Stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are printed on special custom-made paper, show a national designation and a denomination (value) on the front, and have a gum adhesive on the back. Postage stamps are purchased from a postal administration or other authorized vendor, and are used to pay for the costs involved in moving mail, as well as other business necessities such as insurance and registration. They are sometimes a source of net profit to the issuing agency, especially when sold to collectors who will not actually use them for postage.

Browsing the Catalog

The Colnect Stamp Catalog can be filtered by these properties:

Countries: The country the stamp was issued for.
Emissions: The usage type of the stamp. Options are:

Air Post: These stamps are intended for mail that will be transported by air. Some either include or are solely for the payment of an additional air post fee and are required for air post transportation. Others just have the correct value for air post, but can also be used for other types of postage.
Air Post Official: These are Official stamps that are also Air Post stamps.
Air Post Semi-Postal: These are Semi Postal stamps that are also Air Post stamps.
ATM labels: These stamps are dispensed by “automatic teller machines” and their value is printed at the time of purchase. Therefore, the same ATM label stamp exists with a variety of values. In some countries ATM labels are difficult to distinguish from postal meter labels, the underlying difference being that ATM labels can be used at any time by any person, while the usage of a postal meter labels is always restricted, either by the printed date, or by the license of the postal meter holder, or both.
Cinderella: A Cinderella is anything that looks like a stamp but is not an actual postage stamp (that is to say they are not stamps that were issued by a governmental authority of a country to be used to pay for postage). Cinderella stamps include:
- Stamps that have been produced under the governmental authority of a country but not for postal usage, such as charity stamps, and various kind's of tax stamps (these tax stamps are known as “Revenues” and listed as a separate emission type on Colnect).
- Stamps that are used to pay for postage (delivery) but have been produced under the governmental authority of a place that is not a “country”, such as stamps by a government in exile, or stamps from a territory or a micronation that was never recognized by the United Nations, the UPU, or its neighbors.
- Legitimate stamps that are used to pay for postage (delivery) but that have not been authorized by the government, such as stamps for use by private courier companies. These private delivery cinderella stamps are listed as stamps with the emission type “Private” on Colnect.
- Stamp shaped seals and labels that are produced in a place that is a country but that have not been authorized by its government and are not used to pay for postage or delivery, such as Christmas seals, propaganda stamps, and various other charity seals and labels.
- Stamps that are fakes or forgeries of genuine postage stamps produced in order to deceive postal administrations and/or collectors.
- Stamp shaped seals that have a fictitious country name or no country name at all that were printed to sell to collectors.
- And anything else that looks like a stamp but is not an actual postage stamp.
Commemorative: Initially commemorative stamps always were issued for a specific event. Nowadays the term is used for all non-definitive regular stamps, and they may or may not commemorate anything. Commemorative stamps are available only for a limited time, usually while stocks last. In some countries commemorative stamps can only be bought at larger post offices or at special philatelic counters. Commemorative stamps are now the majority of all stamps.
Definitive: These stamps are intended for routine postal use. They are issued for an indefinite period of time in indefinite quantities and can be bought at any post office, even those where commemorative stamps are not available.
Hunting Permit: These are government issued revenue stamps (non-postal) that are required to be affixed to hunting licenses or permits.
Illegal: Fantasy stamps inscribed in the name of a legitimate postal authority but which were printed without any authorization or validity from that authority in order to deceive postal administrations and/or collectors into believing they are legitimate postage stamps. Such items are to be listed in the Cinderella group country, with the name of the postal administration being the series name.
Insured Letter: These are for use on mailed items that are insured for a fee by the Postal Service. Inured mail differs from registered mail in that the value of the contents is declared and the mail is then insured for that amount.
Military: These are stamps issued by a military organization to its serving military personnel for their personal mail that they send back home. Often this mail is transported by the armed forces itself until it reaches the destination country.
