ESG Elizabethan II Study Group
Journal: The Corgi Times

Glossary


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Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

F

Face value - the postage or denomination of a stamp at the time it was sold by the post office. Even a non-denominated stamp has a face value.
Fake - a genuine stamp, cancellation or cover that has been fraudulently altered.

See also: counterfeit, forgery


Fake
Fasson - a manufacturer of paper used on Elizabethan-era self-adhesive stamps.
FDC - acronym for First Day Cover.
Find - a new discovery, usually of something that was not thought to exist. It can be a single item or a hoard of stamps or covers.
First Day Cover - an envelope on which a stamp is placed and cancelled on the first day of issue of that stamp. Typically a cachet is applied to the left side of the envelope describing the stamp's issue.

Since 1971, Canada Post has been issuing its own Official First Day Covers which has resulted in virtually no market for collector-serviced FDCs.

See also: Combination first day cover


First Day Cover
Flaw - a defect in a plate, causing an identifiable variety in the stamp itself.

If the flaw occurs in the same spot on the plate over the entire printing run, it is said to be constant. Most flaws are not constant.


Flaw
Flecked paper - fluorescent fibers imbedded in the stamp paper. A UV light will "excite" these fibers and make them glow. Sometimes referred to as "speckled fluorescence".

Varying amounts of "flecking" may appear in the paper.


Flecked paper
Fluorescence - the reaction of the stamp paper when exposed by an ultraviolet (UV) light. Levels of fluorescence (flrsc) include: Dead, Dull (NF), Low (LF), Medium (MF), High (HF), and Hi-brite (HB). The 'brighter' the fluorescence, the whiter the stamp (under the UV light); the duller varieties are darker (grey to black) under the UV light.

Determining the fluorescence of a stamp is generally subjective in nature.

 

Paper fluorescence

Flrsc NF/Dead Dull LF F MF HF HB
pre Abitibi-Price 505 400       485 497
Abitibi-Price 899 884 726 1060   664 640
Harrison 1334-37 1038   -   -  
Clark   1006          
Rolland 1111-12 1135-38 925b - 1094 - -
Peterborough 1251   - 1627 1738 1636 1814
Slater   1154          
Coated Papers (TRC) 1589            

Fluorescence as seen on back of stamp, except for pre-Abitibi paper with gum arabic adhesive, where fluorescence is measured on front.

* All Harrison NF/Dull back paper is NF/Dead on the front.

** All Slater, Clark, Coated (TRC), and Peterborough (surface coated only) papers are NF/Dead on the front.

Blank cells indicate no such paper used/known.
Cells with - indicate no unique stamp (only on this paper) is known.
NF and DEAD paper are deemed to be the same.

There are several instances on Canadian Elizabethan II-era stamps where the printing ink will fluoresce ('glow') when exposed to a UV light. These include:

Unitrade # Description
749, 750-751 'Canada 12' can be found with fluorescent ink
769, 771 'Canada 14' can be found with fluorescent ink
1673-1680 Different printings may have fluorescent ink throughout
BK365-BK367 Second printing has fluorescent red ink on back cover

The technical term of fluorescence is "emission of radiation, usually as visible light from and only during the absorption of radiation from some other source" (i.e. an ultraviolet light).

Flyspecking - the 'art' of studying hundreds or thousands of a specific stamp looking for minute variations in the hope of finding constant plate varieties.
Fold over - a very dramatic form of variety that results from a corner of the printing paper being folded over during the printing process. This fold can occur before any printing occurs or part way through the printing process.
Fold over
Forgery - any stamp or cover made to deceive a stamp collector.

See also: counterfeit, fake


Forgery (double perf)
Freak - an abnormal, usually non-repetitive occurrence in the production of stamps. Most paper folds (see above), overinking, ink smears, and perforation shifts are freaks. Those abnormalities occurring regularly are called varieties or major errors.
Freak (perforation shift)
Front - the front of a cover with most or all of the back and side panels torn away or removed. Fronts are less desirable than an intact cover.



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