Championship Stamp Supply Definitions of Philatelic Terms

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D Press	A six-color offset, three-color intaglio press of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. In addition to producing numerous commemoratives, the D Press was frequently used to produce single-color definitive stamps. Obtained in 1984, the D press first produced the 20-cent Smoky Bear stamp. It was officially designated as press 902.
Dandy Roll	In papermaking, the dandy roll is a wire mesh (sometimes containing watermark bits), which presses the paper pulp as it leaves the vat, forming the basic texture of the paper. Laid paper, for example, is dependent on the dandy roll for its characteristics.
Dead Country	A postal administration that no longer releases postage stamps, due to invasion, disaster, name change or other governmental changes. The list of dead countries is constantly changing, because political upheavals result in the re-emergence of formally dead countries.
Dead Letter Office	The U.S. Post Office Department's repository for undeliverable mail, charged with officially opening the mail to determine, if possible, the sender or addressee so that the mail could receive the proper disposition. The Dead Letter Office is identifiable by special envelopes that it used and by various markings applied to mail that received its attentions.
Death Mask	The name given to a 1904 series of stamps from Serbia, picturing King Peter I, and marking the centennial of the reign of the Karageorgevich dynasty. When the stamps are turned upside-down, the bloodied features of murdered monarch Alexander Obrenovich V (assassinated in 1903) can be seen. Eugene Mouchon, engraver of the stamp design, denied the effect was intentional, but it is very clearly seen.
Dechromed	The softened state of a printing sleeve, after the removal of the chrome coating. At this point, the printing surface may be repaired and restored so that it may be rechromed and placed into service again. Plate scratches and other damage that creates plate varieties are frequently eliminated during this process that retains a printing sleeve.
Deckled Edge	This is a wavy, slightly thinner edge of a sheet of paper creating during papermaking. The edge is created by the deckle straps, which hold the paper pulp in its mold.
Definitives	Regular-issue stamps that are kept in use usually for a number of years. Unlike commemorative stamps, definitives can be reprinted as many times as new supplies are deeded. Definitives frequently appear as the small postage stamps found on most everyday mail that is intended to supply the most basic postal needs and therefore have been issued in many different, common denominations.
Decimal Denomination	A form of fractional-denomination stamp where the denomination is expressed in decimal format, such as 8.3 cents.
Denomination	The printed face value that appears on a stamp or postal stationery item.
Departmental Stamps	A form of official stamps designed for and used by government departments for prepayment of postage. Departmental stamps are intended for use by one particular government office alone. On the departmental stamps of the United States, the intended office's name appears on the stamp itself.
Design	All printed portions of the stamp. In some cases, such as souvenir sheets, the design may well extend beyond the dimensions of a stamp itself.
Design Error	Consists of such as the wrong number of stars on a flag or the misspelling of a name. Because all stamps of a given issue contain the error, no premium is normally associated with a stamp of the issue. The U.S. Postal Service attempts to correct design errors issued. Error collectors generally do not consider design errors to fall within the scope of error collecting.
Die	The original piece of steel or other material upon which a stamp design is first entered for production. This design is then multiplied to for the final printing plate, sleeve or cylinder from which stamps will be printed.
Die Crack	Damage done to the original engraved die, before printing plates are created. Because the damage is done to the original die, all stamps printed by duplicating that die will feature the flaw.
Die Cut Stamps	Currently, die-cut stamps are predominantly associated with self-adhesive stamps. This is a machine-cutting process that allows a stamp to be cut to any shape, without cutting through the backing paper. Such cutting can resemble perforations or any other shape desired. Die-cut imperforate beer stamps also are similar in definition and appearance to those that have been cut-to-shape, but have been cut by machine rather than by hand. Although die-cut stamps of this nature are worth less than full stamps, they are generally worth quite a bit more than those that have been cut to shape.
Die Crack	Damage done to the original engraved die, before printing plates are created. Because the damage is done to the original die, all stamps printed by duplicating that die will feature the flaw.
Die Imprint	Any item printed directly from a die. Typically, collectors refer to such items as die proofs, but the term really is not accurate for items printed from the original die long after the stamps were printed, because there is nothing left to be "proven." (A technical but more cumbersome term for such items is posthumous die proof.) Even more modern items, such as the stamp images that appear on modern-day Bureau of Engraving and Printing souvenir cards, can be referred to as die imprints. This is because they have been pulled from a form of die created from the original master die.
Die Proof	An image pulled from the original (usually engraved) master die. Throughout the designing process, die proofs are pulled to check design progression. These are known as progressive die proofs, which are a form of essay. Final-design die proofs often were given to various dignitaries as souvenirs.