Newspaper: These are stamps issued specifically for the mailing of newspapers, periodicals and printed matter. Many of these were destroyed because the stamp often was used to glue the wrapper with the recipient's address to the newspaper, and it was just torn off by the recipient.
Official: These stamps are only to be used by government agencies and officials. Personal use is usually forbidden and fined. In many countries official stamps are also sold to collectors in unused condition by the postal authority.
Official Reprint: Reprints of (usually) classic-era stamps officially produced by Government Postal Administrations for sale to collectors. Many catalogues separately list and value these reprints, which usually have less value than the original stamps.
Parcel Post: These stamps are issued to pay for the postage of parcels (items larger than letters).
Personal Delivery: These stamps were used on letters that had to be delivered personally to the addressee and no one else. The letters could not just be held at the post office general delivery window for pick-up.
Personalized: These are stamps that can be customized to bear an image from a personal photo or design that is submitted by the purchaser of the stamp and then applied either to a blank area on the stamp or to a label attached to the stamp. On Colnect “Personalized – Official” means stamps that use the format frame for personalized stamps produced by a country, but the design is commissioned by the national post office and the stamps are sold by the Post Office to the general public just as they sell regular commemorative stamps. On Colnect “Personalized – Private” means stamps that use the format frame for personalized stamps produced by a country, but the design is commissioned by a private individual and the post office only sells them to that private individual who contracted their design, and not to the public at large.
Postage Due: These stamps are affixed by the postal authority to items with no postage, or insufficient postage, to alert the letter carrier that the postage due (plus a premium) needs to be collected from the recipient.
Postal-Fiscal: These are stamps that were originally produced for fiscal purposes, but were then allowed by Postal administrations to be used to pay postal fees. They are therefore considered postage stamps by the mainstream catalogues and are listed as such by catalogues that do not otherwise list purely fiscal (revenue) stamps.
Postal Tax: These tax stamps are affixed to postal items in addition to the regular postage to pay for a tax required for each mailed item. They cannot be used to pay for postage.
Precancelled: These stamps are for use by mass mailing senders. They are precancelled, so they cannot be used by regular postal customers as they are only valid with a mass mailing contract.
Private: These stamps are issued by, and used to pay for delivery by, private courier companies.
Regional: These stamps were issued only for a region within a country. It depends on local regulations if these stamps can be used only in that region or generally throughout the whole country.
Registration: These are stamps issued for use on letters sent by registered mail.
Revenue: Also called "Fiscal Stamps" these stamps are used to evidence the payment of various taxes, duties or fees. They are affixed to official documents and sometimes directly to merchandise. Historically stamps inscribed "Postage and Revenue" were available for either use and these are now usually worth much less if fiscally canceled than if postally used.
Semi-Postal: These are stamps sold at a price that is greater than the stamps postal value, with the additional charge being applied for a special (often charitable) purpose. The denomination shown on these stamps usually has two printed values separated with a '+' sign. The first value is the price of the postage and the second value is the contribution to the special purpose.
Telegraph & Telephone: Stamps issued to pay for telegraph or telephone services provided by the national postal administration.
Used Abroad: Stamps from one postal administration that were supplied for use by that postal administration's post offices in another territory without any special overprints to denote the stamp's use in the second territory. Correct use can only be verified by correct cancellation type on the stamp or cover to which the stamp is applied. Known in German as Vorläufer or Mitläufer. Often found from colonies of European powers before the introduction of specific postage stamps for those colonies or when the Great Powers opened post offices in regions such as Latin America that were politically independent but whose postal administrations were felt deficient compared to European standards.
War Tax: These are a special type of Postal Tax Stamp where the revenue collected is being used to defray the costs of a war.

