Philatelic Glossary
This glossary has been compiled from various different sources. Some of the terms have been reproduced with kind permission from the Stanley Gibbons Philatelic Terms Illustrated by James Mackay. If you think a term is missing please e-mail us.
Bordpost
(German) Ship Mail.
Boule de Moulins
Zinc-coated steel sphere containing bundles of letters wrapped in waterproof material which was floated down the River Seine into Paris during the Siege 1870-1871.
Boxlink
An accelerated service operated by the New Zealand Post Office mainly for business users.
Boy Scout Posts
Posts organised by boy scouts in the absence of national post services and at Christmas when Royal Mail has authorised the service for the specific purpose of local delivery of Christmas Cards.
Braille
A system of printing by means of raised dots enabling visually impaired people to read by touch.
Briefmarke
The German word for stamp.
Britannia Types
Early British Colonial design engraved by Perkins Bacon e.g. for British West Indies.
British Closed Mail
Prepaid mail for foreign countries sent through the British postal system 1849.
British Gum
Commercial name for dextrin, leiocome or starch gum used on early British stamps.
British Postal Agency
A British post office or a location in an overseas country where British mail was handled.
Broken Letters
Malformed or broken letters in the inscriptions on stamps caused by damage to the printing plate.
Brunswick Star
Postmark used in Edinburgh between 1863 and 1873, so called because it was similar to the star of the Ducal Order of Brunswick.
BT Surmounted by a Crown
Punch perforated on stamps of GB signifies Board of Trade.
Bulk Handling Centre
Location where mail posted in bulk is handled and sorted.
Bulk Posting
Where prepayment has been made to the Post Office for letters and packets posted in bulk.
Bulk Rate Stamps
Special low denomination adhesive stamps for use on bulk posted mail.
Bull's Eyes
Nickname given to the first issues of Brazil.
Burélage
A fine network composed of either wavy lines or dots.
Burélé
Having burélage or network.
Bureau Prints
Stamps produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington.
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Find out how to study our collection of unique registration sheets, metal dies and plates, and modern stamp artwork.
Volunteers
Volunteers offer us invaluable support - and extra help is always welcome!
Our volunteers have helped catalogue our collection, run our events, and more. Find out how to get involved.
