The position of the design within the borders of a stamp |
| Cinderella | A label resembling a stamp but not issued for postal use |
| Coil Stamp | Stamps produced in a long roll for vending machines. |
| Commemorative | A stamp issued to honour an event, person, or place |
| Cover | An envelope or package with postal markings |
| Date of Issue | This is the official day when a new postage stamp is released and made available to the public by a postal service. |
| Definitive | Regular postage stamps issued for everyday use |
| Die | A metal plate used to impress the design of a stamp |
| Die Cut | A method of cutting the edges of self-adhesive stamps to make them easy to peel off the backing paper. |
| Dune Stamps | Dunes refers to stamps issued by the Trucial States (now the UAE) in the 1960s and 1970s. Printed in large quantities, they are mostly worth very little today. |
| Embossing | Raised or recessed designs pressed into paper |
| Essay | A proposed stamp design not adopted for issue. |
| Face Value | The monetary value printed on a stamp, indicating its original postal worth |
| First Day Cover (FDC) | A cover bearing a stamp cancelled on its first day of issue |
| Fine Used | A stamp that has been used but remains in excellent condition with a light, neat cancellation |
| Forged Stamp | A counterfeit stamp designed to deceive collectors |
| Franking | Postage payment or privilege, marked on a cover |
