postage
types of postage
stampless
free frank
printed free frank
prepaid adhesive
regular issues
official business
stamped envelopes
U.S. Postal Agency Shanghai
local
collecting postal artifacts
stamped envelopes
entires
cut squares
cut to shape
stampless covers
free frank
printed free frank
prepaid adhesive
regular issues
booklet panes
official business
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affixed
P.F. certificate
stamped envelopes
entires
cut squares
Types of Postal Things
folded letter sheet
letter sheet
wrapper
Postal Description
manuscript canceled
Parts of an envelope
dateline
addressed to
return address
Parts of an letter
letterhead
wafer seal
sealing impression
fresh
straight line (cancel handstamp)
folded wrapper
part-print letter
u311
Lyons PG 914
vertical file fold
offices in China
registered tag
dcds
registry tag
minor flaws
perfin
prex(?)
four-page circular
illustrated
official program
air mail
first flight
pmk
seaplane mail
well centered
very fine
flown
card
machine postmark
on cover
readdressed
pen & cork cancel
postage due
gutter strip
duplex postmark
APO
AEF imprint
sensor
imperf
post card
pictorial post card
light age
aging
machine cancel
duplex - combination of postmark and cancel
return address
backstamp
arrival backstamp
slight edgewear
flap
printed
manuscript
entire
vermillion
red-brown
perfs
perfs trimmed
prior to use
tied
typewriter address
corner-card
cameo advertisement
toned
strip of four
cover
postage due
due
s.e.
pencil
crayon
precancel
precancelled
opened at right
rate
first class (mail)
registered (mail)
oval cancel
registry date stamp
earliest known use
forwarding charge
advertised
in combination-with
r.f.d.
forwarded to
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acknowledgement of receipt stamp - forms used as prepayment on notices
attesting to the delivery and receipt of mail.
Adhesive - a substance
applied to the back of most stamps to facilitate attaching them to the
mailing surface. Adhesives are both water-activated and
pressure-sensitive (self-adhesive). Adhesives are described according to
color, texture, pattern, or method of application. Gum is one such
substance.
Adhesive revenue stamp - a stamp that may be affixed to an
article to prepay postal fees, in contrast to a design printed directly
on an article, as with postal stationery. An adhesive can also refer to a
registration label or other label added to a cover.
Adversity cover -
letter writing material, including envelopes, used when paper supplies
were in short supply. For example, during the Civil War, the Union
blockade proved critical in restricting goods from entering and leaving
the Confederacy. Southerners faced increasing shortages of supplies,
including paper and envelopes. Writers began to use whatever was handy as
letter writing paper and envelopes. These items are known by philatelists
as "adversity covers." Letters and envelopes were fashioned from the
backs of ledger sheets, printed circulars, blank pages in books, maps and
even wallpaper torn from walls. Some writers re-used envelopes by turning
them inside out. Any blank or partially blank piece of paper could be
pressed into service as an envelope.
Advertising cover - an envelope
used as a form of advertising. Businesses began using this form of
advertising in the mid 1800s. The cachets, meant to communicate a certain
prestige, could be as simple as a blind-embossed corner card, a fancy
return address corner card, an illustration of buildings or product, or
as fancy as an all-over advertisement. The advertising envelope is still
with us today and is most often found on our bills and junk mail.
Airmail envelope - an envelope transported by aircraft
Airmail pilots -
a pilot who flew the mail. The profession of airmail pilot was, in 1918
America, a horrendously dangerous one. A surviving pilot recalled that
the group was "considered pretty much a suicide club." Aviation was still
in its infancy. Few planes offered protection and crashes were common.
The service had to prove itself from the outset. Flight schedules were
controlled by the Post Office Department and officials strove to keep
schedules tight regardless of weather conditions. Pilots flew without
parachutes over land that had few, if any, emergency landing fields.
There were no lights on the ground or in the plane to assist with night
flights; no wireless weather reports; and no wing de-icers or radio
guides. The life expectancy of the first mail pilots was as short as 900
flying hours. Thirty-one of the forty pilots hired by the Post Office
Department between 1919 and 1926 were killed while flying the mail. Most
of those pilots died in the early years of the service. In 1919, one
pilot died for every 115,325 miles flown. By 1926, the number had dropped
to one pilot death for every 2,583,056 miles flown.
Airmail service - a
type of mail transport using aircraft. The United States government
instituted regular scheduled airmail service between New York,
Philadelphia, and Washington on May 15, 1918. Coast-to-coast service
began in 1920. Airmail has been carried under contract since 1926, with
fast, efficient service resulting from extensive progress in the
commercial airline industry.
Airmail stamp - a stamp prepaying postal
rates for air transport. Italy issued the first airmail stamp in 1917.
Airway letter stamp - a local stamp issued by British European Airways
(later British Airways) and also Cambrian Airways for transporting
letters between airports
Arc roulette - a separation in which curved
cuts appear as a semi-circle
Army Post Office (APO) - During the Civil
War, the Civilian Postal Service delivered mail. A postmaster was
assigned to each regiment and there was a post office on the battlefield
for troops. When the Spanish-American War began, with soldiers fighting
outside the United States, the Civilian Postal Service followed them. It
wasn't until World War I that the Army Post Offices were developed. These
were still operated by the Civilian Postal Service, but with assistance
from the troops themselves. By the end of WWI there were a hundred
sixty-nine Army Post Offices located in France. The first APO (Army Post
Office) was opened on July 10, 1917. From WWI through current conflicts,
military post offices have helped move mail to military personnel. In
1917, when the first APOs were established, the civilian postal service
worked the mail with the assistance of U.S. troops. By the end of the
war, there were a hundred sixty-nine APOs in France moving mail to and
from American troops stationed in Europe. The military's mail was placed
under their control in 1940, when Congress established the Army Postal
Service. This new organization continued to work with the U.S. Post
Office Department to keep mail moving between the troops and their loved
ones back home.
Arrow - marking in a margin, as a guide for cutting
sheets into smaller units for perforations. After 1894, arrows were used
at both ends of guide lines of U. S. stamps printed from flat plates.
Authorized delivery stamp - denotes the tax on mail permitted to be
delivered by private services
Authorized non-profit organization stamp -
a stamp issued by U.S. Post Office to prepay special concessionary
postage rates on correspondence of charities and other institutions. See
also 'bulk rate stamps'.
Autogiro mail service - a service using
experimental aircraft that carried mail over short, but congested routes.
The postal service placed an autogiro aircraft (a rotary-winged aircraft
with a freely rotating main rotor) into use flying mail between Camden,
New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A series of 'rehearsal'
flights were made before the official flight on July 6, 1939. The New
York Times reported on July 3, 1939, that these rehearsal flights took
only 6.5 minutes, easily besting the time needed by mail trucks covering
the same forty to forty-five mile route. On the first day of service,
52,128 first-flight covers were cancelled and carried on the flight for
philatelists, many of whom paid double the 6-cent stamp price to cover
postage for a round trip. The postal service made over $3,000 in revenue
from the flights. The autogiros were put to use flying airmail in
Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., into the 1940s.
Helicopter airmail service eclipsed autogiro service.
Auxiliary mark -
secondary or supplementary marking that requires the mailer or addressee
to take further action on a piece of mail; for example, a mark which
notifies the recipient of postage due.
Balloon Post, Siege of Paris
(1870-71) - a system devised by French Doctor Julien F. Jeannel
(1814-1896) which used free flying, un-manned balloons to transport post
over Prussian lines during the Siege of Paris. These balloons marked the
birth of airmail delivery.
Barcodes - series of vertical bars of varying
heights. Each digit represents a number from zero to nine. The postal
barcodes represent the delivery address and are used by autmated
machinery in processing.
Bicycle mail - a delivery service operated with
local stamps by themselves or with stamp of the country
Bisect - a stamp
cut or perforated into two parts, each half representing half the face
value of the original stamp. Officially authorized bisects have often
been used during temporary shortages of commonly used denominations. Some
countries have, at times, permitted trisects or quadrisects.
Blind
perforation - intended performations that are only lightly impressed by
the perforating pins, often the product of a badly adjusted perforating
machine or worn or missing pins
Board of Governers - the Board is the
Postal Service's governing board. Each member is appointed by the
President of the U.S., and the Postmaster General serves at the pleasure
of the board. Governors' appointments are for nine years.
