A flat metal plate used in a printing press, as opposed to a curved or cylindrical plate.

A fortuitous blemish upon the design of a stamp or its perforation, which has arisen in the course of manufacture. Such flaws may be caused by ink crusts or foreign matter on the printing plate or cylinder, or by a fold or crease in the paper, and are therefore frequently transient. When a flaw is constant, that is, repeated throughout the part or whole of an issue, it may be termed a variety.

An official United States post office for use by U.S. military naval units abroad. Frequently abbreviated FPO.

A stamp or postal stationery item used in a given location prior to the issuing of regular stamps for that location. Turkish stamps before 1918 canceled in Palestine are forerunners of Israeli issues. So are the various European nations' issues for use in Palestine, and the subsequent issues of the Palestine Mandate. The term "forerunner" is also used to describe a stamp issued before another stamp or set, if the earlier issue may have influenced the design or purpose of the later issue.

An imitation of a stamp intended to deceive. Such stamps intended to defraud a postal administration are called postal forgeries, but the majority of forgeries were designed to deceive collectors. Genuine stamps with forged postmarks or overprints also come into this category.

Top