APO Army or Fleet POs AUT Autographs of Postmasters BR Branches CA Cachet Covers CAN Canadian CS County Seats DPO Discontinued Post Offices DT Dates or Calendars ERR Errors, Misprints F Foreign FC Flag Cancel FDC First-Day Covers FFC First Flight Covers GN Given Names HC Hand Cancels ME Meters MET Meter Tapes MPP Mailer Postmark Permits MT Maritime ODD Odd, Unusual Postmarks

PC Precancels PFP Pray For Peace Slogans PH Postal History PICT Pictorial Postmarks PMG Postal Markings PMK Postmarks PNL Penalty / Franked Envelopes POV Post Office Views / Photos PST Postal Stationery RPO Railroad Post Offices SC Stampless Covers SL Slogans SMT Small-Town Postmarks SOTN Socked-on-the-Nose SP: Specialty: [Specify] T: Topical: [Specify] US United States USPS USPS Cancels WC War Censor Covers ZC Postmarks with ZIP Codes

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Definitions

APO

Army or Fleet POs: postmarks from the various Post Offices of U.S. Military Installations, Ships, and Bases. Both the Army Post Office and Air Force Post Office are called APO; the Navy Post Office is designated FPO: Fleet Post Office. Example of an APO postmark.

AUT

Autographs of Postmasters — usually on a card or cover bearing the post office's cancellation.

BR

Branch Postmarks: cancellations from various branches, stations, Community Post Offices (CPOs), and Contract Postal Units (CPUs).

CA

Cachet Covers. These usually include beautiful artwork or embossing that coordinates with the theme of the stamp, postmark, or notable event or person being celebrated.

CAN

Canadian — postmarks and/or other postal items from Canada.

CS

County Seats — postmarks from the seat of various states' counties or parishes.

DPO

Discontinued Post Offices: a common preference in postmark collecting. Postmarks from DPOs generally increase in value over time owing to their increasing rarity. Here is an example of a Discontinued Post Office's cancel: Baden-Baden, Illinois.

DT

Dates or Calendars. Examples include the collection of postmarks from specific dates from each year (such as one's birthday, anniversary, etc.) or the filling of a calendar with postmarks from every day of a month or year. This can be challenging as some dates are difficult to find, such as Sundays or holidays. Some people try to collect them all from the same area, or a city with a special name, while others collect dates from any Post Office.

ERR

Errors or Misprints: postmarks that contain errors or misprints of any kind. Examples include wrong dates, upside-down items, and misspellings.

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F

Foreign — postmarks or postal history items from specific counties or from all over the world. Here is a postmark from Hong Kong.

FC

Flag Cancels. Flag cancels have a waving flag design used as the killer portion of the postmark. These cancels were most common from 1896 to 1940.

FDC

First Day Cancels. A special cancel is issued to commemorate the first day a new postage stamp is issued. This cancel is often issued in a city with significance for the stamp, and the covers are often decorated with significant artwork or cachets. Here is an FDC for the first U.S. Triangle Stamps.

FF

First Flights: special cancels issued on the first flight on new air mail routes. Some special cancels have been issued for space missions as well.

GN

Given Names — postmarks from towns and cities with specific names.

HC

Hand Cancels. Hand cancels have been issued thoughout postal history and are still used today. Modern hand cancels are often referred to as "four-bars" because of the four stripes in the killer. Old hand cancels are very valuable and come in many shapes, sizes, designs, and colors. Most modern post offices also have round date stamps used for receipts and cancelling.

ME

Meters — covers that bear postage issued by a meter embossing machine. These postal markings are normally not cancelled, and often have messages or advertising slogans.

MET

Meter Tapes: same as meters, noted above, but franked on an adhesive tape to be placed on parcels or covers.

MPP

Mailer Postmark Permits. There is a chapter in the PMCC devoted to people who collect MPPs. Think of a Mailer's Postmark Permit as a deputized hand-cancel: a person can apply for a permit to be allowed to cancel one's own mail with a special device, and deliver it to a given post office for mailing. Here is an example of one MPP cancellation.

MT

Maritime — postmarks and postal history items from ships and maritime post offices.

ODD

Odd or unusual. These terms can take any definition you like, such as postmarks from unusual places, or odd types of stamps or ink. Here is a postmark from the Federated States of Micronesia. Yes, that's a ZIP code.

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PC

Precancels: covers that are printed with cancels already embossed. These are usually associated with business and bulk mail processed for speed.

PFP

Pray for Peace: The slogan "Pray for Peace" has been issued over many years, from many cities around the country. Some collectors maintain a specific PFP collection from given areas or from all over. The PMCC Museum houses a huge collection of PFP cancels. Here is an example of a Pray For Peace postmark.

PH

Postal History: generally speaking; specializing more in the historical aspects of postmark collecting. Postal history encompasses many subjects, from history of post offices to postage rates and methods of mail delivery. One common topic studied involves the route a cover travels to reach its destination.

PICT

Pictorial Postmarks — cancellations that include pictures or graphics as part of the postmark. Such are issued for a limited time in specific locations to celebrate specific times or events, or for in conjunction with a new stamp issue. The PMCC Museum maintains a collection of pictorial cancellations from around the country. Lists of currently available pictorial cancellations are published in Linn's Stamp News, and USPS's Postal Bulletin.

Here are two examples:
Boy Scouts Conclave — Aurora, CO; 1998;
John Glenn on the Space Shuttle — Lansing, MI; 1998.

PMG

Postal Markings. One can collect the myriad of other postal markings that appear on envelopes besides the actual cancellation. Examples of other postal markings include return-to-sender; censored; receipt required; and more.

PMK

Postmarks — cancellations from post offices. 'Nuff said.

PNL

Penalty/Franked — postal markings for penalty postage fees or specially franked envelopes.

POV

Post Office Views / Photos — photographs of post offices from a specific area or all over the map. The PMCC Museum houses a collection of 50,000 POVs. Currently, a small part of the PMCC Post Office Photograph collection is available online; we hope to add more images to the page. Post offices were also a common subject of old postcards; the Museum has many of these as well.

PST

Postal Stationery — stationery sold by the Post Office with embossed postage.

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RPO

Railroad Post Offices: In the days of yore mail was commonly sorted, cancelled, and delivered right from the railroads. Various trains and routes had their own distinctive cancellations.

SC

Stampless Covers: postmarks that predate the postage stamp itself. Many covers had the postage written on by the Postmaster.

SL

Slogans: postmarks that bear slogans. One example is Please Mail Early For Christmas. Many slogans have been issued throughout postal history, and many are still used today. There is a special slogan collection at the PMCC Museum.

SMT

Small-Town Postmarks. The romantic side of postmark collecting includes the small towns with single post offices and their own specific cancel. Today this often means a hand cancel with a four-bar killer.

SOTN

Socked on the Nose: also called "Bullseye Cancels", these are postmarks with the circle date portion directly on top of the postage stamp. You can find more information at one of our sister clubs: the Bullseye Cancel Collectors Club, or BCCC. Here is an example.

SP:

Specialty [specify]: Any special category.

T:

Topical (specify): Any topical collection category. Examples can include Colors, Flowers, Odd Names, Interstate Routes, 'Saints', Animals, County Seats, Historic Dates, ... . There are endless possibilities! One example: the Presidents.

US

United States: U.S. postmarks.

USPS

USPS Cancels: USPS cancels that were used regularly for some time. These only show a state, ZIP district, and a date.

WC

War Censor: Mail with censor markings from during various wars.

ZC

ZIP Codes — postmarks with ZIP codes shown; possibly specific sets.

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