Boating stamp
- stamp paying U.S. Coast Guard certificate fee for boats of more than
ten horsepower; $3 and $1 values
Bogus stamp - a fictitious, stamp-like
label created for sale to collectors, also known as a 'Cinderella'. Bogus
issues include labels for nonexistent countries or postal
administrations; nonexistent values appended to regularly issued sets;
and issues for nations or similar entities without postal systems. The
more contemporary 'stamp art' can fall into this category but often leans
toward lewd exhibitionism.
Bulk rate stamp - low denomination stamps for
use bulk mail
Bus parcel stamp - private labels issued by bus firms to
prepay freight charges on parcels carried on their routes
Bypost stamp -
local stamp issued by municipal postal service for the town. The name
means 'town post'.
Cachet - a printed, embossed, or hand struck
inscription, with or without illustration, impressed usually on the left
side of an envelope face or postal packet to advertise the special
circumstances under which the item was mailed, perhaps first or last day
of issue, first flight, or any other commemorative situation. Cachets can
be produced by the postal administration or by private parties and
applied independent of postal authority.
Cancel - marks applied to
stamps which prevent reuse. The marks often include a date, rate, route,
or place of mailing.
Carriers' stamp - stamps used for mail delivery by private carrier from
a post office to an addressee. They were frequently used in the period
1842-60. When the postal service was first organized, letters were only
carried from post office to post office and there was no delivery to
individual addressees.
Cash on Delivery (COD)
Service - mail which collects the cost of postage and the product
enclosed is collected from the recipient and forwarded to the mailer.
This service is sometimes called 'Cash on Delivery'. Collect on Delivery
(COD) service was introduced on July 1, 1913. Parcel Post Service,
finally made available to U.S. citizens on January 1, 1913, was received
with enormous enthusiasm. Farm families could use it to convey produce at
standardized, understandable and lower rates than they had received from
express companies. Marketers were thrilled with the promise of this new
sales frontier. The growth of Parcel Post service was phenomenal. During
the first six months of operation approximately 300 million parcels were
handled. When Collect on Delivery (COD) Service was introduced seven
months later, the popularity of parcel post went through the roof as mail
order companies' profits exploded. COD and Parcel Post Service pushed the
development of industry tied to the creation and development of unique
parcel mailing containers, including those built to hold eggs by the
dozens.
Certified Mail - a mail service that provides the individual
sending a piece of mail with a receipt when the item enters the mail
stream. It also provides a record of delivery when it reaches the final
post office for dispatch to recipient
Certified mail stamp - a stamp
paying for proof of delivery of first-class mail for which no indemnity
value is claimed. Using this is a less expensive, less secure alternative
to registered mail.
Charity seal - stamp-like label that is not a
postage stamp and is distributed by a charity. They are often affixed to
envelopes. Christmas seals are one example.
CIA invert - term applied to
a U.S. stamp featuring a candlestick holder that was found upside down by
CIA employees when buying stamps at their local USPS post office
Cigarette tube stamp - tax receipt paid on hollow tubes of cigarette
paper to which small mouthpieces were attached, for those who made their
own cigarettes, 1919-1933
Circular delivery stamp - local stamp issued
in Great Britain (1865-67) by private companies for the delivery of
circulars, sample packets, and other printed matter at rates which
undercut the Post Office. A subsequent lawsuit disallowed the practice,
but Post Office rates were lowered in 1870.
Citizens' Stamp Advisory
Committee - the committee (also known as SeeSac for its initials - SCAC)
that determines final stamp selection for the U.S. Postal Service. The
fifteen committee members are selected by the postmaster general and
typically include individuals whose backgrounds include educational,
artistic, historical, and professional expertise. In addition to
selecting stop topics, the committee also reviews and guides stamp
designs.
City Delivery Service - a free mail delivery service, initiated
on July 1, 1863, which was limited to northern cities with populations
over 20,000. The service was a tremendous success, and by 1869 revenues
from City Free Delivery superseded costs ten times over. After 1887, the
department opened the service to areas with either populations exceeding
10,000 or postal revenues in excess of $10,000. City carriers used a
variety of methods to get their patrons attention, from ringing twice
(yes, the postman did ring twice), to whistles and even wooden door
knockers that helped save wear and tear on carriers' knuckles.
City Free
Delivery Service - a form of mail service available prior to 1863. Many
large post offices had letter carriers, but they weren't paid by the
government. They earned their wages by charging recipients one or two
cents for each delivered letter. Most people saved their money and picked
up their own mail. When Free City Delivery Service began on July 1, 1863,
it was limited to forty-nine Northern offices, using four hundred and
fifty letter carriers. The service was a tremendous success and by 1869
revenues from City Free Delivery were over ten times its cost. Until
1887, the Post Office Department stipulated that only cities with
populations in excess of 20,000 were eligible for free delivery. After
1887, the department opened the service up to areas with either
populations exceeding 10,000, or postal revenues in excess of $10,000.
Civil War patriotic covers - envelopes bearing expressions of patriotism,
be they for the North or the Confederacy, such as flags, cannons,
leaders, soldiers, and other wartime themes
Classification schemes.mail
- a means of organizing mail. On March 3, 1863, the Post Office
Department began to classify mail into three levels. The levels differed
in cost, and over the years, processing techniques. Letters were
first-class mail. Regularly issued publications were second-class mail.
All other mail pieces were placed in the third-class mail category.
Classification schemes.post offices - a means of defining post offices.
In 1864, post offices were divided into classes, determined by each
office.s receipts and mail volume. Fourth-class offices were usually
small units located on private property. First-class post offices were
typically large and government-owned buildings.
Clean-cut perforation -
the normal state of perforations from a perforating machine using sharp
pins
Coil stamp - stamps processed in a single row and prepared for sale
in rolls, often for dispensing from stamp vending and affixing machines.
Some coils, including most U.S. coils, have a straight edge on two
parallel sides and perforations on the remaining two parallel sides. Some
coils are backprinted with sequence or counting numbers.
College stamp -
stamps issued by the British universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which
were officially granted the right to issue their own stamps for internal
messenger service in the mid-1600s. Several other colleges used their own
stamps between 1871 and 1886.
Collotype - a process utilizing a thin
film of gelatin on the plate surface
Color missing - usually denotes an
error in the printing process. It might be a completely missing step or
the accidental stoppage of ink in a fountain on a multicolor press.
Color separation - a printing process using different colors from
different plates, partially superimposed and blended to give a harmonious
effect
Colored line roulette - perforations indicated by colored dashes
printed over the top of the slits, used on stamps of Thurn and Taxis
Comb perforation - perforation produced by a machine which has the pins
so arranged that they perforate three or more sides of each stamp in one
complete row at a single stroke. One hole at each corner of each stamp is
common to both the horizontal and the vertical row.
Commemorative stamp
- a stamp printed in a limited quantity and available for purchase for a
limited time. The design might note an anniversary associated with an
individual, an historic event, or a national landmark.
Compound
perforations - perforations that consist of two or more gauges per stamp.
These usually consist of one gauge horizontally and a different one
vertically. The horizontal gauge is written first and the vertical last
(12 x 8). Mixed compound perforations are written clockwise starting with
the top of the stamp (9 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 6 1/2).
Concessionary
parcel stamp - stamps used by private firms at rates lower than
government services
Confederate handstamps - the first Confederate
stamps, which were lithographed, non-perforated five-cent sheets printed
by Hoyer & Ludwig. They became available in October 1861. The 'stampless
period', which refers to the six-month period before Confederate stamps
were issued, forced Southern postmasters to develop a temporary system to
replace this commodity. By creating provisional stamps or handstamps,
postmasters were able to continue mail service in absence of a government
issued postage stamp.
Confederate semi-official envelope - imprinted
envelopes provided to departments within the Confederate government,
though not everyone was granted franking privileges. 'Semi-official'
envelopes, like the example shown here, required prepayment of postage in
stamps.
Constitutional Post - post office established by Congress in
1775
Consular service fee stamp - stamps affixed to documents showing
payment of specific fees for various duties of consular officers
Control
number - numbers printed on backs of stamp that denote the year of
printing. Control letters serve as indices for accounting records.