Diplomatic Mail	Mail sent by diplomats, such as ambassadors' diplomatic mail from different countries. Such mail can take the form of a permit imprint, stampless, or mail bearing native countries' stamps postmarked in the destination country with the appropriate marking. Diplomatic pouch mail frequently has the stamps of the country of origin canceled in the destination country with the appropriate postal markings.
Direct Printing	Any form of printing where the printing plate comes in direct contact with the substrate or paper.
Disinfected Mail	A well-intentioned, but basically ineffective, attempt at treating mail from highly contagious areas to make it safe for others to handle. Disinfecting of mail began during the 14th century. Early attempts at disinfecting included passing letters over smoke, cutting slits and fumigating, lightly perforating and fumigating, and even soaking letters in vinegar or other substances. Disinfected mail ceased toward the end of the 19th century when it became more apparent that it had no effect. Nonetheless, covers with evidence of disinfections are rare and highly collectible by postal historians.
Distilled Spirits Revenue Stamps	Stamps that bear the highest denominations of any U.S. stamp, from 1 cent to $50,000. These stamps, usually found either with staple holes or punch cancels, showed payment of excise taxes on distilled spirits.
Docketing	Extra writing on a cover, usually applied by the recipient, that sometimes tells when the letter was received, read, answered, or when it was filed. This can be helpful to establish the date of the cover because many times the date does not appear in any of the postal markings.
Documentary Stamps	Arguably the most commonly encountered form of revenue stamps. These were for use on checks, contracts, wills and many other forms of legal documents.
Dolllar Error	A specific stamp, Scott RE196a, where the word "Dollar" is spelled with three L's.
Double Impression	A stamp that has been partially or fully printed twice. Entire areas of the design are doubled, usually dramatically. Setoff freaks are frequently mistaken as double impressions. Unlike plate varieties, double impressions can happen at random.
Double Paper	Although misunderstood, this term actually refers to an experimental form of security paper patented in the United States by C.F. Steel in about 1870. This paper consisted of two layers, with differing characteristics, bonded together, At the time it was thought this could help combat erasure of cancels and other forms of tampering. Some of this paper was used in 1873 to print some of the large issues in use at that time. The term also is applied to stamps printed on double-thick paper, or stamps with two layers of paper that are part of a splice.
Double Transfer	One of the most noticeable and desirable of plate varieties, a double transfer occurs on line-engraved intaglio stamps while the design is being rocked into the printing plate. In some cases, the original transfer is faulty and has been burnished out of the plate, with a new rocked in as a replacement. If all traces have not been removed, ink will gather in the recessed areas and parts of the original design will become visible on the final stamp. This is usually noticed in the form of doubling on the final stamp and doubling in some design elements. A double transfer may include the entire design (an all-over double transfer), partial design or only selected elements of the design, such as a trace of frame lines or original lettering. Because these are true plate varieties, double transfers will always be found in the same position from the same printing plate. A double transfer is a plate variety that results in certain design elements having doubled appearance.
Duck Stamp	The commonly encountered name for hunting permit stamps. Federal duck stamps have been in use since 1934 and are affixed to a license itself. Cancellation is in the form of the hunter's signature across the face of the stamp. Numerous state duck stamps also exist. They represent state waterfowl fees and are used in conjunction with federal duck stamps. Such stamps are highly collectible are avidly sought by collectors. Example of a "Duck Stamp"
Duplex Cancel	A two-part post office cancel where the circular date stamp is attached to the killer. Many duplex markings are known with various hybrid CDS and killer types.
Duplicate	An extra copy of a stamp, duplicates may be sold or traded. Before disposing of a duplicate, however, it is always a good idea to check the stamps for varieties or other characteristics that may set it apart. Duplicate also refers to the telegraph stamps affixed to the office of a collect telegram. The collect stamp was affixed to the telegram.

E

Earliest Known Use (EKU)	During the years before specific first-day dates were assigned to new issues, stamps were distributed to postmasters who placed them on sale as they needed them. In some cases, such stamps were used within days after they were received. Because there is no first day of issue for these stamps, students of postal history rely on the earliest-known (or earliest recorded) use. Such uses must be properly canceled and tied (if on cover) so they can be verified. Although EDUs are quite valuable (they are often unique), they are also quite transient. Dates are constantly being pushed back further with new discoveries. Modern major varieties of stamps (and individual plate numbers, for specialists) also aren't always assigned first-day dates. In such instances, collectors are once again forced to seek out the earliest recorded uses of these issues.
EFOCC	The Errors, Freaks and Oddities Collectors Club, an organization dedicated to the collecting and study of errors, freaks, and oddities.
