Knowledge of the common philatic terms is an asset to a philatist. Check it out!

1. ADHESIVE:-A postage stamp intended to be affixed to a cover by its own gum. As opposed to one that is embossed or printed directly on the cover.

2. AIRMAILS:-Stamps meant exclusively for mail to be carried by air.

3. ALBINO:-Erroneous omission of colours from stamp resulting in a colourless omission of the design, usually found on postal stationary.

4. APPROVAL:-Priced selection of stamps sent out by dealers to collectors on sale or return basis.

5. ARMS TYPE:-Stamps are bearing a coat of arms, armorial and heraldic achievement.

6. BICENTENNIAL:-200TH anniversary.

7. BI-COLOURED STAMPS:-Stamps printed in two colours.

8. BISECT:-Certain countries have permitted stamps to be cut in parts and used to pay a fraction of the original face value. Such a portions are called bisects.

9. BISHOP MARKS:-The earliest post-mark devised by Henry Bishop in may 1661.

10. BLIND PERFORATION:-A hole not punched out due to blunt or missing pin.

11. BLOCK:-A group of at least four stamps that retain horizontal and vertical separations intact. Thus, the minimum block is two stamps by two. Blocks that bear a plate number are considered particularly desirable by collectors.

12. BOGUS:-A stamp like label printed to deceive collectors.

13. BOOKLETS:-Small book often sold by post office containing stamp as a handy arrangement.

14. CACHET:-An imprinted or hand stamped inscription placed on an envelope to mark such as national holidays and first sailings or flights. Cachets used on first day covers may be private or government origin. Cachets for events of limited or local interest are little more than souvenirs, and generally have negligible commercial value.

15. CANCELLATION:-A post mark designed to deface or cancel the stamp often with date and place of posting and marking its reuse impossible.

16. CENTERED:-A well centered stamp design printed with equal margins.

17. COVER:-A complete envelope, folded letter sheet, or wrap, with all markings intact to show that it has passed through the mails. When post marked on the first day of sale of a newly issued stamp, it is a first day cover. When originating in the course of normal business or social correspondence, it is known as a commercial cover. A stamp less cover is one that originated in a period when postage stamps had not yet come into use or when their use was not yet mandatory.

18. DENOMINATION:-Denomination is the inscribed value on the stamp.

19. DIE:-The piece of metal or any other material on which the original design of the stamp is engraved and is used for making printing plate.

20. DIE PROOF:-A proof or trial impression taken directly from the die.

21. EMBOSSING:-A process allied to printing, where by the whole or part of a design is raised or in low relief by the help of a die.

22. ENGRAVING:-The art of cutting stamp designs on metal, wood etc. to prepare a die for the printing of a stamp.

23. ERROR:-A mistake in the stamp’s design or one appeared after its production.

24. FACE VALUE:-The value of a stamp as printed thereon or its equivalent in local currency at the prevailing rate of exchange.

25. FAKE:-A genuine stamp/post mark which has been altered or repaired in some way to hide a defect or to make a common item resemble rare one, for the purpose of deceiving collectors.

26. FISCAL:-An adhesive or other stamp designed for revenue or taxation purpose, and not for postage (revenue stamp for example).

27. FORGERY:-A fraudulent copy of a genuine postage stamp or postmark to deceive the Post Office (Postal forgery) or to deceive the philatists (Philatic forgery).

28. GUM:-Gum is the mucilage applied to the backs of the adhesive postage stamps, and has as its basis crystalline gum Arabic.

29. GUTTER:-The usually blank, between the ‘panes’ of a sheet of stamps, to allow them to be separated or perforated.

30. HARROW PERFORATION:-A means of perforating, both vertically and horizontally whole sheets at a time.

31. IMPERFORATE:-Stamps printed in sheets without perforations or other means of separation, except by the use of knife or scissors.

32. IMPRINT:-Name of designer or printer of stamps printed on sheet margins.

33. JUBILEE LINE:-The inked printer’s rule, frame, or line surround, enclosing a pane of stamps.

34. KEY PLATE:-Printing plate for common use in a pair or more different stamps, paired with duty plate.

35. KILLER:-Any cancellation sufficiently heavy to disfigure most of the design.

36. LOCALS:-Local stamps are those whose postal validity is restricted to a particular district, route or service, and are not available for general, national or international use.

37. MARGINS:-The word has two philatic meanings, in one it refers to the blank bordering, paper of a sheet of stamps and in other to the border of the individual stamps.