Cordials and wines stamp - stamp indicating collection of tax on such
products
Counterfeit - an item, usually a replica of an existing stamp,
made to defraud collectors. The term can also be applied to overprints,
postmarks, etc. One of the most commonly found Confederate counterfeits
is a complete set of counterfeit Confederate general issues, which was
made up and marketed by a dealer in Springfield, Massachusetts. They are
thus known as 'Springfield Facsimiles'. Crudely fashioned woodcut
counterfeits have been made and printed of each of the Confederate
general issues by several different counterfeiters, but few, if any,
would deceive even the most novice collector. Many of these crude
counterfeits were made in the 1870s, when there was a ready market for
them as space fillers. There was little intent to defraud contemporary
collectors. Also in this category are items termed 'bogus', which never
existed in the presented format, bearing names of imaginary or existing
postal authorities or services. These were created to fool or defraud
collectors. There are numerous of these items among Confederate
postmaster provisionals. They are also often referred to as 'fantasies'
or 'Cinderellas'. The most dangerous types of counterfeits or fakes are
covers with faked postmarks or genuine but post-war canceling devices
used to enhance otherwise genuine usages in an effort to increase the
value.
Cover - an envelope, post card, or folded letter sheet that has
been cancelled
Cover (souvenir) - an envelope or item of postal
stationery cancelled as a keepsake
Cracked plate - stamps that show
evidence that the plate from which they were printed was cracked
Creased
paper - a condition that creates a colorless wrinkle on a finished stamp.
A crease occurs when the paper is fed into the press unevenly. A crease
occurring after printing damages the stamp.
Curtiss Jenny - the
Curtiss-Jenny JN-4 airplane, nicknamed the 'Jenny'. The Jenny was
originally manufactured for army training use, but hundreds of surplus
Jenny airplanes became available for public use at the end of the First
World War. Just prior to the end of the war, six of these airplanes,
designated JN-4H for their one-hundred fifty horse power Hispano-Suizo
engines, were used for the first regularly scheduled Air Mail Service.
Click here to learn more about the Jenny.
http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/airmail/historicplanes/postal/historicplanes_postal_jenny_long.html
Customs fee stamp - a stamp indicating payment of various customs fees
excluding customs duties. Eight stamps were issued by the U.S. Postal
Service between 1887 and 1918.
Cylinder numbers - numbers printed in
small type on British photogravure stamps
Definitive issue - a stamp
issued in an indefinite quantity and for an indefinite period, usually
several years or more. The United States presidential issue of 1938 and
the 1995 32-cent Flag over Porch stamps are examples. Definitive stamp
designs do not honor a specific time-dated event.
Dial (handstamp) -
portion of a postmark that notes the city, date, and time
Die - the
original engraving of a stamp design, usually recess-engraved in reverse
on a small, flat sheet of soft steel. In traditional intaglio printing, a
transfer roll is made from a die, and printing plates are made from
impressions on the transfer roll. When more than one die is used in the
production of an issue, distinctive variations are often identifiable.
Documentary stamp - a revenue stamp indicating payment of tax or fee on
official or business document; overprinted to indicate use such as silver
tax
Double entry - a term which refers to a visual characteristic on an
engraved stamp such as partial doubling of the design due to misalignment
of the transfer roll or over-rocking of a transfer roll which carries
more than one design
Double impression - two impressions of the same
stamp resulting from the sheet being run through the press twice
Double
or triple perforation - a situation produced when a sheet is accidentally
perforated more than once in the allotted space. This might result when
the sheet is cut off center.
Dragging - the re-opening of lines for more
color
Drop letter - mail to be delivered to an address within the same
postal delivery area as the office in which it is posted. It is charged a
lower postage rate.
E-COM - an acronym for Electronic
Computer-Originated Mail. The service began in 1982, years before
widespread private Internet use. It allowed individuals to send a message
electronically between post offices, with a hard copy provided to
recipient by the receiving post office. The service ended in 1985.
Electric eye perforation - a type of perforation equipment. An
electronically-controlled mechanical device acts as a guide in the
operation of the perforating machine. Short, colored dashes are printed
on the stamp sheet margins to activate the perforation machine.
Embossing - the process of giving relief to paper by pressing it with a
die. Embossed designs are often found on the printed stamps of postal
stationery. Selected stamps of certain countries have been embossed.
En
epargne - 'in relief' type of printing plate used in letterpress process
Encased postage stamp - a postage stamp, first used during the American
Civil War, encased within a protective covering that was used as a coin
during periods of metal shortages
Engraving - a method whereby ink is
carried in depressions below the surface of the plate, and from there
transferred to the paper. Engraving is usually done by hand directly on
wood or a steel die. Some dies are produced by etching the metal with
acid, which creates depressions in the exposed area to form the design.
Expedition issue - a stamp issued by the state for use of members of
official scientific, exploratory, or military expeditions to frank
correspondence home
Facing - identification mark which consists of a
series of vertical bars read by automated postal equipment that
identifies, orients, and separates various classes of mail
Facsimile - a
likeness or imitation of a genuine stamp, marked in some way to denote
its status so that it doesn't deceive a collector or defraud a postal
administration. Catalog illustrations may be considered facsimiles.
Fake
- a stamp, cover, or cancel that has been altered to appeal to a
collector. In a broad sense, fakes include repairs, reperforations, and
regummed stamps, as well as painted-in cancels, bogus cancels, or
counterfeit markings.
Fancy (handstamp) - postmark with a decorative
design
Fifth International Philatelic Exhibition (FIPEX) - The Fifth
International Philatelic Exhibition was held in New York, April 28 to May
5, 1956.
First-day cover - a newly issued stamp affixed to an envelope
and postmarked on the first day of sale at a city designated by the Post
Office Department or Postal Service
Flat plate - a flat metal plate used
in a printing press, as opposed to a curved or cylindrical plate
Flats -
a postal processing term that stands for large envelopes, newsletters,
and magazines. To be designated a 'flat', a mail piece must have one
dimension that is greater than 6 1/8" high, 11 1/2" long, or 1/4" thick.
Fleet post office - an official U.S. post office for use by U.S. military
naval units abroad
Flight cover - an envelope actually flown in the
vehicle being commemorated
Folded paper - paper that is folded over at
any time during the manufacturing processes. When unfolded, the paper
will show a white space under the fold, and, conversely, may be printed
on the back.
Foreign mail stamp - stamp issued specifically for use on
mail going overseas. It is denoted by either the inscription or by the
higher-valued currency used.
Forgery - a fraudulent reproduction of a
postage stamp intended to deceive postal authorities and/or collectors
Franchise stamp - a stamp supplied without charge by postal
administration to an individual or organization for distributing its mail
Franking - a mark on a cover that postage has been paid or that the
envelope is being carried free of postage. Modern forms of franking are
postage stamps and metered stamps.
Freaks - abnormal, usually
non-repetitive occurrences in the production of stamps that results in a
variation from the normal stamp but falls short of producing an error.
Most paper folds, over-inking, and perforation shifts are freaks.
Free
mail stamp - mail sent without a fee due to natural disasters. Troops on
active duty might also enjoy this franking benefit.
Future delivery
stamp - a stamp facilitating collection of tax on sale, agreement of
sale, or agreement to sell any products or merchandise at any exchange
board of trade, or other similar place for future delivery
General Post
Office - common term for the administrative entity of the U.S. postal
system in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century
General
Postal Union - a union of nations established in 1874, later known as
Universal Postal Union. The international union was formed to ensure the
creation of a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of
correspondence among countries.
Grill - a pattern of small, square dots
in an overall square or diamond-shape that is applied to stamps to
prevent their reuse after cancellation. The embossing breaks the paper
fibers of the stamp, allowing the canceling (obliterating) ink to
penetrate effectively and preventing this ink from being removed by
would-be defrauders.
Guerrilla stamp - a stamp issued by guerrilla
forces to frank their correspondence. Use of such stamps was common in
Taiwan (1895), Philippines (1898), South Africa (1899-1902), Ireland
(1922-23), China (1929- ), and South Vietnam (1963-76).
