Training | Philatelic Dictionary

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Album: specially printed sheets, bound, connected by a spring or pins. The sheets are marked with the impressions or frames for the locations of the stamps. Album sheets without the above marking are also used, which are white or only slightly checked. On them, philatelists place the stamps according to their understanding and their own taste. These sheets sometimes serve as exhibition sheets.

Albums can be of several types:

complete, containing prints of all major types of stamps
detailed, which contain, in addition to the main types, also subspecies, nuances, curiosities and others;
amateur, which contain only some of the more common brands;
thematic, which contain only brands from a certain theme.

Band, bande (French), Band (German): a strip of several marks, not separated from each other, in a horizontal or vertical row.

Bindel: a packet of one hundred identical postage stamps, stacked one on top of the other and wrapped in cellophane tape, resembling a wad of banknotes. It is also customary to place five identical bindels on top of each other, which are also wrapped in cellophane tape. It is also practiced to use the term "BLOCK-BINDEL" in cases where one hundred identical blocks are stacked in the same way and wrapped in cellophane tape.

Charity stamps: issued for a charitable purpose. Most often, this purpose is served by the income collected from the addition to the value of the stamp with a plus sign. In such a case, the stamps are paid for at their total value, and are used for billing only at the basic value.

Block: one or more stamps specially printed on small sheets of good quality paper, with margins left on the sides of the stamps.

In some cases, the following is printed on the margins left on the side:

names
dates
vignettes
decorations

the value of the block, often different from that of the printed stamps.

Blocks can be:

serrated
untoothed.

The term block is also used in cases where an explanation is given for classical postage stamps, but it does not coincide with the concept of blocks printed specifically on small sheets of good quality paper. The term block, used to formulate postage stamps from the classical period, means a collection of such classical postage stamps, which are more than four in number, and which form a separate block.

Blocks of classic stamps are often much more valuable than the sum of the prices of the individual stamps they are made up of.

Block sheet - a sheet of postage stamps that contains painted elements and vignettes on the sheet's vintages.

Containing the following possible combinations in the brands:

identical stamps with the same number of vignettes positioned differently relative to them;
also, but with different vignettes;
several different brands with one or more vignettes;
all brands from one series.

Postal block - one or more postage stamps, usually with different plots, printed on a small sheet with a frame and additional texts, drawings or ornaments. The stamps in the block may be perforated or imperforate, i.e. the block may be perforated or imperforate. In some cases, the nominal value of the block may be higher than the sum of the nominal values of the stamps included in it and is indicated on the frame.

Souvenir block - a block printed with the same cliché as the regular postal block, but without a face value or with one crossed out. It may be in the original colors of the regular block or be single-color, overprinted or have additional text, be on plain paper or cardboard, etc. To achieve interest among philatelists, it is usually issued in limited editions and is numbered.

Express mail: A special postal service for delivering letters to the addressee faster than usual. Special stamps are issued for this purpose, which bear the name "Express mail".

Validation of postage stamps - means "putting into use" of postal issues.

Type of printing of postage stamps - a name accepted in printing and graphic arts for the technical method used in the process of printing postage stamps from a given edition.

There are three main types of printing:

tall
deep
flat.

In letterpress printing, the raised parts of the printing form are printed on the paper, on which the printing ink is applied. It is characterized by uniform layering of the ink, clarity of the contours, a weak relief print on the reverse side of the frame. When letterpress printing is carried out with a ready-made set of numbers and letters, i.e. no printing cliché is prepared, it is called typographic.

In intaglio printing, the carved and hatched elements of the printing form are printed on the paper. After applying printing ink to the entire form, the depressions and hatches remain filled with ink, and the protruding parts are cleaned of it using a metal doctor blade. When printing on the paper, the remaining ink in the depressions is transferred. The print is embossed.

In flatbed printing, the printing form is flat, and the parts that are to carry out the printing (the printing elements) are chemically treated so that only they can retain the printing ink.

In both letterpress and intaglio printing, there are two methods for producing the printing elements (the cliches):

manually, by engraving;
photochemically.

