A questions to stamps collectors

[Viktory_M]

Hello world,

I need your help as i am not very long in stamps Collecting, so perhaps i don’t understand something.

Some time ago i ordered several sets of stamps from an online Europe shop.
Some of the stamps look like real stamps: the glue on the back side, the paint and trace of the postage Mark pushed to the paper. But others arose questions - too… New inspite of the quite an Old age.
The most curious item is this sheet.

The stamps of 1995 year of different collections printed and cancelled on one sheet. Looks a bit confusing - or don’t i understand something of the Korean stamps and they were sold already cancelled…

I’d love to hear your opinion.
Thank you in advance.
Have a nice Day!
Vik

[delda]

It looks like these ‘stamps’ have been cancelled. But I wonder why only half or a quarter of a cancel shows up …

[APOSTOLOSRIGOPOULOS]

Hi Vik
These stamps are CTO (cancelled to order). They were cancelled by the post office, never used.
Regards
Apostolos

[Hemang]

These are CTO as mentioned by @APOSTOLOSRIGOPOULOS , they are not much valueable for Philatelist as mostly all avoid them, but few of the CTOs are also good if you are collecting Thematic stamps:)
And they were cancelled just because post office can sell them below face value and they can’t be reused

[Viktory_M]

@delda

why only half or a quarter

That is my question too.

We also have cancelled stamps sold at a lower cost. Especially when it’s a first day issue. But We have a whole sheet of one topic cancelled with a single postage mark

But those are all the different topic stamps with half or quarter cancellation. And Not a sign that a seal was pushed to the paper.

Thank you @APOSTOLOSRIGOPOULOS and @Hemang for the answer!

[nasia]

Hi, they were probably part of a bigger sheet that was later split and that is why part of the postmark is missing.

[Norway_girl]

If the half postmarks had only been at the edge stamps, I could have understood that they were part of a larger sheet. But how can one explain the half ones in the middle of the sheet?!

[delda]

My question exactly!

[Seracker]

I’ve tried to search the net and while I’ve found several more instances of the same stamp sheet with the half cancellations, no one has an answer to why the postmarks are in half

My guess is because each strip of 4 vertical stamps are of a different theme, and the complete set should have been two strips of 4 vertical stamps (ie 8 stamps for animals, 8 stamps for fish etc.).
Since there is only half the set, thus there is only half the postmark?

[Alyonushka-SPb]

maybe this cancellation was printed by the printing house during the stamp printing process, a fictitious cancellation

[cliffside]

As @APOSTOLOSRIGOPOULOS pointed out, these Canceled-To-Order (CTO) are avoided by most stamp collectors. Decades ago, pictorial/ commemorative stamps from Eastern Bloc, the Trucial States (Arab Gulf sheikdoms), and other nations were sold by their postal authorities, lightly canceled to stamp dealers around the world. The vast majority never saw valid postal use.

Over the years, I have comes across these issues on cover (envelope) that did enter the mailstream. These CTO stamps here in the US are affectionately called “wallpaper.”

[missmelbourne]

@Alyonushka-SPb

maybe this cancellation was printed by the printing house during the stamp printing process, a fictitious cancellation

I think this is right, because images of the same stamp sheet online seem to have identical cancellations in exactly the same positions.

[Hemang]

Yeah, that’s possible, some postal authorities make stamps with cancellation already printed on them, so no ned to cancel on order after wards, just like making them to sell at low price(i don’t get this point but this was happening)

[nasia]

Apparently, I need new glasses. Sorry, I didn’t see the ones in the middle!

[tangqiuning]

A

Advertising Labels 广告副票
Aero-philately 航空集邮
Airmail Label 航空签条
Airmail Stamp 航空邮票
Airmail Stamped Envelope 航空邮资信封
A.R.(lettre recommandee avec accuse de reception，Advice of Receipt ) 挂号邮件回执
Arrival Postmark 到达戳

B
B. D.C.(Before Day Cover ) 前日封
Bi-colors 双色
Bisect 对剖邮票
Blind Perforation 盲齿
Block (B) 方连
Block of Four 四方连
Bogus 臆造品
Booklet 邮册
Bottom Margin Imperforated 长尾