Guide dots -
faint markings used to facilitate the correct spacing and laying down of
the impressions on the plate
Guide lines - horizontal and vertical lines
that extend wholly or partially across sheets to facilitate perforating
and cutting into panes. U.S. stamps are normally sold in panes of one
hundred subjects. Blocks of stamps bearing such lines are designated as a
'guide-line pair' or 'block', and blocks showing intersecting lines are
termed 'center-line blocks'.
Gutter - the space between one unit and the
next, whether a stamp, pane, or sheet. The term is generally applied to
the wide space between panes.
Gutter snipe - a mis-cut of the gutter
that leaves part of a stamp attached to the full gutter. Gutter snipes
are regarded as 'freaks', not errors.
Handstamp - a stamp or overprint
which has been applied to paper singly and without mechanical means; a
hand-held apparatus for printing that is struck on an ink pad and then
pressed on paper. The die may be of metal, rubber, or wood.
Handwritten
plate number - handwritten numbers found where a die is not used
Harrow
perforation - perforation generally used for small souvenir sheets in
which the entire sheet is perforated in one operation
Highway Post
Office Service - a mail distribution network. To compensate rural
communities for the loss of Railway Mail Service, the Post Office
Department inaugurated Highway Post Office (HPO) Service on February 10,
1941. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had signed a measure creating the
Highway Post Office Service on July 11, 1940. The inaugural route ran
between Washington, D.C., and Harrisonburg, Virginia. The expansion of
the Highway Post Office Service was postponed during World War II. A
second route was established in 1946. This new service, like railway
service, was to be a mail distribution network comprised of rapid
pick-up, sorting, and dispatch to key points en route between two
principal terminal cities. Mail processed on HPO vehicles was transferred
along the route to connecting Star Routes, mail trains, and to various
rural post offices. Highway mail routes generally served an average of
twenty-five post offices directly and many others indirectly through Star
Route and railway mail connections. Highway Post Office routes were
organized on round trips which averaged 150 miles each way. There were
very good reasons for this: 1) the bus generally held enough gas for
about one 150 mile trip, and fuel stops wasted time; 2) service garages
would have to be set up at both terminal cities, doubling the cost. For
roughly the next decade, as railway mail service shrank, highway mail
service grew. From 1960 to 1963 HPO service was replacing an average of
20 trains a month. The service essentially became obsolete when the Post
Office Department decided to reorganize its mail handling/distribution
system by adopting the sectional center concept (see ZIP Code). On June
30, 1974, 33 years after the first experimental trip, the last Highway
Post Office made its final run over the Cincinnati-Cleveland (Ohio)
route. Ironically, Railway Mail Service outlasted Highway Post Office
Service by three years.
Hotel stamp - a local stamp issued by a remotely
located hotel to pay for delivery of guests' mail to the nearest post
office. Some hotels had their own post offices.
HPO - an abbreviation of
the Highway Post Office Service which operated between 1941 and 1974.
Highway Post Office buses were used to replace Railway Mail Service in
areas where train service had been discontinued.
Hyphen-hole perforation
- perforation that utilizes the line method in cutting rectangular holes
instead of the usual round ones. Some U.S. revenue stamps use this type
of perforation.
HyPO - an abbreviation of the Highway Post Office
Service, which operated from 1941 to 1974. Highway Post Office buses were
used to replace Railway Mail Service in areas where train service had
been discontinued.
Illustrated envelopes - illustrated or imprinted
envelopes often used for advertising and propaganda
Imitation - a stamp
produced by the postal administration deliberately imitating a design
when the original plates are no longer available for reprints. An
imitation might differ from the originals in paper, gum, size, color, and
design detail. Imitations are produced to fill gaps in official
collections and exhibitions as well as for sale to collectors.
Imperforate - the lack of some separation device between stamps such as
perforation holes or rouletted slits that allow for easy tearing.
Imperforate stamps have to be cut apart by scissors or blades. Most early
issues were imperforate, and had to be hand-cut by the postmaster.
Imprint - any detail of a stamp's design printed at the time of the
original stamp's production; inscription with name, initials, etc.,
usually of the producers of the stamps. The latter is found in the
margins of the sheets of the stamps.
Intelpost - technology that allows
customers to send a facsimile transmission to foreign countries via the
Postal Service
International reply coupon - receipts issued by member
nations of the Universal Postage Union for return-postage payment. The
certificates may be exchanged in foreign countries for local stamps.
Interrupted perforation - a system of perforation which adds strength
between stamps on a coil by removing several pins from the perforation
machines, thus creating wider spaces between the holes
Inverted frame -
a term used to describe a misprint that leaves part of the image upside
down or inverted. Occasionally, a single cliche is inverted in the plate,
resulting in one color producing a tete beche in a multiple piece. That
is, the inversion creates a pair of stamps connected together with one
stamp right side up and the other upside down.
Inverted Jenny - a
misprinted U.S. postage stamp showing an inverted image of a blue
airplane. The error occurred on the 24-cent airmail stamp of 1918. Only
one sheet of one hundred inverted center stamps was sold across the post
office counter, and no other examples have been discovered by the public.
The image attached to this record shows inverts from that single sheet,
which were reunited during an exhibit at the National Postal Museum in
the summer of 1996. For other information, photographs, and/or articles
pertaining to this stamp, please refer to U.S. Design File C3.
Joint
lines - lines that appear on gutters between sheets in rotary press
printing and are caused by ink filling the space where the edges of the
curved plates meet when mounted on the press cylinder
Journal tax stamp
- a stamp denoting taxes on newspapers but often conferring free
transmission through the post
Jubilee lines - dashes of color
surrounding certain sheets or panes of stamps that are added to prevent
damage or excessive wear by the pressure of the inking roller to the
printing plate. These lines first appeared on British stamps of 1887,
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Year. It is called the 'co-extensive'
line when broken, and it is called the 'continuous line' when unbroken.
Killer Postmark - any postmark that makes re-use of a stamp impossible
Kiss prints - marks that occur on sheet-fed presses when the paper
accidentally contacts the inked plate before or after printing the
stamps. As a rule, only a few marginal stamps will show the 'kiss'.
Knife - the cutting edge or 'cookie cutter', as philatelists refer to it,
of the machine which cuts the envelope blank. Also the die-cut paper from
which envelopes are folded.
Late fee stamp - a stamp paying additional
fees on correspondence put into the post after normal closing hours, the
intention of which is to connect with evening dispatches by mail trains
Letter carrier - the person who delivers mail to the addressee. Other
terms for this position have included 'mailman' and 'mail carrier'.
Life
insurance stamp - a stamp used in New Zealand to pay postage on mail sent
by the Government Life Insurance Department
Line perforation - process
by which a sheet of stamps is perforated one row at a time, proceeding in
one direction, over the entire sheet. The sheet is then turned ninety
degrees, and the process is repeated. The distinguishing characteristic
is that the holes in the vertical and horizontal rows do not coincide at
the four corners of each stamp.
Line roulette - a series of short dashes
cut into the paper
Literacy fund stamp - a stamp used in government
campaigns to combat illiteracy
Lithography - a printing process in which
the design is drawn, photographed, and transferred to the stone or plates
of zinc or aluminum in a greasy ink. It is then fixed by treatment with
acid. In printing, the stone or plate is wet with a fluid that repels the
printing ink, except on the greasy lines of the design. Such printing
from a smooth surface produces no pressure through the paper or raised
ink as results from typography engraving.
Local city government issue -
a stamp issued for use in only one city or area
Local official stamps -
stamps that franked official correspondence for one year to determine the
amount of mail sent by designated provinces
Lottery stamp - a stamp
whose fee covered postage and credit to the U.N. refugee fund; each stamp
also had serial number for participation in late-year lottery. Associated
with Norway and marked "June 1, 1964."
Lozenge perforation - perforation
that consists of diamond-shaped holes
Mail collection service - letter
boxes located on street corners for the deposit and collection of mail.
Introduced in large U. S. cities in 1858, letters dropped in street boxes
required an additional prepaid fee of 1-cent, but beginning in 1863 the
collection service was performed free of charge.
