Stamp Collecting Terminology
There are many terms specific to stamp-collecting that are good to know if you're going to get serious about this hobby:
Acid Free Paper: The best type of paper to use for displaying stamps as it slows aging.
Crease: A fold in the stamp. These get rated from heavy (serious) to faint) and some collectors try to iron them out to improve the value of the stamp.
Fading: The color of the stamp has lightened often due to exposure to light.
Hinge: A rectangular piece of paper that holds stamps in an album without glue
Imperforate stamp: Stamp sold without any perforations.
Mount: Another way of putting stamps in an album that doesnt disturb the original gum (the mount is put on a page, and the stamp slides in). These are usually reserved for high value stamps
Natural translucency: A naturally occurring thin area of paper that was designed into the stamp (not created by wear)
Original gum: The gum on this stamp is in the same condition as when originally made
Perforation Gauge: This is a tool that helps identify a single stamp from a set of stamps that are identical. Each stamp will have a different number of perforations.
Philatelic: the other name for stamp collecting.
Pinhole: A type of wear creating a tiny hole (light goes through this).
Previously hinged: This stamp has its original gum but it seems to have abnormalities like those caused by dampness
Redistributed original gum: This hides imperfections by taking the original gum and reallocated on the back of the stamp
Regummed: This stamp has had new gum added to the back.
Repair: Anything that attempts to cover or fix previous harm to the stamp.
Reperforated stamps: A way to try and fool collectors by adding perforations.
Scrape: A surface scratch on the stamp.
Staining: Discoloration (such as yellowing) of a stamps hues.
Tongs: Since finger oil can damage stamps, special tongs allow you to move them and keep them clean. These are very similar to teasers
Trimmed perforations: The stamps original perforations were trimmed after issuance
Watermark Detector: This lets you see patterns beneath the surface of a stamp that also indicate issuance times.
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