Electric Eye Bars	Bars printed on the margins of press sheets to guide them into position for perforating by means of an electric eye device that positions the stamps correctly. These markings are normally trimmed off of finished coil and booklet stamps, but appear in the margins of sheet stamps. The markings appear to be heavy vertical dashes or horizontal lines at regular intervals.
Electrotype	A method whereby replicas of dies are created for producing more stamp printing plates. Electrotypes are created by applying a coating of copper to a mold (usually wax) from the original die. The process is now obsolete for most applications.
Elusive	A term applied frequently to stamps that may not be rare, but are nonetheless difficult to find. The term also applies to common items that are hard to find in a specific condition.
Embedded-Taggant Paper	A form of stamp printing paper with phosphorescent tagging applied before stamps are printed on it. However, the application of the taggant on this type of paper is much like staining a surface; it soaks into the paper and becomes a part of it, appearing throughout the various layers of paper fibers. Like surface-tagged paper, the printed stamp image appears over the taggant, rather than under.
Embossed	Stamps or stamped envelopes in which all or part of the design is raised above the surface of the paper by pressing the paper between two dies that have patterns in relief. Embossing may be combined with printing or left plain (blind embossing). In U.S. collections, embossing is most commonly encountered on stamped envelopes.
Embossed Revenue-Stamped Paper	Exists primarily from the Colonial days of the United States when documents were embossed to show payment of various taxes. Most revenue items of this sort are colorless and are of far higher value when found on complete documents. If they are cut to shape or on partial documents, they are worth much less.
Encased Stamps	Term applied to postage stamps that have been enclosed in some form of casing (usually metal and mica) for use as emergency coinage. Although several countries have produced encased postage, the most well known are those examples produced during the U.S. Civil War to help alleviate coin and currency shortages. Most encased postage is privately produced.
Engine Turning	Also called "lathework," this produces fine, intricate geometric engravings typically used on early stamps. The delicate, lace-like effect is achieved by use of a geometric lathe.
Engraving	See Intaglio.
Entire	This refers to any form of mint or used postal stationery ( envelope, wrapper or card) left fully intact, rather than cut down to its printed stamp.
Error	Although frequently misused, the term in its philatelic usage has two specific meanings. The first refers to stamps that have one of more inadvertent complete and consistent production error; that is, an inadvertently missing or botched printing or production step, which includes color omissions, imperforates, inverts, double printings, among others. To be a true error, a complete production step must be missing or botched. As an example, a color-omitted error must have no trace of the missing color remaining or an imperforate error may not have the slightest indentation of a perforation; otherwise such stamps are considered freaks include color shifts, misperfs, and other inconsistent printing or production problems. In general, errors are worth more than freaks. The second definition deals with stamp design, Misspellings, typos and incorrect factual or design information on a stamp give such issues design error status, Most design errors affect the entire press run of certain stamps and usually do not increase a stamp's value.
Essay	A design for a stamp, often a form of trial stamp that did not result in a final issue identical in design or printing. Essays may include original artwork for a stamp design that was later accepted or rejected, pulled proofs of designs that were later rejected, or even printed examples of stamps that were not issued. Although some essays are very rare, or even unique, some are fairly common.
Etiquette	Any of a number of different types of special-service labels applied to letters or parcels. More specifically, however, the term applies to special blue airmail labels adopted by the Universal Postal Union for use on airmail letters. These labels are all of a special shade of blue and are generally inscribed, in two lines, "BY AIR MAIL PAR AVION," (French for "AIR MAIL"). These official etiquettes are to be available from post offices worldwide free of charge for postal patrons. They are another form of collectible and are sought when tied to cover.
Expertization	A process whereby collectors submit their stamps, covers or other philatelic items to recognized experts in the field for their opinions regarding genuineness or condition. Although most dealers and auction houses accept the opinions of these experts, they are only opinions - not a guarantee. Expertising may be done either by a recognized individual or by a committee of experts.
Exploded Booklet	A booklet of stamps that has been taken apart. If mounted in its entirety, an exploded booklet would show all panes, covers and interleaving that originally came in the booklet.
Express Mail	A premium-priced overnight delivery mail service introduced in 1983 by the USPS to compete with private express delivery firms, with stamps to prepay the cost in denominations ranging from $8.75 to $14. Because these stamps have no special inscriptions for this service, and are valid for payment of any other postal service as well, they are technically regarded as U.S. definitives.

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Definitions taken from © Copyright All About Stamps, written by Wayne L. Youngblood, used with permission. Championship Stamp Supply wishes to thank Wayne L. Youngblood and Krause Publications for their kind support and permission in using © Copyright All About Stamps for our online definitions of philatelic terms.