In letterpress printing, only those parts of the image that are to remain white after printing are manually carved (engraved) in the printing plate. Conversely, in intaglio printing, only those parts that are to be printed are carved and hatched in the printing plate. For letterpress printing, the clichés can be prepared photochemically by zincography. In intaglio printing, the depth of the elements to be printed varies depending on the saturation of the light and shadow of the reproduced image, which results in gradation and blending of tones in the printed image.
Flat printing also has two forms for application in printing postage stamps:

lithography;
offset.

In lithographic printing, the image is applied to a lithographic stone, which acts as a printing plate. The unprinted elements are treated with acid and then moistened, as a result of which they repel the printing ink. The colors are not fresh, the contours are not clearly defined and the reverse side of the stamp is smooth.

In offset printing, the ink is transferred from the photo-coated metal printing plate to an intermediate elastic rubber surface and from there to the paper.

Vignette - an additional part to some postage stamps, separated from them by perforation. They do not have franking value on their own, while the postage stamp retains its value even without them. Most often they are thematically related or supplement the content of the postage stamp, but they can also carry independent advertising information. In the postage sheet, they can occupy a field as large as the stamps themselves; occupy half of the stamp field, or be printed on the millesimum. In a block, the sheets can be differently positioned relative to the stamps or have a different number relative to them.

Watermark - transparent figures, numbers or letters found in the paper, on which the postage stamps are printed, obtained during the factory processing of the paper. They are colorless, but with greater transparency than the rest of the paper. They stand out better in stronger lighting or if the stamp is placed on a black substrate and pure surgical gasoline is poured onto the rubberized side of the stamps. Watermarks are placed to prevent the stamps from being counterfeited. Bulgarian postage stamps are printed on papers with seven types of watermarks.

Military mail - stamps issued for pasting letters for regular soldiers and mobilized citizens. Bulgarian stamps specifically for military mail were not issued! Some catalogs mistakenly consider the stamps from the series "Everything for the Front" - 1945 to be such.

Introduction into use - the provision of postage stamps from a given issue at post offices. An act recognizing the validity of the relevant stamps for postal use. It may be accompanied by the issuance of an official order and the use of a First Day Stamp - a stamp on the first day of validation.

Airmail - the transportation of postal items by air by airplane. Special postage stamps are issued for this purpose, called "Airmail" or "Aeroplane stamps". The first airmail stamps of many countries were overprinted on stamps from regular issues.

Commemorative stamps - issued specifically to commemorate an event, historical moments, etc., as well as to commemorate the memory of deserving individuals.

G
Author's error - a factual error made when preparing the postage stamp design:

date
image
text.

Error in the technological process - a deviation from the basic appearance of the postage stamps without periodic repetition in the printed sheet or circulation, due to a technical malfunction, omission or incompleteness of the technological process in the production of the postage stamps.

The most common mistakes are:

complete or partial absence, as well as a strong shift of the teeth, absence or shift of some of the constituent colors
shifting, reversing or multiple printing of the overprint and others.

Stamps with errors represent printing defects - waste paper and are subject to destruction, but those that come up for sale, and especially those that have traveled, represent a philatelic rarity.

Gum - the glue that is placed on the back of the stamps to stick them on the postal items. Gum (glue) has a purely practical meaning for the convenient and strong sticking of the stamps on the correspondence. The first-quality gum should be evenly or densely applied to the postal sheet, free of any stains, sand, foreign bodies and additionally placed stickers, bubbles, uncovered fields and other defects.

Older stamps have an adhesive composition of: gum arabic 85% - 95% and glycerin 15% - 5%. Newer ones have a synthetic adhesive. Higher quality is achieved when the postage stamps are printed on pre-gummed paper. In other cases, the gum is applied after the stamps are printed.

The rubber coating by color is:

colorless
clear
lightly colored (cream, light yellow, light brown, etc.).

An unused and also undamaged stamp is considered only one on which the gum is original, i.e. such as was placed in the process of making the stamp. In this case, it is called "first gum". When the original gum has been removed or washed from the unused, undamaged stamp and a new one has subsequently been placed, it is called "second gum - rubber". In this case, as a counterfeit, the stamp loses significantly of its value.

D
Pair of stamps (pair) - two stamps not separated from each other in a horizontal or vertical row. They represent a variety when they are part of a series, also printed in a block sheet. Oppositely printed pairs are called "tet-besh".
A pair with two different stamps printed together is called a split.

