Philately

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    Introduction to philately

    Philately, a “king of hobbies or hobby of kings” describes the activity of collecting and study of postage stamps and postal history. Word philately is derived and composed from combination of the Greek words phil- , meaning loving, and ateleia, meaning tax-exemption.

    Before the invention of stamps, the recipient of a letter had to pay the postage. Stamps made the sender to pay for the cost of delivery, and the appeal of stamps stuck on the letters and packages inadvertently created a lot of stamp lovers among the recipients of mail and the era of stamp collecting begun.

    The first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued by Britain in May 1840 and pictured a young Queen Victoria. It was produced without perforations (imperforate) and consequently had to be cut from the sheet with scissors in order to be used.

    Although majority of collections are based upon a certain location or country where stamps were issued or have been in use, interest in stamp collecting can be as diverse as possible, due to plethora of topics available. It should also be noted that stamps with errors created during the production are in a very high demand due to their rarity and are highly sought after by collectors.

    Key elements in philately

    • Country of origin

    • Age

    • Face value (denomination)

    • Condition

    • Postal markings (cancellation marks, pre-cancels etc.)

    • Overprint (overprint errors, specimen overprint etc.)

    • Print run (numbers issued/in existence)

    • Centering (margins)

    • Watermark 

    • Perforations 

    • Perfins

    • Cover

    • Multiples (block)

    • Errors (error of color, invert error etc.)

    • Type of paper 

    • Production of stamps (pre-production of stamps i.e. essays and proofs, printing methods)

    • Forgeries and reprints

    Country of origin

    In most of the cases, collectors seek to form a collection of stamps of the country they are nationals of. During their lifetime of collecting they will probably try to pursue other collecting areas that they might find interesting but their core collecting interest will invariably be of a country they come from. Keeping that in mind and taking in account a population of a particular country (number of collectors from that country) it is obvious that demand for a rare stamp originating from a larger country will presumably be far greater that that would be the case otherwise, both in terms of demand and financial means. Combination of two, demand and financial means to meet that demand, inevitably gives a high value to a rare stamps. By looking at the most valuable stamps in the world, it is noticeable that almost all of them originate either from countries with large population and their colonies or economically powerful countries.

    A rare stamp originating from U.S.A, China, Germany, Sweden etc. will presumably fetch more money when sold at an auction (primarily due to demand and financial might of collectors that come from these countries) than would be the case for the stamp of the same “degree of rarity” originating from otherwise lesser known country in philatelic sense of view.  

    Age

    In general, older stamps are harder to find or obtain and are usually more valuable than the stamps of newer issuance. Also, print runs in 19th century where notably lower than those of modern times. Over time, majority of these stamps got lost to philately for a lot of different reasons making remaining ones at least scarcer. But, again “but”, while that is only true in general terms, in some instances that is certainly not the case. Best example are stamps that have been printed with errors on them and issued to public before the mistake was discovered, like 2016 German Christmas stamp “Kerstfest” error, where the Dutch word “Vrolijk kerstfeest” was misspelled. Another example is the Audrey Hepburn stamp from 2001, a case where stamps where first printed, never issued, and then later destroyed due to disapproval of Audrey’s son and his decision to refuse to grant a copyright approval to German Postal Service. However, by mysterious ways few stamps found their way to general public and are considered great modern rarities today. There are numerous other examples of rare and valuable modern stamps, although chances of finding one are very low to almost nothing, and a novice collector should always keep in mind that majority of modern stamps are worth very little.

    Face value (denomination)

    A souvenir sheet celebrating master engraver Czeslaw Slania’s 1000th stamp, issued on the 17 March 2000 in Sweden with nominal value of 50 kr.

    Stamps of high nominal value (at the time of issuance) where usually printed in low numbers and where harder to obtain due to the cost involved. For this reason they are scarce and immensely sought after by collectors. Very often, it is exactly stamps with high nominal value that are missing from the most of collections.

    Condition

    It is of the utmost importance to emphasize the significance of a condition of a stamp and its impact on determination of stamp’s value. One of the main factors that influence value of a stamp is its condition. Over time, stamps often get damaged due to various reasons, which can lower their value significantly. Most common damages on stamps are creases, thins, stains, tears, toning caused by moisture etc. As it is very difficult to preserve a stamp over larger period of time (taking in account paper susceptibility to various perils that may affect it), especially old stamps that are in remarkably good condition can command a significant premium and are very sought after by collectors. Therefore, a great attention should be paid to a condition of a stamp or cover.

