A Glossary of Terms for the Collector of United States Stamps

A - 1.) a marginal marking used on flat plates indicating uniform vertical spacing between rows of stamps.  This marking was intended to assist operators of perforating equipment.  2.) the prefix letter used by the American Bank Note Co. in front of the plate number on its modern stamp production.

"A" (Combination) Press - a webfed, eight color press (three intaglio colors and five gravure colors) in use at the BEP from 1973-1993.  It created panes with floating plate numbers.

AC Tagging - Added to Color tagging.  See Phosphored Ink.

AEF - see American Expeditionary Force.

AMF - see Air Mail Field.

AMG - see Allied Military Government.

AMSD - see Air Mail Special Delivery.

APEX - see American Philatelic Expertizing Service.

APO - see Army and Air Force Post Office.

APRL - see American Philatelic Research Library.

APS - see American Philatelic Society.

Achrovure Division of Union Camp, Inc. - private printer of the 1968 6¢ Walt Disney commemorative,  Scott 1355.

Acknowledgement of Receipt Service - see Return Receipt.

Add-on - a cachet added to a first day cover sometime subsequent to the time of its cancellation.

Advertised Letter - a letter that was advertised in a newspaper by the post office in an attempt to induce the addressee to claim it.  Advertising of letters ended in the early 1920s.

Advertising Cover - a cover with an inscription or illustration advertising some product or service of the sender.

Aerogram - a sheet of paper with a strategically placed stamp-like indicium that prepays air mail postage.  After the message and the name and address of the recipient are written, the sheet is folded, sealed and mailed.  No enclosures are permitted.  Also see Private Aerogram.  Scott numbers for aerograms and air mail stamped envelopes begin with UC.

Affixing Machine - a machine that affixes stamps to an envelope, card or wrapper.

Air Letter Sheet - see Aerogram.

Airlift - see Parcel Airlift.

*Air Mail - the carrying of mail by airplane or other airship.  This service, provided for a fee, originated in 1918.  Since 1977 no separate fee has been charged for domestic air mail service.

Air Mail Field - a postal facility at an air mail field.  Frequently the abbreviation AMF appears in postmarks applied at such facilities.

Air Mail Postal Card - a postal card intended to be sent by air mail.  Scott numbers begin with UXC.

Air Mail Semi-Official Stamps - privately printed stamps issued for a balloon flight in 1877 and an airplane flight in 1911.  see Buffalo Balloon and Rodgers Aerial Post.  Scott numbers begin with CL.

Air Mail Special Delivery Stamp - a stamp that pays the fee both for air mail and special delivery.  Although the first two air mail stamps of 1918 also provided for special delivery service, they are not generally included in the category of Air Mail Special Delivery Stamps.  Scott numbers for air mail special delivery stamps begin with CE.

*Air Mail Stamp - a stamp paying the postage for air mail.  Since 1977 Air Mail stamps are issued only for international air mail.  Scott numbers for air mail stamps begin with C.

Air Mail Stamped Envelope - a stamped envelope intended for air mail service.  Scott numbers for air mail stamped envelopes and aerograms begin with UC.

Air Post Semi-Official Stamps - see Buffalo Balloon and Rodgers Aerial Post.

Air Post Stamp - see Air Mail Stamp.

Albino Stationery - a stamped envelope on which the embossed stamp-like indicium is entirely lacking in intended color.

Allied Military Government Stamps - postage stamps issued following World War II by the Allied Military Government for use in Italy, France, Germany and Austria.  Most of these stamps were printed by the BEP.  These stamps are unlisted by the Scott Specialized Catalogue but are regarded by many collectors as belonging within the family of US stamps.

Ambulance Bag - a nickname for the plastic bags used by the USPS to deliver mail that has been damaged.  Paper envelopes serving a similar purpose were used by the Post Office as long ago as the mid-19th century.

American Bank Note Co. - holder of the contract to print postage stamps from 1879 to 1894, the Overrun Nations stamps of 1943-44, and various issues since 1979.

*American Design Series - series of definitive  postage stamps that begun in 2002 with the 5¢ American Toleware coil postage stamp,  Scott 3612.

American Expeditionary Force - the American Forces in Europe during World War I for which two different booklets of stamps were produced.  The booklets contained panes of 30 stamps each, sometimes called AEF panes.  Scott 498f & 499f.

American Guideline Society - predecessor organization to the United States Stamp Society.

American Packaging Corp. - subcontractor to Sennett Security Products for printing of Scott 3052, the 1999 33¢ Rose stamp.

American Philatelic Center - the planned new home of the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library in Bellefonte, PA.

American Philatelic Expertizing Service - service of the APS that renders authoritative opinions on the genuineness of stamps and covers.

American Philatelic Research Library - largest private philatelic library in the United States, with extensive resources for researchers and collectors.

American Philatelic Society - largest philatelic organization in the United States.

American Postal Machine Co. - major manufacturer of cancelling machines in use from the 1880s to the 1940s.

*Americana Issue - series of definitive  stamps that began in 1975.  The first Scott # is 1581.

Ameripex '86 - one in a series of once-per-decade international stamp shows hosted in the U.S.  Held in Chicago in 1986.  A stamp (Scott 1986), miniature sheets (Scott 2716-2219) and an Air Mail Postal Card (Scott UXC23) were issued in conjunction with this show.

Andreotti Press - a seven color gravure press installed at the BEP in 1970. The first stamp printed by this press was the 1971 Missouri Statehood Issue (Scott 1426).  In addition to stamps this press also produced aerograms.

Aniline Ink - a fugitive ink made with synthetic organic pigments produced as derivatives of nitrobenzene; used to surcharge some revenue stamps.

Army and Air Force Post Office - (formerly Army Post Office)  A US post office established for military units overseas.  An APO, as it is called, is known by an assigned number.

Army Flights - 1.) air mail flights flown by army pilots from May 15 to August 11, 1918.  Beginning August 12, 1918 the mail was flown by civilian pilots.  2.) air mail flights flown by army air corp pilots during a short, disastrous "emergency" period in 1934 when President Roosevelt cancelled CAM contracts.

Arrow - a marginal marking, shaped like a "V" which served as a guide for cutting sheets into smaller units, and as a guide in the perforation process.

Arrow Block - margin block with a "V" shaped marginal marking.

Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd. - private printer of postage stamps since in 1991.  Printer of the first commemoratives produced exclusively by offset lithography, the 1992 Wildflowers Stamps pane,  Scott 2647-2696.

Atherton Shift - a striking double transfer on the 1861 2¢ black Andrew Jackson postage stamp.

Attleboro Perforations - perforations privately applied to imperforate  flat plate stamps by The Attleboro Stamp Company for use in an affixing machine.

Austrian Occupation Issues - see Allied Military Government Stamps.

Automatic Cancelling Machines - cancelling machines introduced in 1963 when phosphor tagging was introduced.  These machines replaced manual cancelling machines.

*Auxiliary Marking - postal marking applied to covers indicating that the covers were given special attention due to some special circumstance.  Examples: "Postage Due," "Return to Sender," and "Refused."

Avery Dennison - successor corporation to Avery International and private printer of postage stamps beginning in 1992 with the 29¢ Toy Locomotive pane, Scott 2719.

Avery International - private printer of postage stamps beginning in 1990 with the 25¢ Flag self-adhesive stamp, Scott 2522.  Previously Avery International provided pressure sensitive materials for other stamps, including the first self-adhesive stamp, the 1974 10¢ Dove Weathervane, Scott 1552.