Doublets - these are stamps that the collector owns in excess of those needed for his collection. They are used for exchange.

E
Expert - a person who has special training and philatelic knowledge, who is able, through comparison and other comparative methods of research, to determine whether a given stamp is original, partially forged or counterfeit.

Expert mark - the mark that the expert places on the back of the mark he has examined, with which he certifies that the mark is original. By conventionally determining the location of the expert mark, the quality of the mark is determined. Usually, the expert's mark consists of the initial letters of his name or his signature in a very reduced size.

A distinction must be made between the expert's mark and the various marks accidentally placed by unknown persons. This category also includes the marks of some stamp enthusiasts who place their own mark to indicate ownership of the stamps.

Expertise - subjecting a given brand or a reprint of one to examination in order to establish whether the brand is original or counterfeit, as well as to determine its quality. The need for expertise arose from the fact that older and usually more valuable brands are subject to counterfeiting and forgery.

Postal label - an adhesive sign, often shaped like a stamp, to indicate the type of postal item. In our country, such labels are used for registered mail, airmail, express mail, and others.

On their own, without postage stamps of the corresponding nominal value, they are not valid for payment of postage.

WITH
Perforator - a tool used to measure the size of the perforations on postage stamps.

AND
Edition (issue) - an issue of individual stamps or an entire series of stamps in a certain circulation with a specific purpose or occasion.

According to the purpose, emissions are divided into:

Regular: issued to meet the needs for billing domestic and international letter correspondence. They have large circulations and are usually printed several times;
extraordinary: issued to commemorate significant events, memorable anniversaries, celebrating figures from various walks of life, cultural and material achievements, etc. Over the past fifty years, extraordinary postage stamps have also been issued to satisfy philatelists engaged in thematic collecting.

Before 1945, extraordinary postage stamps were further subdivided into:
- commemorative

- anniversary

- mourning

Charity: stamps where the proceeds from their sale are paid in whole or in part into a charity fund to support postal employees. Such are the "Sanatorium Fund" stamps, issued in the period 1925-1950. They were used to charge an additional fee for all letters and telegrams within the country, submitted after working hours (from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and on holidays, as well as for all postal items addressed "on demand". They did not have the value of a token for payment of basic postal fees, with the exception of the last series from 1950, which, due to the closure of the fund, was also used to charge ordinary correspondence.
Parcel stamps: special postage stamps for charging postal parcels. They were affixed to the postal declarations for parcels, not to the parcels themselves. They were also used for regular mail. The first postage stamps of Bulgaria after September 9, 1944 were "parcel" with additional overprints. Parcel stamps were issued in our country from 1941 to 1944. After that, the charging of postal parcels was done in cash, and the parcels themselves were affixed with "Additional Postal Services" labels, which also had a certain nominal value.
for air mail: special postage stamps for charging for items carried by air by air transport. They have higher nominal values than stamps for regular mail and the inscriptions "air mail" or "par avion", and possibly a figure of an airplane. There are stamps with only an airplane, without an additional inscription ("Clock Towers" - 1979, 1980). It is accepted to use postal labels and regular postage stamps for charging for air mail. Air mail stamps can also be used for regular mail. The first Bulgarian postage stamps for air mail were issued in 1927 and are overprints on regular stamps. for official purposes: special postage stamps for charging for correspondence originating from government institutions and equivalent municipal and other services. They were issued in our country from 1942 to 1950 - "Municipal Post" and in 1950 - "State Post". After that, official correspondence was processed by "account".
for surcharge: special postage stamps intended for payment of the difference to the full postage fee in the case of inaccurately charged (frakcija letters), which difference is collected from the recipients in double amount. Surcharge stamps are not intended for general use, but for the internal needs of the postal administration. As an exception, in 1924, surcharge stamps were overprinted with new nominal values and were used as ordinary ones. Surcharge stamps are also called "Taxes". Surcharge stamps in our country were issued from 1884 to 1951. After that, the surcharge fee is marked on the item with a special postal stamp and is collected in cash.
for express mail: special postage stamps for charging items that are transported and delivered in an expedited manner by special postal carriers. The fees for express mail are higher than those for regular mail. In Bulgaria, only one series of postage stamps was issued specifically for express mail - in 1939. It is customary to use postal labels or official postage stamps, and regular postage stamps, for charging express mail.