Mailbag - the bag in
which mail is transported by mailman, train, or some other means of
conveyance
Mailbox - the container used to collect mail. Also known as
'collection boxes' (where people can deposit their mail for later
pickup). Mailboxes are also used at households and businesses to receive
mail.
Marine insurance stamp - a stamp associated with the Netherlands
and Netherlands Indies prepaying a fee to carry mail in a shipboard safe
designed to float free in case of sinking. Also a special postal tariff
instituted by U.P.U. in 1920 following losses in WWI. Abolished in 1924.
Master die - the die used in the embossing process and refers to original
engraving in recess
Maximum card - a picture postcard bearing a postage
stamp and a postmark relevant to the picture on the card. The design on
the stamp usually mirrors that on the postcard. The postage stamp is
usually affixed to the picture-side to heighten the effect. This style of
use was begun in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century and
remains popular.
Metal currency stamp - a stamp for use on foreign
parcels which had to be prepaid at the 'gold' exchange rate in hard
currency (gold or silver). Internal mail, on the other hand, used stamps
purchased in depreciating paper currency. Stamps of Peru overprinted
'Plata' or silver are one example.
Metered mail - mail whose postage is
paid by a machine that tracks the amount of postage applied by the
machines
Migratory bird hunting stamp - a stamp produced annually for
the Department of the Interior. Revenue from the sale of these stamps is
used for waterfowl conservation. These are popularly called 'Duck
Stamps'.
Military franchise stamp - a stamp allowing free postage of
mail by military forces on active duty
Military stamp - a stamp used by
military organizations and their personnel during both wartime and
peace-keeping missions
Millesime - a numeral denoting the year of
printing on many French and French colonial stamps. The millesime was
located in the gutter next to the second row of stamps. Black numbers in
the bottom right corner denote the year of printing after 1923.
Mochila
- a Spanish term for knapsack. The mochilas used by Pony Express riders
were made of leather and designed with four pockets, or cantinas, in
which to carry mail.
Money Order - an order for the payment of money,
usually issued by and payable at a bank or post office. Postal money
orders originated in 1864. The maximum amount available at that time was
30-dollars.
Mourning stamp - a stamp issued on occasions of national
bereavement such as the death of a president or king. The stamp might be
a special issue printed in black with a black edge, or it might have the
borders of existing stamps printed in black.
MPLSM - acronym for
'Multiple Position Letter Sorting Machines'. These machines operated
through several work stations. Each worker sorted letters through
keyboards attached to the machine. Workers read addresses and directed
letters to the correct bin.
Narcotic tax stamp - a conventional U.S.
revenue stamp with the overprint 'Narcotics', indicating that a tax has
been paid on the shipment
Newspaper stamp - an impressed or adhesive
stamp issued to prepay special rates for the sole purpose of mailing
newspapers and periodicals
Nixie - a term used by Railway Post Office
clerks to designate a piece of mail that cannot be sorted due to an
illegible address. Such items were designated "dead letters" by other
mail clerks.
No Sunday Delivery - a tab attached to the stamp indicating
that the piece of mail was not to be delivered on Sunday. Removal of the
tab indicated that Sunday delivery was allowed.
Obligatory tax stamp - a
revenue stamp issued to collect funds for national or philanthropic
purpose
Occupation stamp - a stamp overprinted or specially printed for
use in a conquered territory occupied by the victorious military forces
OCR - an acronym for 'Optical Character Reader'. In the Postal Service,
Optical Character Readers are used to read mail addresses and spray
corresponding bar codes onto the envelopes for processing. The first
postal OCR was used in the Detroit post office in 1965.
Official issue -
a stamp issued for use on official correspondence. When inscribed or
overprinted for use by specific government departments, the stamp is
referred to as 'Departmental'.
Official seals - a seal used to close
mail opened or damaged by the postal service or accidentally left
unsealed by the sender
Offset printing - a printing process often used
with lithography in which an inked image is transferred from the plate to
a roller. In an intermediate step, the roller applies ink to the paper.
The design is transferred from the plate to a rubber blanket, and then
re-transferred to the stamp paper.
On-the-Fly - an exchange of mail
between Railway Post Office cars and post offices without stopping the
train. Mail was exchanged via cranes on which postmasters hooked a mail
pouch. As the RPO car passed by, the mail was snagged by a hook attached
to the side of the train car. Mail bound for the post office was placed
in a pouch that was then tossed off the train and retrieved by the
postmaster.
Overprints - words or devices printed on a stamp after it
was completed. Overprints are used to provide stamps for countries which
have none of their own; to define or alter the use of a stamp; to show
changes in form of government; to mark a change in the name of a country;
to denote occupation by a foreign force; to mark an anniversary; or to
identify valid issues when identical stamps are in alien hands.
Parcel
Post - a service provided by the Post Office Department which
accommodated packages weighing over four pounds. Parcel Post service,
finally made available to U.S. citizens on January 1, 1913, was received
with enormous enthusiasm. Farm families used it to convey produce at
standardized, understandable, and lower rates than they had received from
express companies. Marketers were thrilled with the promise of this new
sales frontier. The growth of Parcel Post service was phenomenal. During
the first six months of operation approximately 300 million parcels were
handled. When Collect on Delivery (COD) Service was introduced seven
months later (July 1, 1913), the popularity of Parcel Post service went
through the roof as mail order companies' profits exploded. COD and
Parcel Post service pushed the development of industry tied to the
creation and development of unique parcel mailing containers, including
those built to hold eggs by the dozens.
Part-perforated - a stamp
perforated in one direction only, either horizontally or vertically, and
cut apart in the other direction
Patronage - the distribution of
appointments to people based on their political or financial support.
Patronage reforms began in 1883 with the Pendleton Act, but postmaster
and rural letter carrier positions remained essentially political
appointments until the reorganization of the postal system in 1970.
Perforation - a process involving the removal of small bits of paper in
various shapes to allow for easy tearing. The number of perforations
(each consisting of a depression and a projection) in two centimeters is
called the 'gauge' of that perforation.
Personal delivery stamp - a
triangular stamp inscribed with a D representing fee paid by addressee
for mail to be delivered to him/her personally. Stamps inscribed with a V
insured personal delivery to the addressee and were affixed by the
sender.
Photogravure - a printing process in which a design is
photographed on the printing plate through a fine screen. The process
breaks the copy into very fine, square dots, and the depressions formed
around the squares hold the ink, also known as 'gravure'.
Pillars -
repetitive decorations or lines printed in the pane margins of
watermarked paper to prohibit its being counterfeited
Pin roulette -
tiny punctures that do not actually poke through the paper
Plate number
- the serial number engraved on a plate which usually appears in a corner
of a sheet of stamps. Single digit suffix numbers instead of the whole
serial number are printed on coils.
Plate Proof - Certified plate proofs
are the last printed proof of the plate before printing the stamps at the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing. These plate proofs are each unique,
with the approval signatures and date. For postal scholars these plates
provide important production information in the plate margin
inscriptions, including guidelines, plate numbers, and initials of the
siderographer, or person who created the plate from a transfer roll.
Playing card stamp - a revenue stamp paying a tax on packs of playing
cards. The revenue paid depended upon the value of the pack. Opening the
pack usually destroyed the stamp.
Plebescite stamp - a stamp issued by a
temporarily independent postal administration intended to influence a
popular vote
Pneumatic tubes - a transport system that carried mail
under city streets. The service, which began in 1893 in Philadelphia,
used canisters that could carry up to six hundred letters each and travel
at an average of thirty-five miles per hour.
POD - abbreviation of the
term used by Postmaster General John McLean (1823-1829) for the
administrative entity of the U.S. Postal Department. The title was used
for the postal system until the postal reorganization act of 1970. The
Post Office Department became the U.S. Postal Service on July 1, 1971.
Porte de mar stamp - a stamp used to indicate the amount to be paid to
the captains of the mail steamers taking outgoing foreign mail. The
phrase means 'Carried by Sea', and is associated with Mexican labels.
Post Card - a card used to send a message via the mail. The Post Office
Department authorized the use of privately-created postcards in 1898.
These cards usually included an image on one side and space for a message
and an address on the other. Postcards were popular collecting items in
the early twentieth century.