Formats: Besides being collected as single stamps, depending on the way they were issued stamps can also be collected in other formats. Please note that due to the database format of the Colnect Stamp Catalog most of the other formats have a related single stamp catalog entry. Available options are:

Booklet: A small booklet with stamps inside. Some booklets are sold through automates, the booklet cardboard then protects the stamps from mechanical damage. Booklets can be quite simple in design or be a piece of art that integrates the stamps or gives additional information about them.
Booklet Pane: The small sheetlet of stamps that is included within a booklet. The pane of stamps may be of just one design or the stamps may be all different in design.
Full Pane: Any sheet containing 4 stamps or more where there is repetition of designs, either all the stamps being the same design or a minimum of two sets of se-tenant pairs.
Gutter Pair: Two stamps separated by a gutter (selvage).
Mini Sheet: Any sheet containing 5 or more stamps where all the stamp designs are different, and the single stamps only exist as part of the sheet, not issued separately in their own single-design or se-tenant full sheet.
Se-tenant: Two or more stamps with different denominations, colors, design, etc., joined together side by side, printed on the same sheet, in a strip or block. The stamps can be directly printed next to each other or be separated by one or more non-stamp labels (blank or with printing). For the Colnect Stamp Catalog also stamp pairs with non-stamp labels in between that are not upside-down to each other are categorized as se-tenant. Single stamps with a non-stamp label attached are considered single stamps and they are listed in the format "Stamp" and not "Se-tenant".
Souvenir Sheet: Any sheet containing stamps where all the stamp designs are different and meet one of the following criteria :

- - 1. There are less than 5 stamps in the sheet and the stamps were not also issued separately in single-design or se-tenant full sheets at the time of issue of the sheet.
  - 2. All of the stamps in the sheet, regardless of number of stamps, were also all issued separately in single-design or se-tenant full sheets..

Stamp: A regular, single postage stamp. The same stamp may also exist in the catalog as part of items in one or more of the other formats.
Stamp with Attached Label : a joined se-tenant unit consisting of a one or more stamps and one or more decorative labels printed within the sheet of stamps.
Stamp with Collectible Margin : a joined se-tenant unit consisting of one or more stamps with attached illustrated sheet margin (selvage) recognized by a Colnect-supported catalog as a distinct collectible variety of the stamp.
Tête-bêche: a joined pair of stamps printed intentionally or accidentally in upside-down direction to one another. A pair of tête-bêches can be a vertical or a horizontal pair. Triangular stamps can be linked only "head-to-tail". Tête-bêche is a type of the Se-tenant.

The following formats have been removed from the stamps category and moved elsewhere:

Moved to Postcard in 2016: Maxi Cards: Maximum cards are postcards showing the motif of a stamp. It can be a direct reproduction of the stamp motif or a similar thing, like a photo of the item pictured on the stamp. To be a real maximum card, the stamp needs to be affixed to the picture side of the card and cancelled, usually on the first day of issue of the stamp. Maximum cards can be official (issued by the postal authority) or private.
Partially included in Postcard in 2016, the remainder moved to Philatelic Product on 19-Jan-2017: Postal Stationery: This is stationery (e.g. postcards or envelopes) where the postage for mailing it is already included. In most cases this is done by imprinting a stamp (which may or may not also exist as a normal stamp), but other forms also exist. The first postal stationery, the British Mulready stationery, became valid on 06-May-1840, the same day as the first stamp, the British One Penny Black.
Moved to Philatelic Product on 19-Jan-2017: First Day Cover: A cover (envelope) with one or more stamps cancelled on their first day of issue. Often the cover is illustrated and a special first day cancellation is used. Cataloged here are only official first day covers issued by the respective postal authority.

Printings: The type(s) of printing used to print the stamp.
Perforations: To easily separate single stamps from the sheets, they are perforated. The perforation size is measured in the number of holes per 2 centimeters. A perforation of 13¾ means that over a length of 2 centimeters there are 13 and three quarters of a hole. There are different perforation types which may be described as follows:

