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.
G.C.Paper
Grande Consommation (q.v.)
G.P.U.
General Postal Union.(q.v.)
Galvanotyping
Term synonymous with electrotyping (q.v.).
Garter Watermark
Watermark representing the insignia of the Order of the Garter, large, medium and small.
Gauge
Term describing both stamp separation and the instrument used to measure them (q.v. Perforation Gauge).
General Collection
One that embraces stamps of many countries.
General Letter Office
Name by which the British Post Office was originally known.
General Postal Union
Original name for the Universal Postal Union (q.v).
Generic Smilers
In addition to Customised Smilers sheets (q.v. Smilers) Royal Mail provides the stamps with a printed motif on the labels in place of a personal photograph.
Germania
The longest lived German stamp also used in many German Colonies.
Glacé Paper
Paper that has been given a glossy finish by glazing with friction or applied heat.
Glider Mail
Mail conveyed by glider.
Goats Eyes
Nickname for the second issue Brazilian stamps.
Goldbeaters Skin
A thin translucent resin based paper used for the 1886 parcel stamps of Germany.
Government Parcels
Overprint on British stamps used for parcels dispatched on government service.
Grande Consommation
Emergency paper used for certain French stamps during and after the First World War.
Granite Paper
Paper having coloured cotton, linen, jute or wool fibres embodied within it.
Graphite Line
Vertical black lines printed on the back of certain British stamps in 1957 for experiments in automatic sorting.
Gravure
Printing by which the ink is held in tiny cells etched into the cylinder. Once known as photogravure (q.v.) when photography was involved in the process.
Greetings Stamps
Special stamps giving various forms of greeting, often issued with appropriate labels.
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