The Philippine Philatelist [3]

8/14/2019 The Philippine Philatelist [3]

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by Arturo B. del Ayre

PHILATELIC JARGON

Like any other hobby, philately also has a glossary of specific words.Many of which specify what type of stamps are issued, the manner ofpresentation, the mode of printing, and a lot more.

Fig. 1: Commemorative

Fig. 2: Definitive

TYPES . Postage stamps are generally of three types:Commemoratives, Definitives, and Special Issues. ACOMMEMORATIVE stamps, Fig. 1, are issued for a limitedtime and quantity to honor a certain person, event,anniversary or group. DEFINITIVES , Fig. 2, on the otherhand, are usually small, regular stamp issued in bigquantities and sold longer than the commemoratives.Early Republic issues were one-color definitivesdepicting heroes and heroines, as well as official sealsof various cities and localities. SPECIAL ISSUES , on theother hand, promote several causes, the PhilippineHeritage, native flora and fauna, myriad of scenic andtourist spots and others that depict nationalconsciousness and awareness.

Other types are almost rare nowadays. AIRMAIL are postage used forletters sent by plane. The last Philippine airmail issue was a sheetlet forESPAMER '77 Exposicion Filatelica de America y Europa. OFFICIAL USEstamps are adhesive postage prepaid for the franking ofcorrespondence of government departments. The Philippine equivalentis marked with "G.O." until the early 70s or "O.B.", usually hand-written.Anti-TB stamps, a SURTAX were compulsary on all mail matters since1958 as per Republic Act No. 1635. With its repeal on August 14, 1974,these stamps were voluntary and later used as regular postage. RE-ISSUE is a stamp or series of stamps brought back into use after it had

been superseded or out of use. While, a REPRINT is an impression takenfrom an original plate of stamps, that have gone out of use, or from newplates derived from the original die.

MARKS . Postage marks are vary according to purpose. A POSTMARKis any mark tapped on mail by postal officials for any postal purposes.Most mail are now franked by postage meter machines. A


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CANCELLATION , however, is an imprint, e.g., CANCELLED, SPECIMEN,SAMPLE, applied to a stamp to render stamps invalid for postal use.Stamps featuring Philippine Fauna issued in 1978 until 1985 printed byHouse of Questa, England were cancelled-to-order sold at 10% of facevalue. Also, an OVERPRINT is any inscription printed on a regular issue

stamp in addition to its original vignette or design usually denoting achange of government, in a war, commemorate events, propaganda,etc. Moreover, a SURCHARGE is an overprint altering the stamp's facevalue.

Fig. 3: Pair / Se-Tenant

PRESENTATION . Although majority of stampsare issued singularly, a number is also issued inother forms. A PAIR , Fig. 3 is a couple of stampsthat have not been separated. Two different orvariations of stamps in an unseparated pair,occasionally each with different denomination,

however, is collectively known as SE-TENANT .While a STRIP is three or more stamps unservered in asingle row or column; a sheet of stamps containingstrips inverted in relation to their neighbors is a TETE-BECHE . A group of stamps, usually four or more iscalled a BLOCK . Blocks can be in threeconfigurations, four in a row, four in a colum, or themore common two rows by two columns. Also,stamps are issued in a portable booklet form. OnJune 03, 1998 the Philippine Centennial PrestigeBooklet was issued. Heroes of the Revolution

definitives were also released as booklet panes. Fig. 4: Block of Four

PRINTING . Most of the Philippines' stamps are now printed either byoffset lithography or by phogravure. In OFFSET PROCESS the stamps'designs are produced by a specially prepared lithographic platesprinted into a rubber-blanketed cylinder. While LITHOGRAPH stamps areprinted from designs drawn or transferred upon a metal surface, thusthey are smooth to touch. Local lithographers, such as GovernmentPrinting Office / Philippine Bureau of Printing, Asian ProductivityOrganization Production Unit-National Economic and DevelopmentAuthority (APO-NEDA), and Amstar Company produced in succession

most of Philippine stamps beginning 1969, 1975, and 1989,respectively. PHOTOGRAVURE stamps are printed from plates producedby photography and etching. Foreign printers like Courvoisier, S.A.,Switzerland and Harrison & Sons, England produced the 1960s issues.From the onset of the Philippine Republic, most stamps were printedby the American Bank Note Co. These stamps were ENGRAVED orprinted from plates engraved in recess.


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Fig. 5: First-Day Cover

PHILATELICITEMS Stamphobbyists arecollecting otherphilatelic items, nowmore than ever, inaddition to stamps.With increasingawareness forbeautifully designeditems of recentyears, collectors areclamoring for moreof the same.

FIRST-DAY COVER , Fig. 5, is the stamp cancelled showing the first-day ofissue and retained on its original envelope. SOUVENIR SHEET is a smallsheet of stamps with incriptions commemorating an event.

MINIATURE SHEET , Fig. 6, is a limitednumber of stamps in a small sheetinscribed with numerical markings and,sometimes, labels. POSTAL CARD is anofficially produced post card with apre-paid imprint of postage. COVER , anenvelope or wrapper which is complete

and bear proof of having servedpostally. AEROGRAMME is a pre-formedstationery-cum-envelope with gummedflaps sent via air mail.

Fig. 6: Miniature Sheet

CONTEST , In anticipation of the Tenth World Teachers' Day, thiswriter is giving away mementos from Education International topromote its aim that an important collection of "stamps of recognition"dedicated to andpublicize the important work of the millions ofteachers across the globewill have been issued by all countries of theworld by the year 2003. To join, visit http://www.geocities.com/abda/

and click on Contest .Note: A series of articles about Philately and Stamp Collecting will appear in this column regularly. Futuretopics will discuss the nature of the hobby, to include: personal reflections, narratives, insights; the state ofPhilippine Philately and stamp collecting to include issues affecting stamp collectors in the Philippines,postal history, breakthroughs, highlights on philatelic clubs and personalities; and a stamp collector'scomprehensive guide on the 5W and 1H of stamp collecting.

This article, parts or verbatim, also appears on the Net. Visit: ABdA's Philippine Philatelic Web Site athttp://www.geocities.com/abda/ and the electronic magazine: The Philippine Philatelist athttp://abda.webprovider.com . For comments or suggestions, send e-mail to [email protected]. 12/05/99

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The Philippine Philatelist [3]