P

P: Auction term for Poor quality.
P: Newspaper. Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
PACKET: An assortment of stamps made up in an envelope or package form.
PACKET LETTER: Mail carried by a ship authorized by a post office to carry mail.
PACKET POSTAGE: That portion of the rate used to pay the ship that carried the item.
PAID MARKINGS: Usually the word "PAID" indicating regular postage has been prepaid by the sender.
PAIR: Two stamps that have not been separated.
P A L: Parcel air lift
PANE: Stamps as sold by the Post Office. Usually a commemorative pane consists of 50 stamps. Four panes of 50 stamps make up a "sheet" of stamps as printed.
PAPER: Since most stamps are printed on paper, faults in the paper are sought by collectors as freaks or oddities. In some cases, the type of paper is important in the identification of some stamps.
PAPERMAKERS WATERMARK: Name of the manufacturer of the paper.
PAPERMARK: Original term for a watermark.
PAPYRUS: A paper-like substance made from thin sections of a reed that had been pressed together.
PAQUEBOT: Cancellation on a parcel or letter indicating that the article was mailed aboard a ship.
PAR AVION: "By Air Mail" in French.
PARACHUTE MAIL: Form of air mail whereby mail is delivered by free-fall parachute from an airplane.
PARAPHE: A complicated flourish that dips back and under the signature. Used as an overprint on some of the early issues of Puerto Rico.
PARCEL MARKING: Larger post offices may have used a different parcel post handstamp.
PARCEL POST: Stamp issued to prepay parcel post fees.
PARTIALLY SEPARATED PERFS: When a number of perforations are detached between two or more stamps of a multiple.
PART ORIGINAL GUM: A stamp with noticeable gum missing.
PART PERFORATED: A stamp that is not perforated on any one or more of the sides. These stamps usually come from sheets where some of the perforating lines have been omitted.
PASTE UP: The juncture where the ends of rolls of coiled stamps are pasted together to make a continuous roll.
PATENT CANCEL: Devices that permanently defaced the stamp to prevent fraudulent reuse.
PATRIOTIC COVER: Envelope decorated with pictures or slogans of a patriotic nature such as those used during the Civil War.
P B: Perkins Bacon, Ltd. (Stamp Printers, Great Britain)
PB: Plate block
PC: Postal Card, Post Card
PCE: Used Stamp on Piece
PECK: Clarrie Peck Postmark Catalogue
PEELABLE LABEL: An address label that can be removed from a cover.
PELURE PAPER: A strong thin paper that looks like a slightly dark onion-skin paper.
PENALTY: Term applied to stamps and stationery for use on official correspondence with warning "Penalty for private use $300."
PEN CANCELLATION: A cancellation marking on a stamp that has been applied with a pen and ink.
PENNY BLACK: The world's first adhesive postage stamp issued in Great Britain on May 6,1840.
PENNY MAGENTA: Unique stamp from British Guiana, the 1856 1 penny.
PEOPLE'S ART: Labels designed to simulate stamps.
PERCÉ EN ARC: (Fr.) Form of perforation characterized by curved cuts. [ARC ROULETTE (Eng.)]>
PERF: Abbreviation for perforated or perforations.
PERFINS: Private or official perforated initials or designs punched into stamps to prevent misuse of stamps. These are known in Great Britain as "Spifs."
PERFORATION COMBS: Printing equipment used in the process of producing stamps that makes the separation holes in stamp paper.
PERFORATION DISC INDENT: A depression in a stamp caused by a punched paper disc from a perforation hole.
PERFORATION GAUGE: An instrument designed to measure the number of perf. holes or teeth within a two centimeter space.
PERFORATIONS: Lines of small holes placed around stamps to provide an easier means of separation.
PERMANENT PAPER: Paper manufactured to meet standard requirements. Such papers are alkaline and very durable.
PERMIT: A permit is actually a license number that is printed in the upper right hand corner of the mailing piece. Many large firms use this method of mailing in order to eliminate the need for affixing and canceling stamps on large mailings.
PEROT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL: Hamilton's postmaster William Bennett Perot issued the first provisional stamps in Bermuda.
PERSIAN RUG: The 1871 U.S. $500 Internal Revenue stamp received its name from its intricately engraved lathework resembling a Persian rug.
P F: Philatelic Foundation (New York)
P F C: Philatelic Foundation certificate
pH: Numbers below 7.0 are acidic, above alkaline and pH 7.0 is neutral. However, pH 4 is ten times more acidic than pH 5 and 100 times more acidic than pH 6. An acidic album page may migrate to a stamp or cover mounted on it.
PH: Photo, Photocopy
PHANTASY: A bogus stamp with no postal value.
PHANTOM PHILATELY: The collecting of fake stamps. The name came from author Fred Melville's work "Phantom Philately."
PHILATELIC: (Fil-a-tel-ic) The adjective for philately.
PHILATELIC AGENCY: Firm maintained by a government which sells stamps to collectors. Some may also aid in the design and production of these stamps.
PHILATELIC COVER: A cover specifically made to be a collectible item.
