What is a....?

- A basic guide to the jargon.

 
A First Day Cover is a cover bearing an authorised cancellation postmark on the first day of issue. For example: Royal Mail launch a commemorative cover celebrating the 50th Centenary of The Lord of The Rings. On the day of issue, the stamps will be placed onto a specially designed envelope and hand stamped with a unique defacing mark. This is often called a cachet marking and is applied by a rubber stamp specially designed for the occasion. It’s now a First Day Cover!  

     
 
A Miniature Sheet is a small sheet of one or several stamps, usually with decorative margins and issued as a souvenir for collectors.      

 
 
A Sheetlet or Se-tenant is a sheet containing stamps of different design or face value etc. joined together.      

 
A Presentation Pack is the perfect showcase for new issues. They tend to contain a Miniature Sheet plus interesting information about the issue and the topic. 

Published with the permission of editionsonline.