    Postal markings

    A postmark refers to the postal marking indicating where and when an item was processed by the post office. Commonly it shows us the time, date and a place of mailing. Also, international mail receives transit postmarks as it passes through the international mail centers of intermediary and delivery country post offices.

    Cancellation marks

    A cancellation mark or “cancel” is a mark applied to a stamp by postal authority to show that it has been used and is no longer valid for payment of postage i.e. to prevent its reuse.

    In some instances in the 19th and early 20th century, postal workers cancellations were applied by just using a pen.

    Cancellations come in a variety of designs, shapes, sizes, colors and very often include the date and post office location from where the stamps were mailed.

    Distinction between postmark and cancellation mark

    In the case a postmark is applied directly on a stamp, it serves the purpose of cancellation and is regarded as a cancel. If on the other hand postmark is found elsewhere on the cover (apart from the stamp) it is not considered as a cancellation.

    In other words, a postmark can be used as a cancel in addition to its location and dating purpose.

    What makes postal marks and cancellations attractive?

    Exceedingly rare location, date of correspondence from historically important period, early time of use in regards to stamp’s issuance date, centering, clarity and completeness of cancel, rare shape of cancellation mark etc.

    A rare cancellation in the form of a number 7 on a stamp, relating to specific U.S. post office in the 19th century

    Marcophily, the study of postmarks, due to its importance is extensively pursued by advanced philatelists or specialists in postal history.

    Some stamps are issued pre-cancelled with a printed or stamped cancellation and do not need to have a cancellation added.

    Pre-cancels

    Scott 591, 1925 10c Monroe U.S. stamp with NEW YORK precancel

    A pre-canceled stamp is a postage stamp that has been officially cancelled (in the form of an overprint) before being affixed to mail for postage. Main users of pre-canceled stamps are entities that often send large amounts of mail, as pre-cancels greatly save processing time for the post office. It is also noteworthy to mention that pre-cancelled stamps cannot be purchased by the general public.

    Overprint

    Queen Liliuokalani I, 2 ¢ 1893 Hawaii stamp overprinted in red (Scott 57) depicting formation of a provisional government in order to preside over Hawaii in preparation of prospective annexation by the United States

    An overprint is an additional printing added to the face of a postage stamp after its production to indicate a change in value, function or to commemorate an event. It can be in form of text or graphics, and in fact anything added to the stamp in this way after it is completed is called on overprint.

    Special case of overprint is called a surcharge, which represents change in postage rate and which in turn allows a country to change the face value of stamps without printing new stamps. It usually occurs when prices/or currency, have changed too quickly to produce an appropriate new issue, or simply to use up surplus stocks.

    Added charge i.e. increased postage rate is often done for disaster relief efforts (can also be used for variety of issues) as it enables a fast and easy way of fundraising, avoiding the need of creating different semi-postal stamps for the same purpose.

    In some instances stamps have been overprinted multiple times due to rapid change of circumstances, but in general it happens rarely.

    Overprints on regular stamps are also used to change the original use of the stamps. Stamps can be overprinted to indicate usage for a specific functions i.e. airmail, official mail, inland revenue, war tax etc. Also, vice versa, special function stamps can be overprinted to serve as regular stamps, for example telegraph stamps can be overprinted to be used for regular postage.

    For commemorating a special event, overprints are also very practical as it allows for a faster and lower-cost alternative than designing and issuing special stamps for the same purpose.

    Newly formed states or states in transition have found in past very convenient to recirculate stocks of stamps printed by a previous government. Besides being both practical and fast, overprinting enabled usage of stamps which would otherwise be most likely discarded.

    Specimen overprints

    A specimen stamp is a copy of a newly printed stamp issue, intended for use as a reference material by postal authorities. It is not valid for postal use, and is sent to various domestic and international postal administrations so that they are able to identify valid stamps and avoid forgeries. In order to prevent their usage in regular mail service they are overprinted or perforated ‘SPECIMEN’. Of course, in countries where English is not official language, word for ‘SPECIMEN’ is overprinted in local language.