38. MAXIMUM CARD:-A pictorial postal card bearing a relevant picture or design, a stamp related to the subject on the card, and post mark relevant to both. It may be issued by a postal authority or may be privately issued.

39. MINIATURE SHEET:-A smaller than normal sheet of stamps often issued to commemorate special event. Some authorities set an arbitrary limit of 25 or fewer stamps for a sheet to qualify as a miniature.

40. SOUVENIR SHEET: - A miniature sheet is issued for philatic purposes is called souvenir sheet.

41. MINT:-A stamp in pristine condition; exactly as issued by the post office, unused, unfaded, undam.

42. NEW ISSUE SERVICE:-Under this system the dealer agrees to supply, and the collector agrees to accept and pay for, all new issues of the chosen country or countries, up to a prescribed limit of face value, at a given percentage over face or cost.

43. MOURNING STAMPS:-These are Stamps paying sad tribute to deceased head of states, or a person of national importance, and which are edged or printed in black.

44. OBSOLETE:-Philatelically no longer in use; the stamp not available for public at post offices in the country of region, but not necessarily invalid for prepayment of postage.

45. OFFICIAL STAMPS:-Issued or overprinted for use by government or government department.

46. OMNIBIOUS ISSUE:-Any group of stamps, frequently sharing a common design, issued by a number of stamp issuing authorities to mark the same occasion.

47. PAIR:-Two stamps which are together i.e. not separated, joined horizontally or vertically, the former being normally preferred by collectors.

48. PANE:-Section of sheet of stamps sometimes subdivided into sections by gutters. A booklet pane is one complete leaf.

49. PAQUEBOT:-Term used internationally on postmark applied to mail posted on board ship. Paquebot markings are popular and interesting study.

50. Perfins:-Initial letters punched through stamps by the firm using them to prevent their misuse.

51. Perforation:-Holes punched between stamps for ease in separations.

52. Philatelist:-A student of philately- the study of postage stamps and their production.

53. Pictorials:-Stamps with a picture design e.g. landscape, buildings, flowers, animals etc as opposed to those of more traditional motif such as Portrait or coat of arms.

54. Plate Number Block:-Four or more stamps to which the marginal paper bearing the printing plate or cylinder number is attached. It is also known as plate block.

55. Pre cancel:-A stamp post marked prior to use on bulk mail postings by postal authorities to save time in handling large blocks of mail as stamps so treated normally do not require further cancellation.

56. Pre-stamp Cover:-Envelopes, wrappers, and letter sheets bearing evidence of postal use before the introduction of adhesive postage stamps or pre stamped stationary.

57. Provisional:-Stamps with temporary life and purpose. An issue pending a new or revised definitive or general issue.

58. Reprints:-Stamps printed from plates after official use have ceased. Normally, these are in new colours, or are imperforated, or have a change in watermark, or have some other distinction so that the initiative is not deceived.

59. Retouch:-Minor handwork made to a cliché, plate, or die to repair accidental damage or wear.

60. Semi postal:-A stamp issued with surtax that is issued for charitable or other worthy causes. Semi postal are usually identified by dual denomination separated by plus sign, indicating that part of a face value pays postal charges & part is contributed for the chosen cause.

61. Se-tenant:-Term applied to two or more stamps un-separated and one stamp differs in some material regard, in type, value, colour, overprint, design etc, from the other.

62. Surcharge:-An overprint which alters the original denomination of the stamp.

63. Tab:-Coupon, dominical label, or other attachment to a stamp.

64. Tete-Beche:-Two attached stamps that are upside down in relation to each other.Tete-beche must, of course, collected in pairs as singly they are indistinguishable from any other stamp.

65. Un issued Stamp:-Prepared for use but not issued.

66. Unused:-A un cancelled stamp, not necessarily mint but sometimes it can be without gum also.

67. Used:-A stamp postally used and accordingly postmarked, and in fair go good condition.

68. Used Abroad:-Stamps used in places and countries other than their country of origin, are termed as ‘Used Stamps’.

69. War Stamps:-Issued in war time and so inscribed war stamps. These are issued normally to meet increased postal rates.

70. Watermark:-The deliberate thinning or thickening of stamp paper during the manufacturing process. Watermarks are best detected by laying the stamp face down on a dark surface and wetting it with benzene or other organic solvents. Watermarks designs may be quite large and cover several stamps or even an entire pane.