The Philatelic Database – Archive of Stamp Collecting Articles

Postage Due

Postage Due

Australia Antarctic Territory

American Bank Note Company

A water-soluble gum obtained from several species of the Acacia (Acacia Senegal and Acacia arabica, used in the manufacture of adhesives.

Products used by the stamp collector to aid stamp identification and handling.

Mail, which requires the addressee’s signature on receipt to provide proof of delivery.

Paper manufactured under neutral conditions with a pH greater than 7.0, containing no acidic additives.

A stamp issued against payment of a special fee, so that acknowledgement of receipt of the postal item will be obtained. Mostly countries collect such fees using normal postage stamps and attach a suitable etiquette to the envelope (see recorded delivery).

U.S. Civil War term for mail carried by private express between the North and the South.

a stamp which has to be affixed to a letter, postcard or packet with gum or other. As apposed to a stamp already printed on the envelope.

In 1912 and 1925, Canadian stamp series depicting King George V in full dress uniform as admiral for the Royal Navy.

Some stamps have been issued having an advertisement printed on the back. The most well-known are certain Queen Victoria issues of New Zealand, but some British stamps were also printed experimentally. Modern self-adhesives from Sierra Leone have advertisements printed on the backing paper. Sometimes known as Adson. .

More common than advertisements on stamps, these are booklet panes, which contain advertisements on labels se-tenant with the postage stamps. Collectors try to assemble complete collections of panes, which have suitable advertisements, although the stamps may be the same.

Envelope, which advertises a commercial product.

a branch of philately concerned with the study and/or collection of air-stamps.

A special lightweight single sheet of paper printed and gummed and designed when sealed to form an air letter.

French Equatorial Africa

French West Africa

A commercial firm, which promotes and sells the postal products of the country or countries it represents; a post office maintained in one country’s territory by another country.

Labels inscribed Par Avion or equivalent, which means by air. France had the first example in black on red paper (August 17, 1918); the UPU adopted a standard blue colour in 1922 for affixing to material carried by air.

A stamp issued specifically for mail transported by air.

A general term to denote letters and postal items carried by air. The cost is usually more than the surface mail, particularly on the longer distances, and of course the time taken is much less than by surface mail. Many countries produce special “airmail” stamps for use on such items.

Stamp intended to prepay airmail postage; the first recorded is the 25 cent rose, Italian express stamp, 200, 000 of which were overprinted in 1917.

an impression made without colour from an uninked stamp plate or die or from the printers’ type. They usually occur when two stamps or envelopes are fed into a press at the same time creating an embossed imprint on the bottom one. Usually found on envelopes.

Local stamp issued in Chicago, U.S.A. in 1882.

Former district of East Prussia, Germany, that is now part of Poland, known as Olsztyn. Occupied by an Allied Commission from the end of World War I until 1920 when a plebiscite returned the area to Germany. German stamps were overprinted for use there during this period.

British and American Zones used their stamps; 1946 saw three general issues of these stamps with the same design; America (Bureau of Engraving and Printing); Britain (Harrison and Sons Ltd.) and Germany (G. Westermann).

French border province that has been occupied by Germany twice, first during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and again in 1940, during World War II. During the 1870 occupation, Germany issued stamps for the province with values expressed in French currency. Although these are catalogued as Alsace and Lorraine issues, they were valid for use [...]

A feudatory state of Rajasthan, British India which issued its own locals from 1877-1899. Now part of India.