    Specimens, in general, are scarce and collectors have prized them from the very beginning. Many SPECIMEN overprinted stamps are extremely rare and highly valuable.

    Overprint errors

    Scott 565, 1923 14c American Indian U.S. stamp with inverted CHICAGO ILLINOIS precancel

    Stamps with overprint errors in general are rare and are highly sought after by collectors. Certain stamps are highly valuable, especially those stamps with overprint errors that originate from areas that are popular among philatelists. Overprinting errors can be double, inverted, misspelled, incorrect and partly or entirely missing overprints.

    Print run (numbers issued/in existence)

    In the case when particular stamp was issued in limited numbers or was withdrawn prior/from circulation for different reasons and only very small number remain for collectors to obtain, it will presumably be highly prized and likely to achieve premium price on the market.

    Centering

    Centering is one of the key factors in determining stamp’s value. It defines how well is the design of a stamp positioned within the edges or perforations of a stamp.

    Perforation process occurs after printing and a very slightly misaligned sheet may result in the perforations being closer to the design on one or two sides.

    An ideal stamp should have an equal space between the edge of its pictorial design and the perforations around it, on all sides. Another definition states that all four sides of the area outside the printed pictorial design are exactly one half of the distance between two adjoining stamps in a printing sheet.

    Margins

    Scott 320b “Wide Margin“ variety of 10 ore Wavy Lines Numeral-type Danish stamp, a se-tenant from the booklet pane issued in 1938                                                    

    A large number of early issues of stamps in 19th century were issued imperforate and had to be cut out from the printing sheet, usually with scissors. This inevitably leaded to uneven margins on the stamps and very often cuts in the design itself.

    Larger is the margin area (blank area from border line of the stamp’s design to cut out) and more symmetric and visually appealing is the overall cut out, the more attractive stamp will be to collectors.

    Watermark

    Back of 1½ d Three Halfpence red, King George V, Australian stamp from 1914-1924 showing Watermark 9 “Wide Crown and Narrow A“ under the influence of watermark fluid

    A watermark is a security measure that helps prevent counterfeiting. It is one of the key identifying features for stamps printed on watermarked paper. Watermarks are made during the paper manufacture process by intentionally impressing an image into the still-wet paper. Where the image is impressed, a translucent impression in paper is created that appears in various shades when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background) caused by thickness and density variations in the paper.

    In some instances image can be seen by holding the paper up to a light or setting it against a dark background, although in most of the cases it is very difficult or almost impossible to see watermark on the stamp under normal conditions. For that, usual methods would be using watermark tray and watermark fluid to look for it, or otherwise using a watermark detector.

    Watermarks have a very important role in identification, valuation and determination of the authenticity of stamps. Certain varieties of postage stamps occur when identical stamp designs are printed on different kinds of paper (with different watermark).

    Watermark errors

    Watermark errors can occur during the production process such as inverted, sideways or missing watermarks. Also, a “paper error” can occur when a stamp is printed on the wrong type of paper. In general, stamps with watermark errors are highly sought after by collectors and in some cases can be extremely valuable.

    Perforations

    First stamps were issued without perforations and they had to be cut out from the sheet with a pair of scissors or with some other kind of appropriate cutting tool. As this proved to be very impractical and time consuming process, in the late 1840’s Henry Archer invented a machine that made lines of holes around each stamp in a sheet, enabling easy detachment or separation of stamps. After trial runs and testing that took place during early 1850’s, it was finally put to use officially in 1853. Soon, many nations adopted perforating process for stamps as equipment for it became available.

    The protruding parts of the perforation are called teeth, while the semi-circular hollow spaces between them are called holes. The perforations can be measured with a perforation gauge, measuring the number of holes within a 2 cm.

    In order to measure the stamp’s perforations, stamp should be precisely placed on the perforation gauge so that each perforation hole or tooth on the stamp exactly matches equivalent hole or tooth marks (for particular perforation size) inscribed on a gauge.

    In philately, straight-edged stamps i.e. non-perforated stamps are called “imperforates“. On the other hand, if the stamp is perforated, for example “Perf. 10”, it represents a stamp that has 10 perforation holes within the space of 2 cm on all sides. A stamp marked, for example “Perf. 12 x 10” represents a stamp with compound perforations (different perforations on horizontal and vertical side). The horizontal perforations are always listed first and the vertical perforations are listed second.

