Jargon Buster

Stamp: A small adhesive piece of paper, issued by a Post Office, of specific value to be affixed to a letter or parcel to indicate the amount of postage paid.

Cover: A term used for an envelope or other postal item that has travelled through the mail, collectible for its stamps, postmarks and/or historical interest.

First Day Cover: An envelope with a stamp that has been postmarked and cancelled on the very first day of that stamps release.

Postmark: An official mark that cancels the stamp for future use that is applied by the postal service which shows place, date and time of postage.

Miniature Sheet: A small sheet of postage stamps containing anywhere from 2 - 25 stamps that often commemorate events, making them highly collectible among philatelists. 

Definitive Stamp: Everyday postage stamps issued in standard designs that feature the Monarch.

Commemorative Stamp: A special decorative stamp that’s released to mark an event, anniversary, hobby etc.

Prestige Stamp Booklet: Miniature books containing panes of stamps, pages of text and pictures dedicated to the subject of the booklet.

Panes: A group of stamps sold together, usually as a sheet.

Hand-cancelled: The process in which a postal worker stamps a postmark on a cover by hand rather than with an automated machine.

Half-penny Postcard: Introduced in Britain in 1870 as the first affordable and prepaid postcards. At the cost of a halfpenny, these postcards made communicating small messages cheaper and more accessible.

Collectible/Collectibles: Objects kept because of their historical, artistic, sentimental or monetary values.

Curated Covers: Specially selected historical covers chosen for their historical importance, rarity and beauty.

Relics: Artefacts with historical significance of any genre, authenticated and sold as collectible items.

Philately: The collection and study of postal stamps.

Certificate of Authenticity: An official document that verifies an item is genuine and confirms its origin.