C

Cachet 纪念邮戳
Canceled Stamp 盖销票
Cancellation Missed 漏盖
Catalogue (Cat．) 目录
Catalogue Value (c/v) 目录价
Center 图幅居中
Chalky Paper (C) 粉面纸
Charity Stamp 附捐邮票
Chemical Color Changing 化学变色
Chemical Gum 化学胶
Clean-cut Perforation 光齿
Coil Stamp 卷简邮票
Color 邮票刷色
Colored Paper 有色纸
Commemorative Envelope 纪念封
Commemorative Postmark 纪念邮戳
Commemorative Stamp 纪念邮票
Commemorative Stamped Envelope 纪念邮资信封
Commemorative Stamped Postcard 纪念邮资明信片
Compound Perforation 复合齿孔
Condition 品相
Crease and Fold 折白
Crystal Mount 护邮袋

D

Date of Issue 发行日期
Definitive Stamp 特种邮票
Denomination 面值
Design 设计
Designer 设计者
Ditch 过桥
Domestic 国内
Double Cancellation 复盖

E

Entire Cover 实寄封
Entire Postcard 实寄片
Estimated (Est.) 估价
Exhibit Evaluation 展品评审
Express Labels 快递签条
Express Stamp 快递邮票

F

Fading 褪色
Faked Entire 伪造实寄封
Faked Gum 伪造背胶
Faked Imperforate Stamp 假无齿票
Faked Perforation 伪造齿孔
Faked Used Stamp 假盖销票
Fakery 伪造品
F.D.C.(First Day Cover) 首日封
F.F.C．(First Flight Cover) 首航封
Fine (F) 佳品
First Day Entire Cover 首日实寄封
Format 版式，形式

G

Gum 背胶

H

Horizontal Line Perforation Dropped 横缝漏齿
Horizontal Middle Line Perforation Dropped 横中缝漏齿

I

International Philatelic Exhibition 国际集邮展览
International Postcard 国际明信片
International Reply Coupon 国际回信券
Inverted and Double Cancellation 倒盖兼复盖
Inverted Cancellation 倒盖
Inverted Water Mark 倒水印
Issue 发行

J

Joint Issue 联合发行

L

Landscape Datemark 风景日戳
Landscape stamped Postcard 风光邮资明信片
L.D.C.(Last Day Cover) 尾日封
Left Margin Imperforated 左阔边
Letter Sheet 邮简
Literature Philately 文献集邮
Local Postcard 本埠明信片

M

Magnifier 放大镜
Manuscript Cancellation 手写注销
Maxima-philately 极限集邮
Maximum Card 极限明信片
M.C.(Maltese cross Postmark) 马耳他十字邮戳
Medalist Cover 镶嵌封
Middle Line Perforation Dropped 中缝漏齿
Military Postal Cover 军邮封
Military Postcard 军用邮戳
Military Postmark 军用明信片
Military Stamp 军用邮票
Miniature Sheet( M/S) 小型张
Mint Stamp (M．) 新票，无邮戳的

O

Official 官方
Offset 胶版

P

Paper 纸质
Perforation 齿孔
Personal Stamp Sheet 个性化邮票全张
philately 集邮
phosphor overprint 荧光印刷
Postage Due Stamp 欠资邮票
Presentation Pack 套折
Printer 印刷厂
Printing 印刷版别

Q

Quantity 发行数量

R

Receipt 回执
Registered 挂号
Reprint 重印

S

Self-adhesive stamp 自粘邮票
Series 系列
Set 套
Sheetlet “全张,整版”
Size 规格
Souvenir Sheet 小全张
Stamp Sheet 版票
synthetic gum 人造背胶

T

Theme 主题
Topical-philately 专题集邮

W

Watermark 水印
Withdrawal Date 撤销发行日期

[tangqiuning]

I think this is not a real stamp, but printed for export exchange, we call it flower paper. Cannot be used for actual daily postal delivery.

North Korea used to export such “stamps” in large quantities in the last century, and they are not of collectible value because the “stamp” is not recognized in the rules of international philatelic exhibitions.

[tangqiuning]

In China, in order to develop youth philately activities, postal authorities sometimes sell some new stamps to young collectors after cancelling them at a low price.