Post Office - the location at which mail is
received, sorted, and delivered, and where stamps and other postal
materials are sold
Post Office Department - term used by Postmaster
General John McLean (1823-1829) for the administrative entity of the U.S.
postal system. The title was used for the postal system until the postal
reorganization act of 1970. The Post Office Department became the U.S.
Postal Service on July 1, 1971.
Post Roads - any transportation network
designated to carry mail. The Post Office Department designated waterways
as post roads in 1823 and railways during the late 1830s.
Post-A-Book
stamp - a self-adhesive stamp specifically issued for the mailing of
books from retail bookshops
Postage currency - postage stamps used as
small bills during a shortage of metal coins
Postage due stamp - a fee
paid by the recipient of mail for underpaid postal charges
Postal Card -
a card which is similar in look and function to post cards but which is
produced by the postal service. Postal cards include pre-printed postage
on the card
Postal fiscal issue - revenue stamp later authorized to be
used postally
Postal Inspection Service - In 1772, postal inspectors (or
'surveyors') were first contracted by Deputy Postmaster General Benjamin
Franklin to conduct audits on various postmasters and their accounts. As
the Post Office Department matured, the postal inspector's
responsibilities greatly increased. Some of the duties they have
performed over the years include: establishing new mail routes and post
offices; appointing postmasters; hiring contractors to carry the mails;
assisting in setting-up and establishing efficient military postal
systems; protecting the mails in times of natural disasters and
transportation-related accidents; and investigating mail fraud, mail
thefts, and lost letters. Inspectors from this service were among the
first on the scene after the 2001 9/11 attacks. In New York City, they
secured the mail at the Church Street post office, located just across
the street from the World Trade Center. Others were present at the crash
scene of United flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to recover mail
if possible. The service also has a strong program that helps people
fight identity theft.
Postal Note Stamps - Unlike regular postage
stamps, which are used to pay the rate for mail delivery, postal note
stamps together with the postal note cards, were created to send small
amounts of money up to ten dollars to anyone on the mainland of the
United States. Similar in use to money orders, the stamps were created to
send small amounts at a lower cost per transaction than money orders
which were cost prohibitive for small values. The stamps were issued from
February 1, 1945 until March 31, 1951. Not only did postal notes prove to
be more affordable than money orders for small value transactions, they
resulted in less paperwork for postal clerks, as demanded by the Post
Office. With postal notes the clerk had only to affix the stamps and
cancel them, a normal postal handling. The paperwork was completed by the
customer who filled out the form himself. Each postal note contained
three parts. On the left was the payee.s coupon. The middle contained the
paying office coupon upon which postal note stamps were affixed. This
portion was left at the post office when the money was paid. On the right
was the purchaser.s receipt. The stamps came in eighteen denominations
and the postal notes were printed in eleven denominations. Up to two
stamps per note could be combined to reach values between 1-cent and
10-dollars. Patrons could insure the note for a fee of 5-cents. At the
top of each stamp are the words "United States of America" in white
against a black background. The words "Postal Note" are printed in the
novel font against a grey background. The value is also in white against
a black background. Curled laurel branches are engraved around the value
on both sides. The word "cent(s)" has been printed below. The stamps were
designed by William K. Schrage and engraved by C.A. Brooks. The words
were engraved by Axel W. Christensen. The numbers were engraved by John
S. Edmondson (1,3,4,10,30,50,70,80 and 90 cents), Edward H. Helmuth (7
and 20 cents) and Axel W. Christensen (2,5,6,8,9,40 and 60 cents).
Printed by the American Banknote Company on a rotary press printer, the
stamps have no watermarks and are perforated 11 x 10.5. The stamps were
printed on two types of paper. The oldest paper was thick and gray in
color and the newer paper was thin and white, the so-called melamine
paper. The number of stamps actually printed is unknown. The amount is
estimated around 660 million stamps total, resulting in approximately 40
million of each value. The stamps were destroyed after use but a limited
number were offered for sale to collectors in 1951.
Postal
reorganization - the transformation of the Post Office Department into
the United States Postal Service. In 1970, President Nixon signed the
Postal Reorganization Act, which went into effect on July 1, 1971.
Postal savings stamp - a savings stamp redeemable as a credit to postal
savings accounts. The purchaser filled a book with the savings stamps,
which could be redeemed for a certificate. The Postal Stamp Savings
program spanned 1911 to 1970.
Postal Savings System - a system for
saving money which the Post Office Department operated from 1911 to 1967.
Begun as a way to encourage individuals to create financial savings
accounts, immigrants found it particularly useful since it resembled
similar systems in their native countries. The system reached its peak in
1947. In 1967, unclaimed deposits were turned over to the U.S. Treasury
Department. Some money was kept for future claims, but legislation ended
all claims after July 13, 1985.
Postal Service - a national, usually
governmental, system of transmitting written communications. The U.S.
postal system was reorganized in 1971. As a part of the transformation
the Post Office Department, it was renamed the U.S. Postal Service in
that year.
Postal tax stamp - a stamp used to raise funds for a specific
purpose. Though not valid for postage, it has been required on mail at
certain times.
Postal telegraph stamp - a stamp issued for use on
telegrams but subsequently permitted to be used as a postage stamp
Postcard stamp - an adhesive postage stamp affixed to a postcard and then
overprinted. Such a stamp was used in the Orange Free State, 1889-1897. .
Postcard tax stamp - a stamp issued as a tax on picture postcards sent
through the mail. The postcards must also carry normal postage. Used in
Russia ca. 1922.
Postmark - an authorized mark printed over a postage
stamp that makes reuse virtually impossible while recording the date and
place of mailing
Postmarking device - a tool for marking the origin,
date, and transit of mail. Another use was to deface stamps, making them
impossible to reuse. Such devices first appeared in Italy about 1454, but
two centuries elapsed before they were widely used. Mechanical cancellers
were developed in 1876 to speedily process the growing volume of mail. By
1880, power-driven units could postmark 15,000 cards or letters per hour.
Postmaster - the individual in charge of the operations of a local post
office. A little-used nineteenth-century variation of the term to address
women functioning in this position was 'postmistress'.
Postmaster General - the executive head of the U.S. Postal Service.
Postmasters' provisional stamp - a postmaster-issued stamp used before the
introduction of government issues, especially during an interregnum.
Potato tax stamp - a revenue stamp issued in 1935 which was mandated by
the Potato Act. The Supreme Court declared the stamp unconstitutional,
and it was consequently never used.
Precancel - a stamp cancelled prior
to affixing on mail matter or before being deposited at the post office
which allows the item to bypass the usual canceling process
Printing
plate - any printing base used to print a sheet of stamps. The term
'subject' designates a complete stamp design on a plate. Plates of four
hundred subjects have been used for printing most of the U.S. stamps
since 1890. Before that, smaller plates were generally used.
Private die
- the engraving of a stamp design by a manufacturer for exclusive use by
that manufacturer. This was allowed under the Revenue Act of 1862. Stamps
printed from such dies are known as 'private die proprietary stamps'.
Private die proprietary stamp - a revenue stamp used to seal a container
of, for instance, matches and playing cards. The stamp pays the tax on
the item and often advertised the company's name. They were widely used
between 1862 and 1883.
Private perforation - a perforation applied by
individuals or companies instead of being officially perforated by the
issuing authority. Some companies use special perforations to operate
more efficiently in their vending and mailing machines.
Provisional
stamp - a stamp produced, often issued during an emergency to meet an
immediate need, whose value or purpose has been altered after printing by
means of a surcharge or overprint.
Publicity envelope stamp - a stamp
sold to veteran's organizations at reduced rates for use to raise funds
for disabled veterans.
Railway Mail Service - the network of railway
lines, Railway Post Offices, and Railway Post Office clerks that were
used for transporting and processing mail on board moving trains
Railway
Post Office - train cars that were the property of railway companies but
used by and restricted to U.S. Post Office Department employees. The RPO
cars were usually placed directly behind the locomotive.
