A triptych is a
philatelic
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 possi ...
term (from the Greek: "three" + "fold") which was borrowed from the art world and having the same meaning: a set of three panels hinged together.
[Bennett, Russell and Watson, James; ''Philatelic Terms Illustrated'', Stanley Gibbons Publications, London (1978).] It is used to describe three
se-tenant 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 ...
s of related design that make up a complete single design.
In the US, the form is rarely used, perhaps because it does not lend itself to the popular plate block of four format for collecting. Instead, one frequently sees blocks of two or four or other even number of se-tenant stamps. In 1976, the US produced the "
Spirit of '76 Spirit of '76 may refer to:
* Spirit of '76 (sentiment), patriotic sentiment engendered by the American Revolution
* ''The Spirit of '76'' (painting), a painting by Archibald Willard
* ''Spirit of '76'' (album), a 1975 album by Spirit
* Spirit ...
" issue. In 1992 for the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, the US issued a series of five triptychs in vertical format based on the famous 1892 series of
commemorative stamps
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...
. This was a triptych only in the sense that they were thematically related to each other, but they were distinctively three designs rather than like the continuous design of the Spirit of '76.
References
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Philatelic terminology