Carte - four stamps connected together in two rows. Collections are also made of stamps in a carte.

Carnet - small sheets with the same or different stamps, intended for domestic or international correspondence, inserted into a hardcover cover. The cover most often has advertising texts and drawings.

Maximum card - a card pasted on the front side with a stamp similar in plot, stamped with a date stamp, first day stamp or special stamp.

Catalog - a specially published book containing the description of the different types of stamps, as well as their prices. The catalog is a necessary tool for getting to know the stamps issued by different countries. Catalogs are divided into several subtypes:

specialized, containing specialized data on postage stamps, which catalog is used by specialists and experts, usually issued with the greatest detail. In philatelic circles, in philatelic language, such a catalog is called "SPECIAL".
ordinary, containing all postage stamps and their prices, but without describing the varieties and different types of postage stamps, used primarily by traders and hobbyists.
"KINDER" - children's, containing the cheapest postage stamps, intended for training beginner philatelists, mostly children.
thematic, which contain only stamps from a certain theme, very detailed and similar to "SPECIAL".

Catalogs contain catalog numbers for each consecutive item and these numbers are valid in most cases only for the given catalog!

Quality of the stamps - The condition of the stamps in which they are located.

first quality - stamps must have preserved natural color, preserved teeth if serrated, or wide margins if unserrated. New stamps must have original gum, and stamped ones - with a clean back. They must not be scratched with ink or pencil, not be rubbed, perforated, or off-centered. The prices in the catalogs refer to first-quality stamps.
Second quality - these are brands that have defects.

Kilovare - clippings from postal envelopes, postcards or various documents, along with the stamped postage stamps glued to them.

Classic stamps - stamps issued by various countries up to 1890.

Binder - cardboard sheets, bound or connected with pins or a spring, with stretched strips of transparent material. They are used to organize and store stamps.

Postmark - the seal of the post offices, with which the stamps are stamped, so that they are not used again later. Usually the postmark contains the name of the post office and the date of acceptance of the letter.
It is practiced to use specially prepared postmarks-stamps, with which the stamps of a special edition are stamped, placed on letters, and submitted on the first day "first day" of the release of such stamps into circulation.

Cliché - a printing element in the printing form.

Collector - a lover of postage stamps who collects and arranges them in an order of his choosing.

Collection - a collection of postage stamps arranged in an album or binder according to the taste and understanding of the individual collector.

The collections are:

general - arranged according to a known catalog in chronological order
thematic - on a theme chosen by the collector
specialized - development of a separate type of brand.

Silk fiber - some countries print their stamps on paper that has silk colored thread or fiber in it as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

Curiosities - a deviation from the normal appearance of an individual stamp. Due to accidents in the printing of individual sheets or in the perforation, displaced, inverted or double reprints.
Curiosities are more sought after by collectors and are worth more than the corresponding stamps.

Legend - an inscription on the stamps that explains:

the country of origin;
the nominal value;
plot;
reason;
the year of publication.

Stickers - a piece of small pieces of transparent paper with glue on one side, used to attach postage stamps to album sheets. It is not recommended to stick new, undamaged stamps with such stickers.

Small sheet - a sheet of postage stamps that does not contain painted elements and vignettes on the vintages of the sheet.
Containing the following possible combinations of stamps:

identical stamps with the same number of vignettes positioned differently relative to them
also, but with different vignettes
several different brands with one or more vignettes
all brands from one series.

Marklist - a list of stamps that a given collector is missing. It only lists the numbers from a specific catalog. It is used for orders and exchanges.

Margin - the white field that surrounds the mark. A quality mark must have equal margins on all sides, i.e. be centered. For non-serrated marks, the margin on all sides must be half the white field between two adjacent marks in order for them to be considered first-quality.

Surcharge stamps - specially issued for charging submitted letters, without being affixed with stamps, or those affixed with stamps in their incomplete specified amount. In these cases, surcharge stamps in double the specified amount are affixed to the letters.

Mailings - the fields surrounding the mailing sheets. They can be blank or they can have printed data for ordering the printing, have color samples, or be printed with:

additional texts;
drawings;
ornaments;
symbols;
control numbers.

