In
philately
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is poss ...
a reprint is a new printing of a
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
from the original plates.
[Sutton, R.J. & K.W. Anthony. ''The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia''. 6th edition. London: Stanley Paul, 1966, p.205.] A reprint is to be distinguished from a
new print which is not printed from the original medium. A reprint may or may not be valid as postage.
Background
While it is common for a postal service to order print-runs as stocks are diminished by the public, it is also the usual practice to only use a given design for a small period of time so as to discourage
forgery
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...
, and then to destroy the
printing plates.
Sometimes the authorities keep the plates on hand, and reuse them later. The reasons have included:
* Problems with a new design, resulting in a sudden need for additional stamps
* Additional copies for
stamp collectors
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study (or combined study and collection) of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth ...
* Souvenirs for
stamp show
A philatelic exhibition is an exhibition of stamps and postal history where stamp collectors (philatelists) compete for medals. The displays are shown in glass frames, and the exhibition is normally accompanied by stamp dealer bourses and post o ...
s, government meetings, etc. (these are often printed on cards rather than stamp paper)
Identifying reprints
As reprints are produced from the original plates, it can be very difficult to distinguish them from the original printing. Frequently subtle details matter, such the type of paper, type of gum, or color shades. Reprints often appear fresh and bright compared to the originals.
Official reprints
In a few cases, the postal authorities have produced
official reproductions, copies of an existing design created on new plates. A notable example of this occurred in 1875 in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where all stamps issued to date were reproduced or reprinted with the intention of making them more readily available to collectors. (The actual numbers printed were small, and so most of the reissues are now rarer and more expensive than the originals they resemble.) In 1962, to prevent people profiting from the issue of an
invert stamp error, the
United States Post Office Department
The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department, officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the postmas ...
intentionally reprinted 40,270,000 copies the yellow
Dag Hammarskjöld invert
The Dag Hammarskjöld invert is a 4 cent value postage stamp error issued on 23 October 1962 by the United States Postal Service (then known as the Post Office Department) one year after the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the Un ...
stamp.
''Dag Hammarskjöld On Stamps'' by Chuck Matlack (retrieved 29 September 2006)
/ref>
Unofficial reprints
Unofficial or illegitimate reprints also exist, being produced by private printers who were contracted to print stamps, but retained the plates for their own use. The classic example is the Seebeck reprints of Latin American stamps produced in great numbers around the end of the 19th century.
References
{{reflist
See also
* New print (philately)
Philatelic terminology