Comb perfs: Comb perforators perforate three sides of a stamp at once for an entire column or row. The process is automated and once one row or column is perforated, the perforation sheet is advanced to the next row or column. This process produces equal and regular corner perforations. This is the most common type of perforation method used for modern stamps with water activated gum.
Combination perfs: refer to a situation where opposite edges are perforated differently. So for example a stamp that is perforated 11 vertically, perforated 12 on the top and perforated 10 on the bottom is a stamps with combination perfs. Combination perfs cannot be listed in the Perforation field and they should be noted in the Description field.
Die cut: Die cut means a metal die has been used to cut out the stamps. The is the normal means of separation for self-adhesive stamps. A stamp that is die cut with straight edges on all 4 sides is to be listed as a “die cut” stamp in colnect and not as an “imperforate” stamp.
Frame perfs: All sides of the stamp are perforated at the same time and the corner perforations are therefore regular.
Imperforate: A stamp with no precut means of separation is known as imperforate. Imperforate stamps need to be cut out with a scissors or knife. The straight edges of perforated stamps are also referred to as imperforate edges. However, a die cut stamps that has straight edges on all 4 sides is a “die cut” stamp and it is not an “imperforate” stamp.
Line perfs: Line perforators consist of a single row of perforation pins that are arranged in a straight line. A sheet of stamps is perforated horizontally one row at a time and then turned 90 degress and perforated vertically one row at a time. This process produces haphazard corner perforations and can sometimes lead to stamps of different sizes. Line perfs are rarely used in modern times.
Pin perfs: Pin perfs are stamps perforated with very small holes (as if by a sewing machine). The existence of pin perfs cannot be entered in the “Perforation” field in colnect and it has to be noted in the “Description” field.
Rouletted: Stamps that are “perforated” with horizontal and vertical cuts rather than holes.
Syncopated perfs: Syncopated perforations are deliberately made uneven (as an anti-counterfeiting feature) either by skipping a hole or by making some holes larger and elongated.
Serpentine: Serpentine means in a snake like shape (like the letter “S”). “Serpentine die cut” is quite common and differs from “die cut” by the shape of the simulated perforations. “Serpentine rouletted” also exists (such as with the early stamps of Finland) but on Colnect it cannot be listed differently from ordinary “rouletted”.
Various: Stamps that exists with a wide variety of different perforations that are not treated by the printed catalogues as separate variants, are listed in colnect with the Perforations field set to “various” and the known perforations types listed in the Description field.

Colors: The color(s) used on the stamp. While most modern stamps are multicolored, there are stamps with only one or a few colors. For these, color differences may be important variants.
Gums: A type of gum used for a stamp.
Years: The year of issue of the stamp.
Face Values: The numeric face value, not taking into account the currency. The value is used as written on the stamp, so a 1 cent and a 1 Euro stamp will both be listed under 1.
Currencies: The face currency of the stamp. The currency is used as the face value is written, so currencies with divisions will have two currencies listed, e.g. there are both Euro and Euro cent in the list.
Themes: A listing of the specific topics depicted on the stamp. Clicking on a theme will bring up other stamps that depict the same theme. A stamp can have more than one theme and will then be listed under each of them. Only the themes from the Colnect Global Cross-Category Themes List can be used, please contact the coordinator if you think a theme is missing.
Catalogs: There are many (printed and/or online) stamp catalogs, using different numbering systems. Some catalogs cover only one country or region, others all countries. To aid users of different catalogs, a stamp can have several catalogs with their respective number assigned.
Recently updated: Stamps where at least one piece of information was changed in the last 30 calendar days. The last change applied is used to determine the change age of the stamp. This can be further filtered by the last 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 calendar days.
Newly Added: This meta-property allows to search for stamps that were added to the Colnect Stamp Catalog in the past 1, 3, 7, 14, or 30 days. Regularly used this feature helps you keep track of catalog additions.
Import Log: A list of all New Item Forms (NIFs) that have been imported since 2013. It shows date, the person who created the NIF, the coordinator who imported it, the number of stamps imported, and the country of the stamps. Please note that it is not possible to find the stamps that were in the NIF, this information is not stored in the database.

The catalog also contains other properties to further describe the stamps:

Name: The name of the stamp in English language. This field can contain a maximum of 60 characters.
Series: A series is a group of stamps that are related to each other, either by sharing a common (or similar) design or a similar reason for their being issued at a specific time. Clicking on the series name will bring up all stamps that belong to that specific series.
Variants: If a stamp is marked as a variant, you can get a list of all confusingly similar stamps by clicking on Click to see variants.
Width: Width (horizontal length) in millimeters. For non-rectangular stamps this is the maximum width of the stamp.
Height: Height (vertical length) in millimeters. For non-rectangular stamps this is the maximum height of the stamp.
Paper: A kind of paper used for printing a stamp.
Watermark: A watermark, if any, used for a stamp.
Print Run: The number of stamps printed.
Score: A unique index that enables estimating the value of an item.
Description: This may include information on how to distinguish variants or other information needed to identify the stamp.
Front Picture and Back Picture: In most cases only the front of the stamp should be pictured, unless the back has special features (e.g. text, counting number). Please follow the Picture Guidelines.

Stamp

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