Annual Collection - complete collection of Australian gummed stamps for the year with background information about each issue
block - collecting configuration of at least four stamps
booklet - folder of gummed or self-adhesive stamps
cinderella - looking like a stamp, but not issued by a postal authority and not valid for postage.
collector pack - a packet of stamps, with self-adhesive stamps extracted from rolls of 100 and 200
colonial stamps - stamps issued by Australian colonies before 1901 (Stamps issued between 1901 and 1912 are termed State stamps)
Commonwealth stamps - stamps issued by Australia after 1913
commemorative stamps - stamps issued to commemorate specific events or anniversaries
counter printed stamps - stamps dispensed from PostShop counter machines in denominations selected at the time of purchase
decimal stamps - Australian stamps issued since the introduction of decimal currency in 1966
definitive stamps - stamps produced to meet ongoing postal requirements, usually on sale for several years
denomination - the price expressed on a stamp
designer - person responsible for preparing a stamp design
domestic stamps - ordinary Australian stamps issued since 2000 for use on mail delivered to Australian addresses (see "international stamps")
first day cover - a pictorial envelope with associated stamps affixed and postmarked on their first day of issue
Frama stamps - stamps in use between 1984 and 2003 and dispensed from vending machines in denominations selected at the time of purchase
gummed stamps - traditional stamps produced in sheet format
gutter stamps - collecting configuration
involving stamps on either side of the blank space (the "gutter")
separating the two halves of a sheet
instant stamps - stamps produced within one or two days of an event occurring (e.g for Australian Olympic Gold Medallists)
intaglio (or recess) stamps - printing by a line-engraved process used for Australian stamps issued from the late 1920s to the mid 1970s
international stamps - special Australian
stamps, distinguished by a blue strip along one side, issued since 2000
for use on mail delivered to international addresses
IPPE - international postage paid envelope
joint issue - stamps of the same theme (and usually design) issued jointly by two or more countries
koala count - symbols printed on the edges of
stamp sheets to indicate the number of reprints for particular stamps
9e.g. 1 koala =forst reprint)
lettercard - postcard folded to seal correnspondence
lithography - printing method used for most Australian stamps issued since 1980
luminiscence - a substance impregnated in the stamp paper to activate mail sorting and cancelling machinery
maximum card (or maxicard) - postage prepraid postcard with associated stamp affixed and postmarked on its first day of issue
miniature sheet (or minisheet) - one or more stamps incorporated in a small sheet
mini stamp - unuesed stamp
mint unhinged - unused stamp not previously mounted to a page by a stamp hinge
national first day of issue postmark - postmark used at a related location to stamps issued for the first time
OS ("On Service") stamps - stamps overprinted
or punctured with the initials "O S" were provided for use by government
departments until the mid-1930s
overprint - text, numerals or design elements added to an existing stamp, miniature sheet or product
pair - collecting configuration of two stamps
pane - any number of joined stamps in a continuous format (e.g. sheet of 50 stamps might comprise two panes of 25)
perforations - holes which separate stamps, measured by the number of holes across two centimetres (e.g. perforated 13.9 x 14.6 means the stamp has 13.9 holes per 2 cm across the horizontal edges and 14.6 holes per 2 cm along the vertical edges)
Personalised StampsTM - stamps with an attached tab that have been personalised with a photograph or design
philately (pronounced "fil-at-e-ly") - the hobby of stamp collecting and the study of stamps
philtatelist (pronounced "fil-at-e-list") - a collector who studies stamps
philatelic (pronounced "fil-a-tellic") - (adjective) relating to stamp collecting
photogravure - printing method used for most Australian stamps issued during the 1960s and 1970s
postage due stamps - stamps in use until 1963 as a receipt for payment of postage owing on underpaid mail
postage paid envelope (PPE) - envelope with a printed image in the stamp area produced for vaious domestic postal uses
postcard - usually prepaid, postcards produced by Australia Post
postmark - cancels stamps and records the date and location where articles are processed
pre-decimal stamps - Australian stamps issued prior to 1966 when pounds, shillings and pence currency was in use
pre-stamped envelope (PSE) - envelope with a printed image and the denomination in the stamp area
self-adhesive stamps - stamps generally sold in rolls or sheetlets, which adhere to mail without licking
selvedge - area of a stamp sheet outside the perforated stamps
se-tenant (pronounced "see-ten-ant") - two or more adjoining stamps of different designs in a sheet
sheet - generally 50 stamps printed in a sheet format
sheetlet - generally up to 20 stamps printed in a sheet format
souvenir cover - a pictorial envelope produced for a special occasion
special issue - short term stamps not tied to any specific event or anniversary
Special Event Souvenir (SES) sheet - sheet incorporating Personalised Stamps TM issued to honour a special occasion.
specimen stamps - high denomination stamps overprinted "SPECIMEN" were invalid for postage and sold under face value to collectors
stamp and coin cover - a souvenir envelope or first day cover bearing stamps and a coin related to the same subject
Stamp Bulletin - Australia Post magazine available for collectors Stamp Explorer - Australia Post magazine available for children
stamp pack - presentation folder containing the gummed stamps of a particular issue
strip - collecting configurations of three or more stamps in a single row
tab - the area next to a stamp (certain issues only) that is available for personalisation (see Personalised StampsTM)
Territories Collection - full collection
of every Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island and Cocos
(Keeling) Islands stamp issued for the year with information about each
issue
tete-beche (pronounced "tet-besh" or tate-bay-sh") - adjoining stamps printed in a head-to-toe format
thematics - collecting stamps that relate to a particular topic or theme, such as birds or trains
watermark - security image impregnated in stamp paper
Source: Collecting Australian Stamps, a beginner's guide by Richard Breckon
Produced byAustralia Post Philatelic Group