PHILATELIST: A student of stamp collecting.
PHILATELY: Taken from the Greek "philos," loving + "ateleia," exemption from (further) tax, taken as equivalent of "postage paid"; the collection and study of postage stamps, postmarks, stamped envelopes, etc.
PHILOGRAPHY: Term for autographed first day covers.
PHOSPHOR: A chemical printed on stamps in order to help automated machines process the mail by reacting to the phosphor under ultraviolet lights. It started in Great Britain in 1959, and many countries now use a phosphor "tagging" on their stamps.
PHOSPHORESCENCE: The property of a luminescent material, after being activated by exposure to ultraviolet light, to continue to glow for a period of time after the UV light has been extinguished.
PHOTO: Photogravure
PHOTOBRIEF: (Ger.) Special letter form used by British forces during WWII which were then microfilmed. AIRGRAPH (Eng.)
PHOTO CACHET: A cachet that consists of part, or all, of a photograph.
PHOTOGRAVURE: A printing process where the design is photographed on the printing plate through a fine screen which breaks the copy up into very fine dots which are square in shape. The depressions formed around the squares hold the ink.
PHOTO LETTRE: (Fr.) Special letter form used by British forces during WWII which were then microfilmed. AIRGRAPH (Eng.)
PI: Perf Intial(s)
PICTORIAL CANCEL: Cancellation with unique design elements.
PICTORIALS: Stamps that bear illustrations of any decorative theme such as landscapes, works of art, flowers, etc. that are different than portraits or symbols.
PIECE: A remaining part of a mail piece showing the stamps and sometimes the address or postmark.
PIGEON POST: Stamps issued to pay postage on letters carried by pigeons.
PIN-HOLE: A tiny hole in the fibers of a stamp through which one can see light.
PIP: Partial Impression of Plate No. (on U.S.A. Plate No. Blocks)
PIPMAIL: Inscription on bulk rate used in a bulk-mail service by PIP Printing Corp.
PL # BLK: Plate No. Block
PLATE: A flat piece of metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) on which an image has been photoengraved, hand engraved or etched. The stamps are then printed from this object.
PLATE CRACK: Caused by the hardened plate cracking under wear or pressure.
PLATE FLAW: Damage to one specific stamp image on one specific printing plate.
PLATE GAP: Ink appearing through perforation holes on coil stamps.
PLATE NUMBER: The file number engraved on a plate which usually appears in a corner of a sheet of stamps. This number is used to keep the plates from getting mixed up at the printing plant.
PLATE NUMBER BLOCK: A block of stamps with the sheet margin attached showing the plate number used in printing that sheet. Also known as Plate Block.
PLATE NUMBER COIL: U.S. coil stamps produced since 1981 with a plate number appearing at the bottom of the stamp at certain intervals.
PLATE PROOF: An impression taken from a plate before actual printing is started.
PLATE SCRATCH: Caused by an object cutting into the plate.
PLATE VARIETY: Any variety in a stamp that had its origin in the plate from which the stamp was printed.
PLATEN: Used in the stamp envelope printing process with the platen providing the resistance as the working die imprints the stamped image on the envelope paper. Also called a make-ready.
PLATING: The reconstruction of a sheet of stamps by the placement of individual stamps representing the various positions.
PLEBISCITE STAMPS: Temporary stamps issued by a town or district while their national or political future is being determined by a vote of the people.
PLUG: A part of the printing plate that is literally plugged into the main design.
P M: Postmaster, postmistress
P M G: Abbreviation for Postmaster General.
PMK: Postmark
PMOG: Pencil Mark on Gum
PMS: Pantone Matching System used by the USPS since 1987 to assign stamp color specifications. However, the color may vary depending if the stamps were printed by offset or intaglio presses.
PN: U.S. Postal note. Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
P N C: A cover with a coin and a related stamp is known as a Philatelic Numismatic Combination.
P N C: Plate Number Coil.
PNEUMATIC POST: Distribution of mail through air tubes.
P N G: Papua New Guinea
PNG: Pencil Note(s) on Gum
PNT: Plate No. Trimmed
P N T A: Pakistan National Tuberculosis Association.
P O: Post Office
POACHED EGG: Nickname for British green testing label.
PONY EXPRESS: A system to carry mail by horseback.
POR: Price Upon Request
POROUS PAPER: An absorbent type of paper used in stamp production.
POS: Position
POSITION PLATE BLOCK: Four plate blocks with the exact same plate number in four positions.
POSTAGE: Charge for transporting mail.
POSTAGE DUE: A stamp issued to collect unpaid postage.
POSTAGE PLUS: A postage imprint produced by Neopost.
POSTAL CANCELLATION: A postmark that shows that the stamp has been used for postal purposes and not revenue use.
POSTAL CARD: Cards with special printed stamps which don't exist as adhesive postage stamps
POSTAL FISCAL: Stamp which can be used for both postage and revenue purposes.
POSTAL FISCAL STAMPS: Revenue stamps that are used as postage stamps.