    It is also worth mentioning perforation style called rouletting. In this process, instead of holes a lines are cut, creating a weakness or break in the paper, thus enabling easy separation along the lines of rouletting when folded and when the pressure is applied.

    Occasionally, a stamp with certain design is officially issued with different perforations i.e. specific perforation variety.

    Stamps with the same design but with different perforations are varieties of that particular stamp and in reference material they are specifically designated for proper identification. It is imperative that precise perforation measurement stamp is taken as sometimes stamp varieties can have huge difference in value.

    Perforation errors 

    A Penny Red stamp showing misplaced perforations shifted to the left side, clearly cutting into the design of the opposite stamp                    

    Examples of partially or completely missing perforations, off-center perforations where perforation is cut into stamp design, cases of wrong perforations applied to a sheet during the production process than it was intended for a particular stamp etc. are all considered as different forms of perforation errors. Incorrectly perforated stamps that have emerged in the past where mostly due to errors made in stamp production that have been overlooked and stamps have made it to general public before the flaw in production was noticed.

    In general, stamps with perforation errors occur very rarely and are in most cases discarded or destroyed by staff involved in production process as they are considered inappropriate for use. However, in certain instances they manage to survive and find way to the market, where they are highly sought after by collectors primarily due to their rarity.

    A collector should always be cautious when buying stamps advertised as stamps with perforation errors since it is relatively easy to manipulate imperforate or stamps with large margins around by creating fake perforations with aim of deceiving a prospective buyer.

    Perfins

    HSBC perfin on 1891, 1 dollar surcharged 96 cent Queen Victoria Hong Kong stamp viewed from the back

    Perfins are special perforations on stamps in a form of holes punched through the design (picture) area of the stamp most often in the shape of letters and/or certain geometric pattern. The name “perfin” comes from contraction of the words “perforated initials” or “perforated insignia” depending on source of information.

    Main reason for perforating stamps with initials was to discourage theft or improper use. In the early days of postage use, unused stamps could be redeemed for cash at the post office thus making stamps very attractive to steal as they were easily resold. The cases of theft of postage stamps from company stocks by dishonest individuals and employees often occurred.

    In order to prevent that from happening, a system was devised that, by agreement with postal authorities a “perfinned stamp” on a letter could only be used by its sole owner. With the initials of the legitimate owner perforated through the design, it became easier to determine potentially improper use of stamps. Hence, a stolen perforated stamp would be of no value to the unauthorized bearer. This allowed for better control of the stamp’s postal use and prevented unauthorized use of the stamps. Numerous companies, organizations and government agencies where utilizing perfins due to the appeal of better security over their postage.

    It should be noted that perfinned stamps where unfortunately considered damaged and not worth collecting by many philatelists, consequently making such stamps to be occasionally traded and rarely seen on auctions. However, perfinned stamps are gaining popularity in recent times especially among specialist collectors and one should always pay attention and be on a lookout for initials of rare or famous enterprises represented on stamps.

    It is often very difficult to identify the business venture or the agency for which the initials stand for as there are usually no identifying features other than the letters themselves. So resorting to catalogs is sometimes the only way to properly identify perfins.

    For example, Catalog of United States Perfins by Joseph and Dorothy Balough illustrates patterns for thousands of U.S. perfins, most of which are identified by the name and location.

    Cover

    1. September 1939 Balboa Heights CANAL ZONE Provisional Overprints pair of Scott 805 1½ c Martha Washington stamps on the First Day Cover (FDC)

    In philately, a “cover” generally refers to an envelope (from a letter or parcel) with the address, franking and which has passed through the mail delivery system showing all the postal markings it received during the transport.

    It is exactly this “tracking of the way of philatelic item” aspect that makes a cover collecting appealing and interesting to philatelists.

    What makes a cover valuable?

    • Rare postal markings (rare destination or time of use)

    • Rare and valuable stamps on a cover

    • Historical significance (relates to an important event, a notable individual etc.)

    Special attention should be paid on the way of delivery of a postal item (airmail, maritime etc.) and on cases of mixed franking to see for interesting combinations of stamps.

