Basic Stamp Terms for Beginners
Knowing the meaning of a few stamp collecting terms makes it more fun to collect – and easier to talk to other collectors about the hobby. Here’s a few basic terms to get you started!
Perforation: small rows of holes punched between stamps to make separating them easy
Design: a stamp’s overall appearance
Vignette: central part of the stamp design
Frame: the outer part of a stamp design, which can be as simple as a single line or very ornate
Selvage: attached margin paper that may be plain or highly decorative
Country: tells you which nation issued your stamp
Denomination: what it originally cost to purchase the stamp from the post office
Series and Sets: Many of the stamps in series and sets have common design elements. For example, each stamp in this series features a Looney Tunes character. Notice the style of the letters and numbers also match. (FYI – series are issued over a period of years, while sets are issued on the same date.)