Philatelic Terms Illustrated

Composite  Stamps

Coil Stamps

Cancelled To Order

Composite Stamps (Australia National Stamp Week,1980)

Stamps in which the design is spread over two or more stamps.

Coil Stamps (Hong Kong, numerical backprint)

Stamps were prepared in rolls or coils to be dispensed  from coin-operated slot machines. Such stamps may differ from ordinary "sheet" stamp for example, some form of numerical backprint applied to every fifth or tenth stamp.

Cancelled To Order-Republique Togolaise issue

Stamps have been cancelled without actually performing postal service.

Composite Sheet

Plate Number

Strip

Composite Sheet (Pakistan Exports,2003)

A sheet of stamps make up of different values, types or designs, or a normal sheet over-printed or surcharged in a similar manner, enabling a complete unit or set of stamps to be obtained from a single sheet.

Plate number-larger numbers in sheet margin of  Hong Kong stamps

Numeral, occasionally  with a letter suffix, usually inscribed on the sheet margins to denote the plate from which stamps were printed. Some plates are divided into two or more panes and the latter are usually denoted by the suffix letter.

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Strip of 4, vertical (Thailand,1983)

Three or more stamps joined in a single row, horizontal or vertical