    Of great interest to collectors are also first day covers (FDC) and commemorative cancellations used temporarily by a post office.

    A value of a stamp on the cover can increase considerably if a rare cancellation mark has been applied to it.

    Multiples

    A mint block of six 1867-1878 issue 25c “Sitting Helvetia“ Swiss stamps

    In philately, by a multiple it is considered a unit of un-separated stamps of the same design, including at least two stamps but fewer than the number included in a full pane. It includes pairs, strips, blocks etc.

    Block

    A block is a group of four or more un-separated stamps, including at least two stamps both vertically and horizontally that form a rectangle. Usually a block refers to a block compromised of four stamps, although blocks may contain more stamps and may be of various configurations including irregular shapes.

    Sometimes it can be quite challenging to find blocks or even multiples of scarcer stamps which in the end can substantially increase value of stamps when they are found in such arrangement.

    Furthermore, in certain cases, multiples can provide us with additional proof of genuineness of stamps involved, which is especially true for some imperforate stamps. Unfortunately we often encounter manipulated e.g. trimmed stamps, in order to falsely represent variation of particular stamp of higher catalog value and to deceive prospective buyer.

    Errors

    Apart from previously mentioned perforation and watermark errors, various other occurring errors in stamp production such as error of color, design error, invert error, errors on the plate etc. is equally important aspect to pay attention to in regards to the scarcity of the stamp.

    Error of color

    Error of color in philately occurs when a stamp has been printed in unintended color or in the case when one or more of the intended colors is omitted during the printing process.

    As is the case with the other types of errors that occur in some instances during the stamp production process, stamps with color error are greatly sought after by collectors and usually command high prices at the auctions.

    Some of the most famous and expensive stamps in the world are stamps with error of color, namely ½ grana, 1859 “The Sicilian Error of Color“ and 3s banco 1855 “Treskilling Yellow“ error of color stamps.

    Invert error

    Invert error occurs when a part of stamp’s design is unintentionally printed upside down, caused by misplacement of a stamp sheet in the printing press during the multi stage method of production. Very often it is denoted as “inverted center“ or “inverted frame“ in order to specify the error in more detail.

    The Dag Hammarskjöld invert error stamp reprint from 1962 with the yellow background inverted relative to the image and text.

    There are numerous examples of invert error stamps, ranging from stamps that can be found in common collections and albums to stamps which rank among world’s rarest and most expensive stamps like Inverted Swan, a 4 pence stamp with inverted frame from Western Australia issued in 1855 or Inverted Jenny, 24 cent U.S. stamp with inverted center from 1918.

    Type of paper

    By time, anyone interested in philately will soon realize the importance of knowing how to recognize and correctly identify the type of paper stamp has been printed on. Commonly different type of paper creates different variation of stamp of the same design and hence different catalog number. In some instances it can mean huge difference in value of a stamp. This is especially important for collectors who wish to specialize in a particular issue, where proper paper identification is of the essence.

    One of the reasons for printing stamps on different types of paper was often enhancement of security measures. Each type of paper has its specific characteristics i.e. composition, color, watermark, thickness etc. and to be able to properly identify it certain special tools are needed.

    Postage stamp paper can be divided into various categories i.e. wove, laid, silk, granite etc. Although wove paper is most commonly used, the usage of a specific type of paper is commonly attributed to various countries that utilize it, for example granite paper was used for certain issues of Switzerland (Sitting and Standing Helvetia stamps), laid paper was used extensively in Russia for older issues etc.

    Great example of stamp paper variety is the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing experimental, so-called “bluish paper” created in an effort to prevent or limit paper shrinkage. The paper contained 35% rag stock instead of using 100% wood pulp (standard stamp paper at the time). First stamps printed on this paper were issued on February 16, 1909 and due to the slightly different paper color, as the paper had a faint bluish-gray tone (paper when viewed is actually more gray than blue) the stamps printed on it became known as “bluish paper” stamps.

    However, it soon became evident that experiment was unsuccessful in reducing paper shrinkage and was discontinued after a very short time. During this relatively short period only limited number of stamps was printed, thus making “bluish paper” stamps scarce and in some instances rare and very valuable (denominations above the 1c and 2c values).

