G

G: Auction term for "good" condition.
G: Insured Letter. Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
G: Symbol for Guilford Gravure, which appears before the plate number on coil stamps.
GAP: Unprinted space between the ends of two printed precancel overprints.
GARBAGE CARD: Nickname given to the full-face portrait of the McKinley postal card that was supposedly destroyed. One box of 500 was sold by post office imprinted with name of a garbage firm.
GD: Gum Disturbance
GENERAL COLLECTION: A collection of the entire world rather than a specialized collection of one or more countries or topics.
GENERAL ISSUE: Stamps that are issued for ordinary postage use, rather than for air mail, postage due, etc.
GERMANIA: Symbolic figure of the German Empire from a portrait of Anna von Stratz-Fuhring, a Wagnerian opera star.
GERMAN STATES: Germany consisted of large number of states prior to the formation of the German Empire in 1871.
GHOST: A light double printing apart from the normal inked stamp impression caused by misregistration and incorrect printing procedures. A "ghost" can also be caused by phosphor inking picking up a design.
GIBBONS CATALOGUE NUMBER: Number assigned to a philatelic item by Stanley Gibbons editors according to that publisher's criteria for such assignment.
GIORI: Ink delivery system allowing a single plate to print up to three colors.
GLASSINE: A semi-transparent paper used to make envelopes for stamp and cover storage; also used for album interleaving.
GLAZED GUM: Original gum in altered state due to its softening and reforming while in a plastic mount.
GLIDER MAIL: Mail carried by a glider.
G.m.b.H.: Gesselschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
GOLDBEATER'S PAPER: A fragile onionskin paper.
GOODDALL PROOFS: Proofs ordered printed by A. G. Goodall, president of the American bank note Co. in 1847 and 1879 of official and newspaper stamps.
G P C I: Grand Prix Club International
G P O: General Post Office.
G P S: Germany Philatelic Society
GRADE: An expression that indicates whether a stamp is perfect or imperfect and the range of imperfections.
GRAIN DIRECTION: Direction in which most of the paper fibers are aligned. Paper tears more readily with the grain than against it. Cutting a small rectangle piece from a page and wetting it will cause the paper to curl in the grain direction.
GRANITE PAPER: Paper containing tiny, visible fibers to deter forgery.
GRAVER: A tool with a sharp hardened point used by an engraver to cut lines into a steel block.
GRAVURE: Also known as photogravure.
GRIDIRON CANCELLATION: Typically, an early U.S. cancel consisting of circles enclosing parallel lines.
GRILL: An impression or embossing made on a stamp in order to break the paper fibers so that the ink from the cancel will soak into the stamp paper and make washing for reuse impossible.
GRIPPER CRACKS: Formed over slots cut in the edges of the plates curved to fit rotary press cylinders. Associated with introduction of the rotary press printer.
GROUNDWOOD: Paper pulp produced by mechanically grinding wood logs making a weak, acidic paper that discolors upon exposure to light.
G D: Gum disturbamce
GUERRILLA STAMPS: Stamps issued by guerrilla forces such as those printed in 1895 when the underground fighters of Taiwan issued stamps for their Black Flag Republic.
GUIDE LINE: Horizontal or vertical colored lines between the stamps used as a guide for operators of perforating machines or to indicate the point of separation of the sheet into panes.
GUIDE LINE PAIR: Attached pair of coil stamps with printed line between.
GUILLOCHE: Delicate engraving formed by an engraved interlacing network.
GUILLOTINE PERFORATION: Single-line perforation made by a machine resembling a guillotine.
GUM: The coating of glue on the reverse of an unused or mint postage stamp.
GUM BREAKER: Colorless impressions across the backs of some stamps made during manufacture to prevent curling.
GUM STAIN: A discoloring of the gum usually caused by tropical humidity, salt air, etc.
GUTTER: The blank space between the panes of a sheet of stamps. Gutters can be found on many of the "Farley's Follies" stamp issue of 1935.
GUTTER PAIRS: Two stamps with the selvage or gutter remaining between the pair.
GUTTER SNIPE: Miscut of the pane leaving the entire gutter and occasionally a portion of the adjoining stamp.
GY: Marine Insurance. Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.