Stamps 101, Part 1

This is taken from an article by the American Philatelic Society.  http://www.stamps.org/


Where did the word "philatelist" come from?

The word "philatelist" means a person who practices philately or stamp collecting. It comes from the French word philatelie, which was derived from the Greek words "philos", meaning loving, and "atelia", meaning exemption from tax (which also came to mean "postage is prepaid"). Philately has come to mean, specifically, the collection and study of postage stamps, postmarks and stamped envelopes and the study of postal history.

What are cachets?

A cachet is a design placed on an envelope, usually commemorating the event for which the cover, as that envelope is known, is being prepared. For first day covers, the design is usually closely related to the subject of the newly issued stamp. The cachet usually appears on the left side of the envelope.

What are stamp hinges and where can I buy them?

Stamp hinges are thin rectangular pieces of paper which are used to hold stamps in an album. One side of each hinge is coated with a special adhesive that becomes sticky when it is slightly moistened. Hinges may be purchased from stamp dealers (http://www.bjstampsandcoins.com). Hinges come in two varieties, flat and pre-folded.

What are coil stamps?

Coil stamps are stamps made for use in vending or affixing machines and are sold in rolls. They have perforations on two parallel sides only (either the horizontal or vertical side). The other sides of the stamps are cut straight.

What is a mint stamp?

Mint stamps are stamps that remain in their original state of issue, unused and with full gum (if so issued).

What is a joint issue? A joint issue occurs when two countries each issue a stamp or stamps on the same date to commemorate the same subject. This happens frequently when the person or historic event honored has a special meaning for both countries. For example, on June 1, 1976, the U.S. Postal Service and the Canadian Post Office jointly issued stamps honoring Benjamin Franklin. Franklin had been the first Postmaster General of both Canada and the United States. Both stamps were designed by the same person and looked nearly identical.

What is an overprint?

An overprint is any printing added to the face of a stamp after it has been manufactured. This is usually done to make stamps suitable for use not originally intended. Precanceled stamps represent one kind of overprinting. Whenever an overprint changes the value, it is called a surcharge.

Why and how are stamps watermarked? A watermark is a special design or pattern pressed in to the soft paper during the manufacturing process. These impressions take many forms, such as letters, animals, fruit, emblems, and combinations of these and others. They are frequently hard to find under normal inspection. Watermarks help provide protection against forgery.

What is a semipostal?

A semipostal stamp frequently carries two denominations on its face often separated by a "+" and is used to pay for postage and make a charitable contribution. One denomination is the amount of postage that stamp pays for and the other, usually smaller in size than the first, is the amount that will go to support charitable organizations or help pay for health programs. The United States has issued only one semipostal stamp to support breast cancer research in 1998.

What is meant when a stamp is said to be "off-centered"? The term "centering" refers to the stamp in relation to the perforation surrounding it. Perforations should be equal distances from the printed area. When they are, the stamp is well centered. When they are not, the stamp is off-center. A very badly centered issue may actually have the perforations intruding into the printed design. A stamp's condition and value is determined, in part, by the quality of the centering.

How can you tell if a stamp is a commemorative or a regular issue?

Regular or definitive issues are the stamps you are most likely to see on your mail. They are usually one color, relatively small and printed in large quantities to stay on sale for several years. They most often depict famous persons from history, the U.S. flag or historical artifacts. Commemorative stamps are issued in honor of an important event, person, or special subject. They are generally larger and more colorful than definitives. Commemoratives are only sold for limited periods of time. If you are in doubt about the type, consult a catalog or ask a stamp dealer.

What does "aerophilately" mean?

Aerophilately is the hobby of collecting air mail stamps, and envelopes (covers) that have been sent by air mail -- including by airplane, balloon or other types of aircraft

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http://www.bjstampsandcoins.com/