    Paper error

    Paper error stamps occur when stamp is printed on unintended type of paper. The paper used may have a different watermark, color or overall characteristics than the original paper used in printing of a particular stamp. Although it is fairly easy to identify paper’s watermark (by using watermark tray or watermark detector), it takes a certain degree of knowledge and experience as well, to be able to visually identify different types of paper that the stamps where printed on in regards to the color and other characteristics of paper.

    The 2c Large Queen on laid paper from 1868 stamp is striking example of paper error stamp and is one of the rarest and most expensive postage stamps of Canada. The Large Queen stamps were normally printed on wove paper and the use of laid paper is considered as an error. It is presumed that only few sheets of laid paper got unintentionally used for printing nominations of 1c, 2c and 3c stamps, of which 2c is the rarest.

    Production of stamps

    Pre-production of stamps (essays and proofs)

    Essay

    An essay is a proposed design of a stamp that has never been approved and officially put to use. Essays are in fact trial stamp design submitted to Post Office for assessment, but never got official approval by postal authorities for final production.

    Although in some instances proposed design is adopted with only slight modifications and used in the final printing of a stamp (after alterations have been made) it is still considered as an “essay”. However, essays very often get entirely rejected by the postal authority.

    Essays are of great interest to specialist collectors as they provide insight in evolution of the design and chronology leading to the officially issued stamp.

    Essays are relatively easy to identify as they are usually printed on card stock, lacking part of the design or lacking production details of a finished stamp like perforations or gum.

    Proof

    Paris print, 20 lepta “large Hermes head“ die proof from 1882

    A proof is a trial printing of stamp design made in order to check the quality of the die or printing plate before it goes into full production.

    The basic difference between a proof and essay is that the proof has exactly the same design as the finished stamp i.e. officially issued stamp.

    A proof also encompasses trial impressions of a stamp design from the original die or printing plate in early stages of designing process, very often in a form of partially completed design.

    Proofs are excellent reference material for seeing all of the details of certain issues, which is especially important to those who wish to specialize in the area.

    Also, it should be noted that one of the distinctive features of proofs is commonly a high quality of print with very sharp impression.

    Both essays and proofs are very rare as just a few are produced and also due to the fact that majority remain locked up indefinitely as a reference in the official, state-owned archives. Due to their rarity and importance, essays and proofs that do manage to find their way to the market are highly prized among collectors.

    Printing methods

    It is of crucial importance for experienced collector to be acquainted with various printing methods in order to be able to properly identify stamp. In order to distinguish subtle differences in initial printings versus later ones, in identifying reprints, in determining time of issuance or in identifying genuine stamps from forgeries etc., extensive knowledge of printing techniques is required.

    Main printing methods are recess or intaglio printing (line-engraving and photogravure), plano-graphic printing (lithography, offset lithography and photo-lithography), relief or typography printing (letterpress printing) and embossed printing.

    Specifics of a printing method and characteristics of the print achieved by that particular process help us immensely in identification of stamps.

    Forgeries and reprints

    Spiro forgery of a pair of 1853-1864 triangular 6d Cape of Good Hope stamps from the left corner of the sheet with typical “Spiro cancel“

    Beware of the forgeries

    Unfortunately, as is the case with anything of a value, in philately we encounter stamp forgeries intended to deceive or defraud collectors. Learning how to identify them is imperative and can be very challenging in certain instances.

    In philately, term “forgery” stands for stamps created to defraud collectors and postal authorities (counterfeits) while term “fake” is used to indicate the alteration of a genuine stamp in some way to make it more valuable. Since the difference in catalogue price can be significant for different varieties of a stamp and as only minor changes can sometimes considerably increase its value, a lot of dishonest individuals are tempted to alter or modify stamps and put them to market. Fakes can refer to cancellations, overprints, added or cut perforations, stamp design alterations, etc.

    Forgeries have been around since the early days of stamp usage. Some of the most notable and famous forgers were Jean de Sperati and François Fournier. Their forgeries were of superb quality, sometimes nearly impossible to differentiate from the officially issued postage stamps of the time.

    Ability to identify forgeries is of utmost importance in order to not be fooled and knowledge plays a crucial part in it.

    Reprints

    In philately, a reprint is a new printing of a postage stamp from the original plate. Sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish reprint from the original printing and often it is only that subtle details such as type of paper, type of gum, or color shades that enable identification.