H

H: Acknowledgment of Receipt: Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
H&G: Higgins & Gage (worldwide postal stationery catalog)
HAIR LINES: Fine colorless scratches from a printing plate.
HAMMER PRICE: Auction term meaning selling price determined by the drop of the auctioneer's hammer.
HANDBACK SERVICE: A cancelled cover or other item returned directly to the postal customer instead of processing it through the mail.
HAND CANCEL: Cancellation applied by hand.
HAND MADE COVER: Folding a sheet of paper to act as an envelope.
HANDSTAMPED: Postmarked or canceled by hand, usually by a rubber stamp, may also be a steel device.
HAPAG: The Hamburg American Line local stamp used to prepay charges on mail carried by their ships.
HARROW PERFORATION: Method by which the entire sheet or pane of stamps was perforated at one time.
HATCHING: Close, fine lines for shading a stamp design.
HAWAIIAN MISSIONARIES: Primitive early issues of Hawaii, 1851-52. The name came from the fact that many were used by missionaries writing home.
HB: Hardbound
H C: Hand cancel
HEAD PLATE: Plate that prints the stamp's central design.
HEALTH STAMPS: Stamps issued with a charity premium to raise funds for children health camps.
HELIOGRAVURE (HELlO): An early type of photogravure printing of postage stamps.
HERMES HEAD: Greek stamps, first issued in 1861, featuring Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods. There are small Hermes and large Hermes portraits.
H H: Auction term for "Heavily Hinged."
HIDDEN DATES: The date of stamp manufacture hidden in the stamp design. Used in Canadian stamps since 1935.
HILL, SIR ROWLAND: The man who instituted the penny postage system in England and is considered the "Father of the Postage Stamp."
HINGES: Small pieces of gummed glassine or parchment paper used by collectors for mounting stamps on album pages.
HISTORICAL COVER: Postmarked and cacheted for a historical event, e.g., the inauguration of a president.
H M S: Her/His Majesty's Ship
HOLOGRAM: Multi-dimensional image.
HOPFLUG: Overprint on Iceland's stamps to commemorate Italian Marshall Balbo's 1933 flight.
HORIZONTAL COIL: Stamps that are perforated vertically and arranged in rolls.
HOTEL POSTS: Issued by hotels in remote areas to carry guest's mail to the nearest post office.
H P O: Highway Post Office cancel used on portable mail handling equipment usually located on trucks.
H R: Hinge remnant
H S: Hand stamp
HUB: The circular portion of a postmark that indicates place, date, Zip code, etc.
HUCK-COTTRELL PRESS: Single-color intaglio press, forerunner of Cottrell presses.
HYBRID PROOF: A large die proof made with various plate proofs cut close and mounted upon a card or proof paper.
HYPHEN HOLE PERFORATION: Rectangular-shaped perforation such as used on some U.S. revenue stamps.