| Term |
Meaning |
| Backprint |
Printing on the reverse of a
stamp. Some stamps have numbers, symbols, advertising or
information about the stamp subject printed on the reverse of
the stamp. |
| Backstamp |
A postmark applied to mail
by the receiving post office or by a post office handling the
piece while it is in transit. Backstamps are usually on the back
of a cover, but they can be on the front. |
| Bank mixture |
A high-quality mixture of
stamps. It generally represents clippings from the mail of banks
or other businesses with extensive overseas correspondence, and
thus includes a relatively high proportion of foreign stamps of
high face value. See also Mission mixture. |
| Bantams |
The nickname of the South
African definitive series of 1942-43 (Scott 90-97). Wartime
economy measures prompted the manufacture of stamps of small
size to conserve paper. |
| Batonne |
A wove or laid paper with
watermark like lines deliberately added in the papermaking
process and intended as a guide for handwriting. |
| Bicolor |
Printed in two colors. |
| Bilingual |
Inscribed in two languages.
Most Canadian stamps include both English and French text. South
African stamps from 1926-49 were printed alternately with
English and Afrikaans inscriptions in the same sheet.
|