RBCS - acronym
for 'Remote Bar-coding System'
Re-engraved - term used for a new plate
which has been made from a worn die that has been deepened and
strengthened
Re-issue - a stamp previously withdrawn from use but
reintroduced from old stocks or by fresh printings from original plates
Recorded message stamp - a stamp used in Argentina, 1939, which prepayed
the postage fee for sending recorded message discs
Regional stamp - a
stamp issued by Great Britain (beginning in 1958) and sold in Scotland,
Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, and Isle of Man but valid for
postage throughout the United Kingdom
Registered Mail - mail that is
recorded by the post office when sent. It is also recorded along points
in the route to track it. Because registered mail has often been used for
valuable properties, it was often a prime target in mail robberies.
Registration stamp - a stamp issued in 1911 to pay the fee for
registering mail
Relief printing - a term used to designate printing
from a base in which those areas to appear in color on the stamps are
raised above the non-printing areas. Only the color-producing areas come
into contact with the paper at the moment of impression or printing.
Definition taken from "Fundamentals of Philately" by L. N. Williams.
Remainders - unsold stamps of a discontinued issue that are normally
destroyed but can be overprinted, surcharged, or revalidated for postage.
They are sometimes sold to collectors in their original state, cancelled,
or overprinted to show they have been withdrawn from use.
Remarque - A
small mark or sketch engraved in the margin of a plate to indicate its
stage of development prior to completion.
Reprint - a stamp reprinted
from the original printing plate after the stamp has become a postally
invalid issue. Reprints might be issued for philatelists, and these are
not valid for postage
Return letter stamp - a label or stamp used on
letters which are undeliverable
Revenue issue - a stamp intended for
collection of taxes, fees, and duties for state revenue
RFD - acronym
for 'Rural Free Delivery'
Rotary perforating machine - a wheel that
operates with a grinding motion and usually results in rougher, slightly
distorted perforations
Rotary press - a printing press that utilizes
curved plates that rotate rapidly, printing on a continuous roll of
paper. Stamps printed on a rotary press are usually longer or wider than
the same stamps printed from flat plates because rotary plates stretch
during the curving process
Rough perforation - perforations that show
jagged holes. This usually denotes worn pins.
Roulette - a process by
which paper is slit between stamps, making their separation easier
RPO -
acronym for 'Railway Post Office'
Rural Free Delivery (RFD) - mail
service that provides delivery to rural customers. The service was
established in 1896. Prior to RFD, farm families traveled miles to the
post office to pick-up their mail, all the while paying the same rates as
those living in towns and urban areas. During the service's early years,
the carrier postmarked the items. For decades Congress had been reluctant
to institute free rural delivery, seeing the nation as too large for such
a service and predicting financial disaster. RFD became an official part
of the U.S. Postal Service in 1902.
Sample - a stamp produced by
security printers to demonstrate the printing capabilities of their
firms. Samples employed actual stamp designs in different colors, were
usually overprinted or perfined to denote status, and were given to
prospective clients at trade shows and philatelic exhibitions.
Scratched
plate - a blemish on the plate caused by contact with a hard foreign
object
Screen wagons - wagons built specifically to deliver mail. They
were first used in 1886.
Se-tenant - stamps or labels printed from the
same plate that adjoin one another but have different designs and colors
Sea Post Service - bona fide post offices that operated on ships
traveling regular routes, primarily between 1891 and the 1930s
Self-service registration stamp - a stamp with the dual purpose of
registration and special handling for use with letter packets and
parcels. The stamps were issued in pairs from automatic vending machines
with a certificate of posting. One stamp was affixed to the package; the
other to the certificate as sender's evidence. They were used primarily
in the German Democratic Republic, 1967-1968.
Semi-official envelopes -
imprinted envelopes provided by the Confederate Government. Not everyone
was granted franking privileges, however. 'Semi-official' envelopes, like
the example shown here, required prepayment of postage in stamps.
Semi-official stamp - a stamp used in connection with private postal
services but having official sanction. Examples include England's railway
letter fee stamps and the U.S. Buffalo Balloon covers, which were
delivered by a private balloon to the nearest post office, where franking
continued through the regular postal service.
Semi-postal stamp - a
postage stamp bearing a higher-than-normal postage rate. The excess
revenue was given to charity or some other cause.
Separation - a general
term applied to any means provided for separating stamps. The earliest
and some more recent issues had no provision for this. Such stamps are
usually called 'imperforate'. Many methods have been developed for
removing individual stamps from sheets. These processes are termed
'perforating' and 'rouletting'.
Serpentine roulette - a form of roulette
consisting of wavy lines
Serrate roulette - a zig-zag line of short
dashes
Sheet number - colored numbers printed consecutively on sheets of
stamps which identify individual sheets as well the number of sheets
printed
Silver tax stamp - a revenue stamp used to pay a tax on profits
from transactions in silver
Sinking fund stamp - a stamp used for
postage in France with a premium for the reduction of the national debt
Slogan - a postmark containing a message or announcement
Soldiers' stamp
- a stamp issued to exempt servicemen's mail from postage
Souvenir sheet
- a special postal issue, typically used to commemorate special events,
which incorporates one or more stamps. It is produced on small format
paper with wide margins, often printed with a unifying background and/or
title. The stamps may or may not be perforated and usually differ in
design and possibly denomination from each other.
Special delivery issue
- a stamp that pays for special handling and accelerated delivery of
mail, usually by a courier. Expedited services, such as Express Mail,
have largely replaced the need for special delivery.
Special Delivery
Service - a service authorized on March 3, 1885, which provided prompt
delivery of all letters affixed with a 10-cent special-delivery stamp.
The service extended to free-delivery offices in towns of 4,000 or more
inhabitants. By August 4, 1886, every free-delivery office, including
Rural Mail Service, was equipped to handle special-delivery letters.
Special flight stamp - stamp for use on mail carried on special flights.
Usage: Netherlands - inscribed Bijzondere Vluchten; Switzerland -
inscribed Pro Aero. PTI, 1987.
Special handling stamp - a stamp
supplementing the fourth-class postage rate so that fourth-class mail was
handled as first-class
Speed mail -
Square perforations - small, square
holes, which are quite rough in appearance
Stamp classifications - a
system by which all stamps are organized and defined according to their
functions or type of authority controlling their issue
Stamped envelope
production - a technique using a resilient plate instead of a rigid one.
This technique allows the paper to be forced into the depressions of the
die to show as a colorless relief on the finished stamp.
Star route - a
mail route, usually rural, served by a private contractor. The routes
pre-dated RFD (Rural Free Delivery). The postmaster general was allowed
by Congress to form contracts with private delivery services without
specifying the mode used for the deliveries. To identify these routes, an
asterisk was placed on the Post Office Department records. Consequently,
they became known as 'star routes'.
Stock transfer stamp - a revenue
stamp tax on stock transfers and certificates which was used by federal
and state authorities from 1918 until 1952
Sunday delivery stamp - a
stamp used on mail delivered on Sundays and public holidays, the revenue
from which was used to maintain a sanatorium and rest homes for postal
employees and their families. The Sunday delivery stamp was used in
Bulgaria, 1925-1929, and in 1942.
Surcharge - an overprint on the face
of a stamp which changes, adds to, or confirms its face value
Talking
stamp - an issue of seven plastic, self-adhesive stamps in form of
miniature gramophone records which played the national anthem and gave
commentary on history of the country. The stamps were issued in Bhutan, a
country in the eastern Himalayas, on April 15, 1973.
Tax Paid stamp - a
revenue stamp used to indicate tax payment on various commodities. The
Tax Paid stamp did not indicate money value. Rather, it stated quantity
or weight.
Telegraph stamp - a service-fee stamp that confirmed payment
or exemption from payment for delivery of a telegraphic message. The
English and Irish Magnetic Telegraph Company issued what were probably
the first telegraph stamps in 1853.
Telegraph stamp - adhesive or
imprinted revenue stamp paying the cost of a telegram; usually attached
to or forming part of the message form
Tete-beche - a condition created
in plate production, either accidentally or intentionally, in which the
stamp design is inverted in alternate vertical or horizontal rows. This
results in pairs of stamps in which the adjacent stamp is upside down in
relation to the other.
Tobacco sale tax stamp - a revenue stamp intended
to pay tax on sale of tobacco above quotas established in Agriculture
Adjustment Act of 1935. Like potato tax stamps, it was declared
unconstitutional.