They can be perforated (serrated) or not. Vintage stamps with text, drawing, control number, etc. are collectible along with the corresponding postage stamp.

Inks - an important element on which the quality of stamps depends. They must meet special requirements, depending on the type and technique of printing. They must be durable, resistant to moisture, light, and others, in order not to change, stain, or fade the stamps printed with them.

Perforation - a characteristic shape of the edges of postage stamps, obtained after tearing them from perforated postal sheets or blocks. The perforation itself is carried out in order to ensure easier separation of the stamps from the postal sheet and from each other. It is carried out by evenly perforating the separating spaces between the stamps using perforation needles or other metal elements. Perforation also contributes to the aesthetic design of the postage stamps. The perforation can be circular or diamond-shaped in type, in which the stamps receive tooth-shaped or serpentine serrations. The perforation can be linear, comb-shaped and frame-shaped in method, which also gives an impression of the final appearance of the perforation.

In linear perforation, the horizontal and vertical spaces between the stamps are sequentially perforated. The resulting perforation most often has poorly defined corners of the stamps due to the mismatch of the holes in the corners of the stamps when the postal sheet is cross-perforated. Stamps of significantly different sizes (with different margins in width) can also be obtained.

In comb perforation, three of the spaces surrounding the stamps in a row of the mailpiece are punched simultaneously. When this type of perforation is automatic, the corner teeth of the stamps are distinct.

In frame perforation, all edges of the stamps from one entire printed sheet of local are perforated simultaneously.

The size of the serration is determined by the number of teeth spaced 20 mm apart along the edges of the marks. It is indicated with an accuracy of % tooth and can be measured with a protractor or a measuring ruler. When the serration of the horizontal and vertical sides of the marks is not the same, both sizes are given in the same sequence. In the description in the catalogue, the word "serration" is always followed by one or two digits. When the digit is one, this means that on each side of the mark, at 2 cm, there is an equal number of teeth. When the digits are two, the first digit means the number of teeth on the horizontal side of the mark, and the second - the number of teeth on the vertical side.

In some countries, other methods of serration are used.

Negative - a reverse impression of the stamp image on the back of the stamp. It is obtained when, during a certain pass of the machine, no sheet was inserted and the inked clichés give a positive image on the machine's surface, and during the next pass, when a sheet is inserted, a reverse (negative) image of the stamps is obtained on the back of the latter.

Non-perforated stamps - those that are not perforated. Separating them from each other must be done with scissors.

Uncirculated - stamps that were already printed, but for some political or other reasons were not released to post offices for pasting on correspondence.

New (undestroyed) stamps - these are stamps that have not been used for pasting onto postal items, i.e. they do not have a postmark and have preserved their original gum.

Nominal value - the monetary value printed on the stamp, valid for payment of a relevant postal service within the period of use. There are stamps where, in addition to the nominal value, an additional value (surcharge) is printed after the "+". The buyer pays the sum of the two values, but only the first value is valid for postal service, and the additional one serves for charitable purposes.

Hue - a difference in the saturation of colors of the same type of stamps. A stamp printed in a different shade is not a curiosity.

About

Specimen - the word SAMPLE or SPECIMEN is printed on original stamps, which are sent free of charge to the Universal Postal Union and other postal administrations and for advertising. Recently, some countries have been sending specimen stamps, which instead of an inscription are perforated with a single hole punch.

Package - a certain number of different used postage stamps, which are placed in envelopes or are artistically arranged on cardboard and wrapped in cellophane. The number of stamps can be any - from 10 different ones in one package to 20,000 or more, depending on the number of different stamps that can be included.

By type, the package is:

whole world
by continents
group of countries
separate periods from one country
by topic

Permutation - a manipulation in which brands from individual bundles are sorted to obtain groups of different brands for packaging.

Tweezers - metal tongs used to manipulate stamps to prevent them from getting damaged or dirty.

Series - several stamps issued for the same occasion or for the same purpose with the same name, arranged in ascending order according to their indicated values. They are usually designed in the same style. They may be put into use on different dates or in different years.

Postal sheet - the final product in the production of postage stamps, which is handed over to the postal administration. It may coincide with the printing (typographic) sheet or be part of it. It has dimensions convenient for transportation, storage, counting and use for its intended purpose. In postal and philatelic practice, it is not the geometric dimensions of the sheet that are given, but the number and arrangement of the stamps in it.