POSTAL HISTORY: Philatelic study of postal markings, rates and routes.
POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE: The U.S. Postal Service investigative arm responsible for internal audits and investigating criminal acts involving the mails.
POSTAL MARKINGS: Markings or manuscript applied by machine or hand on a item.
POSTAL RATE COMMISSION (PRC): An independent U.S. federal agency that makes recommendations concerning postal service requests for changes in postal rates and mail classification.
POSTAL ROCKET: Missile used to carry mail.
POSTAL STATIONERY: Envelopes, air letter sheets, postal cards, etc. that have imprinted or embossed stamps.
POSTAL STORES: A USPS retail unit that offers customers self-service selections as well as counter assistance.
POSTAL TAX STAMP: A stamp required during certain calendar periods with proceeds going for a specific purpose or charity.
POSTALLY USED: Stamps used for postage purposes.
POST CARD: A privately produced small card without an imprinted stamp, often with a picture on one side and a space for a written message on the reverse. Maximum dimensions permitted are 4¼" high and 6" long.
POSTCARD PRESORT RATE: Discounted cost of bulk mailing of presorted and bundled postcards.
POSTCODE: A group of numbers, or combination of letters and numbers, established to translate an address into a code used by automatic sorting machines.
POST HORN: The post horn design is often found on stamps and watermarks of European stamps. Mail coach drivers used to blow this instrument upon approaching their stations.
POSTMARK: Any marking applied to a letter or parcel indicating the name of the post office and date of mailing.
POSTMASTER GENERAL (PMG): Chief executive officer of the U.S. Postal Service, appointed by, and serving at the pleasure of the Board of Governors.
POSTMASTER PROVISIONALS: Stamps issued by postmasters before the general issue of stamps by the government.
POST OFFICES ABROAD: Post offices staffed and operated in one country and located in another country.
PPC: Picture Post Card
PPM: Pencil Mark(s) in Margin(s) on complete stamp sheets
PR: Pair, Prices Realized
PR: Newspaper Tax. Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
P R C: People's Republic of China (mainland China).
PRE-ADHESIVE: A postal item dating from a period prior to the use of adhesive stamps by a certain country.
PRE-PRINTING PAPER CREASE: A white unprinted area in the folds of a crease that occurred as the paper was traveling through the printing press; usually caused by improper tension.
PRE-PRINTING PAPER FOLD: A fold in the paper which leaves an unprinted area during the printing process.
PRECANCEL: Special cancel applied to stamps before being affixed to mail matter. In the U.S., there are two categories of precancels: 1: Bureau, where the precancel is applied by the BEP, 2: Local, where the precancel is applied by the local city or town post office.
PREMIER GRAVURES: A term used to describe the first designs of the 1861 series of stamps.
PRESSED OUT CREASE: Application of heat, moisture or pressure to conceal a crease.
PREVIOUSLY HINGED: A stamp with original gum that shows evidence of hinging.
PREXIES: The nickname given the Presidential Series of stamps of 1938.
PRICE LIST: A listing of philatelic material with prices requested.
PRIMER'S PRESENTATION CARD: When the master proof is cut down to stamp size in the final stage of production, and affixed to a card bearing the name of the primer.
PRINTER'S WASTE: These are stamps that are badly misprinted and misperfed and should have been destroyed by the printer.
PRIVATELY PERFORATED: Perforations not done to defraud collectors such as the Schermack Mailing Machine Co.
PRIVATE POSTAGE: Nondenominated stamps with inscription "Postage Paid." These are valid for postage within the Australia and sold by some hotels in Australia for convenience of guests.
PRIVATE PROPRIETARY STAMPS: Issued years ago to pay the revenue tax on products of private firms. The stamps were printed by the government, and paid for by the firms involved to pay the tax on such items as medicine, matches, etc.
PRIVATE SUPPLEMENTAL POSTS: Carried mail to and from post offices where government service was erratic or non-existent.
PROGRESSIVE PROOF: A variation of an essay that is an incomplete engraving of the finished accepted die.
PROOFS: A trial printing, known as a strike, taken from a new printing plate for inspection purposes. This can be used to inspect for defects, or to see which ink color looks best for that particular stamp.
PROPAGANDA LABEL: A stamp-like label that promotes a specific cause.
PROTECTORATE: A nation governed, guided or protected by another nation.
PROVISIONAL ISSUE: A stamp issued for a local area pending availability of a regular issue.
PS: Postal stationery
P S/3: Plate (number) Strip of 3 coil stamps with the plate number on the center stamp.
P S/5: Plate (number) Strip of 5 coil stamps with the plate number on the center stamp.
P S E: Professional Stamp Expertisers (Miami)
PSE: Pre-Stamped Envelope or postal stationery.
PSEUDO WATERMARK: A device applied to simulate a true watermark.
PSMK: Postmark
PSRE: Postal Stationery Registered Envelope
P T S: Philatelic Traders society (England)
PULLED PERFS: Paper has been removed below the base line of the perforation holes.
PUNCHED: See perforations
P V I: Postal validation imprint