Topical collecting - a strategy for collecting stamps
which uses subject matter as the organizing theme
Tour Number - 'Tour
number' is post office slang for 'shift.' Tour 1 is generally from 10:30
p.m. until 7:00 a.m., Tour 2 runs from 7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., and
Tour 3 starts at 3:30 p.m. and runs until midnight. These times may vary
by facility and by era. Highway Post Offices had 'trips', while Railway
Post Offices used 'train'. Stationary units such as terminals, transfer
offices, and airmail facilities referred to 'tours'. Conveniently enough,
all three were abbreviated "TR" and had a type piece inserted into the
handstamp to designate when an item was postmarked. All three also used
the convention that the date in the handstamp corresponded to when the
"TR" started. So if a trip, train, or tour started on day one and
continued into day two, the date associated with day one stayed in the
handstamp for the entire duration.
Typography - printing method done by
pressure, the ink lines being impressed into the paper so that they
appear raised on the back of the stamp. This is also referred to as
'letterpress' or 'relief' printing.
Unappropriated Duty stamp - popular
name for British fiscal stamps which left space in the design for the
overprint of the specific purpose or duty
Unemployed Intellectual stamp
- a postage stamp whose revenue helped support unemployed intellectuals
and artists. This stamp was used in France (1935-1940) for intellectuals
and in Hungary (1940) for artists
Unissued stamp - a stamp officially
prepared for postal use but never issued due to, for example, an error in
design or inscription, sudden change in political regime, or postal rates
United Postal Union - an institution originally known as the General
Postal Union (established in 1874 and renamed in 1878). The Universal
Postal Union coordinates postal policies among member nations.
UPU -
abbreviation for the Universal Postal Union. Originally known as the
General Postal Union (established in 1874 and renamed in 1878), the
Universal Postal Union coordinates postal policies among member nations.
USPS - abbreviation for the U.S. Postal Service. The U.S. Post Office
Department was reorganized in 1971. As a part of the transformation, it
was renamed the 'U.S. Postal Service'.
V-Mail - service used from June
15, 1942, to April 1, 1945, which facilitated swift and easy
communication between troops and the home front. Individuals used special
pre-printed forms for messages that were reduced to microfilm, flown to a
v-mail facility nearest the addressee, and printed out to one-forth the
size of the original.
Vehicle Service - a service created on October 19,
1914. Prior to that time, the Post Office Department contracted with
privately owned companies to provide and operate motorized vehicles
carrying mail. After 1914, the Post Office Department purchased its own
vehicles and hired its own drivers.
Vending machine stamp - stamp
designed or printed for sale in coin-operated machines. These stamps may
differ from ordinary postage in perf varieties, and they tend to be small
format size.
Vignette - the primary design area of a stamp
War stamp -
a stamp issued during wartime to raise revenue for the war and inscribed
or overprinted as such. The stamp was applied in addition to the regular
postage.
Watermark - a pattern or design within the substance of the
paper which is impressed in the wet paper pulp during the manufacturing
process. Some stamps are printed on watermarked paper to prevent
counterfeiting, identify the paper manufacturer, or identify different
stamps or postal stationery.
Wiper marks - wavy smears found across
whole sheets of stamps. Over-inking of the plate or a slow mechanical
wiper can cause this result.
ZIP+4 - the last four digits in ZIP+4. The
addition four digits more precisely pinpoint the final destination.
Larger mail volumes, increasing numbers of delivery addresses, and the
adoption of automated machinery made ZIP+4 a necessity in 1983.
Zone
Systems - a means of organizing mail using a zoning address system of one
or two numbers in the hundred twenty-four largest post offices.
Individuals added the zone code between the city and state, such as New
York 4, New York. The numbers represented the post office or sub-post
office closest to the final delivery address.
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Stamp Collecting Terminology
@auxiliary mark
Secondary or supplementary marking that requires the
mailer or addressee to take further action on a piece of mail; for
example, a mark which notifies the recipient of postage due.
@airmail Stamp
Stamp issued specifically to prepay postage for mail carried by air.
@approvals
"Look before buying" opportunity where stamps are sent to a collector for
examination. Approvals offer the collector a wide range of material to
choose from and must be bought or returned to the dealer within a
specified time
@block
Four or more attached stamps forming a square or rectangle.
@booklet panes
Small, specifically-printed sheets of stamps sold in a booklet format.
@cachet
Illustration or description on an envelope denoting the commemorative
purpose for which it was mailed.
@cancellation
Any mark applied to a stamp to prevent its reuse.
@centering
The position of the design on a stamp. On perfectly centered stamps, the
design is exactly in the middle.
@coil stamp
Stamp produced in a roll for use in vending machines. Usually identified
by a pair of straight edges on opposite sides.
@commemorative stamp
Stamp issued specifically to honor a person, place or event; usually on
sale for only a short period of time.
@commemorative sheet
A small sheet of stamps bearing a commemorative inscription.
@cover
An envelope, postcard or any other wrapper used to mail correspondence.
@cut square
The cut corner of a postal stationery item (envelope or postcard) bearing
the imprinted stamp with ample margins.
@definitive
Stamp issued for ordinary postal use that remains on sale for an extended
period of time.
@denomination
The monetary value printed on a stamp.
@die
The stamp design is engraved on this small flat piece of soft steel used
to print the stamp.
@duck stamp
Issued annually since 1934, these U.S. duck hunting permits help finance
the federal waterfowl program.
@embossed envelope
An envelope bearing a postage stamp with raised surface designs printed on
the envelope itself.
@error
Hhighly-collectible stamps because of something incorrect in their design
or manufacture.
@first day cover
Envelope or card postmarked on the affixed stamp's first day of use.
@first flight cover
Envelope or card carried on the inaugural mail flight between two points.
@grill
Series of small dots embossed on a stamp allowing ink from the postmark to
sink in, thus preventing cleaning and reuse of the stamp.
@gum
The coating of glue on the back of an unused stamp.
@Hinges
Small gummed, glassine strips used to affix stamps to album pages.
@imperforate stamp
Stamp collecting terminology for a stamp bearing straight edges on all
four sides.
@invert
Stamp with one part of its design upside down in relation to the rest of
the stamp.
@mint
Stamps in original unused condition, never canceled.
@mint sheet
An entire sheet of stamps in original unused condition.
@official stamp
Stamp valid solely for government agency use.
@overprint
Any printing added to a stamp after the original printing was completed.
@pair
Two unseparated stamps joined either vertically or horizontally.
@perforations
Holes punched between stamps on a sheet to facilitate separation.
@perforation gauge
A device that measures the number of perforations on a stamp per two
centimeters.
@philately
Technical name for stamp collecting.
@pictorial
Stamp that features a view such as a landscape or seascape, rather than a
portrait, coat of arms or other symbolic design.
@plate block
Four or more attached stamps still fastened to the margin on which the
number of the printing plate is inscribed.
@postal stationery
Envelopes, cards or other covers bearing imprinted or impressed stamps.
@postmark
Marking on a postal item recording the date and/or origin of its transit
through the mail system.
@precancel
A stamp canceled by the post office before it is sold.
@revenue stamp
Any stamp that indicates payment of a tax or fee.
@rouletting
The use of slits or cuts between stamps to facilitate separation.
@self-adhesive
A stamp with a pressure-sensitive adhesive that does not require
moistening to affix the stamp to paper.
@selvage
uunprinted paper around panes of stamps, sometimes called the margin.
@semi-postal
Stamp from which all or part of the sales receipts go to charity or other
causes.
@se-tenant
Term describing adjoining stamps that differ from each other in design,
denomination or some other aspect.
@surcharge
Overprinting, altering or establishing a stamp's face value.
@tab
Illustrated or descriptive label attached to a stamp.
@tongs
Metal tweezers used for safe and easy handling of stamps.
@topicals
A group of stamps with the same theme, such as space travel or Disney
cartoons.
@unused
A stamp with no cancellation or other sign of use.
@used
A stamp that has been canceled.
@watermark
Design or pattern in paper formed during the
manufacturing process, valuable as a security precaution against forgery.
W@atermark detector
A method of safely determining the existence of a watermark by placing a
stamp in a tray filled with special fluid.
- Drop Letter
- Letters dropped at post office, not for transmission by mail,
but for delivery only.
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