Postage stamps - are intended for payment of the fee for sending correspondence, regardless of the method of transport.

Trial stamps (essays) - stamps printed in different colors and on different papers before the final color of the regular edition and paper are specified. They are subject to destruction.

Provisional stamps - issued exceptionally in the absence of regular stamps. They are usually reprints of older unused, out-of-date stamps.

First day cover - an envelope affixed with a given series of stamps, stamped with a date stamp or a special stamp with the date of the series' release into circulation.

Dimensions - the size of the stamp, measured in millimeters. Applies only to the image print without the white field.

Varieties - deviations from the basic type of marks in terms of:

the paper
the drawing or print form
the colors
the watermark
the technology and size of the serration
the rubber coating
the different order for the same brand noted in the legend of the vintage on the sheet

Deviations are characteristic of some stamps in the postal sheet (in case of deviations in the drawing) or for part of the circulation.

Reimpression - stamps printed using old clichés from stamps that have already gone out of circulation. This is done according to official procedures.

Reproduction - a copy of old stamps, already out of circulation, for which new printing forms have been made for the official printing. These stamps appear as a second edition of the ones that were out of circulation.

Half-sheet - a strip of two stamps or a square, with a white field between each stamp. It is a variation when the stamps in the postal sheet are printed in two or four wings.

Postal expiration date - the period during which the postage stamp is valid for payment of postal services. The expiration date may be announced in advance or may be caused by a monetary reform, a change in the state structure, etc. When no expiration date is specified for the stamps, especially for regular stamps, it is understood that they were valid until they were exhausted.

Tabs - Visualization on the vintages of the postage stamp sheet. Typically, such stamps associated with tabs are rarer, sought after by collectors, and have a higher price than those without tabs.

Tet-besh - a horizontal or vertical pair of marks, the images of which are in two opposite directions.

Circulation - the quantity of stamps printed and put into use.

Destroyed stamps - those that have been used to cover postal items, i.e. have a postmark (postmark). Those stamps with original gum on which a postmark has been placed at the collector's request are also destroyed, although they have not been used to cover a postal item. Stamps not destroyed by a postmark, but without gum, are valued at the catalog value of the destroyed stamps.

Facsimile - a copy of stamps printed by private order, with clichés obtained by copying the originals. Such stamps are counterfeits.

In some cases, such stamps are labeled in French with the word "facsimile" in order to prevent the collector from being misled, but rather to be able to own a copy of some very rare and valuable stamps.

Philatelic price - the selling value of the postage stamp as a collectible. It depends on the rarity of the issue, its thematic focus, and the quality condition of the specific stamp.

Frankature - the stamps used to charge for a given postal item.

Paper - the main material on which stamps are printed. It can be:

ordinary
glossy
chalk lined with silk threads
with or without watermark

Stamp paper is usually white, but there are stamps printed on cream or colored paper. In terms of thickness, it is:

fat
average
thin
very thin skin

In recent years, printing stamps on aluminum or gold foil has also been practiced.

There are stamps printed on aluminum foil backed with paper. There are also stamps printed on plastic materials that are printed in such a way that the stamp figures have different depths depending on the viewing angle (stereo stamps).

There are also blocks printed on artificial material - "dederon".

Price list of postage stamps - a list of a group of stamps indicating only their purchase or sale price, without printed varieties and images included.

Postage stamp alignment - symmetrical placement of the image field of the stamp relative to its edges. With correct alignment, all white fields at the edges of the stamps (margins) are the same size. Alignment is a consequence of the quality achieved during perforation.

watermark - a translucent mark in the paper used to print postage stamps, which serves to protect them from forgery. It is detected when the stamps are held up to light or after applying pure (surgical) gasoline to the gummed side of the stamps, which quickly evaporates. Bulgarian postage stamps are printed on papers with seven types of watermarks.

Part of the information used is taken from the "CATALOGUE OF BULGARIAN POSTAGE STAMPS 1879 - 2019" published by the Sofia Philatelic Society "Petko V. Karaivanov" under Project No. BG05SFOP001-2.009-0043 implemented with the financial support of the Operational Program "Good Governance", co-financed by the European Union through the European Social Fund.