Abbreviations & Philatelic Terminology

Listed below are a number of philatelic and stamp abbreviations commonly used in the profession.

Abbreviations	Definitions
MUH **	Mint Unhinged – Unmounted Mint, Mint Never Hinged
MLH *	Mint Lightly Hinged
Unused / (*)	Mint or Uncancelled without Gum – (Generally on earlier issues Pre-1900)
GU / FU / VFU	Good Used, Fine Used or Very Fine Used
(O)	Good Used, Fine Used or Very Fine Used
U	Used
Superb	Perfect! No faults
Wmk	Watermark
W/C	Well Centred
R/C	Reasonably Centred
O/C	Appreciably Off-Centre – Usually in two Directions
CTO	Cancelled to order (Generally from PO "specimen" packs)
GU / VGU	Good used, Very Good Used
c.d.s.	Circular date stamp cancellation
h/s	Handstamped or Handstamp
SG	Stanley Gibbons catalogue number – usually “Part 1″ Br. Commonwealth in £ GBP £ Sterling.
ACSC or B/W	Brusden White Aust. Commonwealth Specialist Catalogue
ASBA	Australian Booklet Specialist Album
SC or Scott	Scott Catalogue number current edition and price in $US
Mi or Michel	Michel (German) Catalogue. Current edition and prices in Euros
A.S.C.	Australian Stamp Catalogue (Seven Seas Stamps) Current Colour Edition
S/S	Seven Seas
C of A	Commonwealth of Australia
A.A.M.C. / Eustis	Australian Air Mail Catalogue (Nelson Eustis) current edition
Mi	Michel German Catalogue
Zum	Zumstein Catalogue
CP	Campbell Patterson – New Zealand Catalogue
VST	Victoria Stamp Traders
SCDAA	Stamp & Coin Dealers Association of Australasia
AP	Australia Post
WCS	Wesley Cover Service
Unadd	Unaddressed
AAT	Australian Antarctic Territory
BAT	British Antarctic Territory
BIOT	British Indian Ocean Territory
OS	Official Service – Official Use
BCOF	British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Japan)
N.W.P.I	North West Pacific Islands
GRI	Georgus Rex Imperator
O/W	Otherwise
QV	Queen Victoria
KEVII	King Edward VII
KGV	King George V
KGVI	King George VI
QE II	Queen Elizabeth II
F.D.C.	First Day Cover
C	Cover
SC	Souvenir Cover
PC	Postcard
FDI	First Day of Issue
PSE	Pre-Stamped Envelope
LC	Lettercard
F.V. or FV	Face Value
Commem	Commemorative or Special Issue sets
Defin	Definitive or Regular long term issue stamp sets
Opt.	Overprinted
M/S	Miniature Sheets / Souvenir Sheets
B/S	Button Set
b/s	Back stamp
Shtlt	Sheetlet
VF or V.F.	Very Fine: Refers to overall condition, not just
Bklt / B	Booklet
POP	Post Office Pack
P	Portfolio
A	Album or Year Album
CN	Collection
CC	Collector Card
HB	Heritage Book
PTM	Perforated Through Margin
PPM	Part Perforated Through Margin
IPM	Imperforate Margin
S	Specimen
Unc.	Uncirculated
Perf	Perforation
Imperf	Imperforate
Imp.	Imprint
POA	Price on Application
Env.	Envelope
H & G	Higgins & Gage (Postal Stationery Catalogue)
Cat. / CV	Catalogue Value
STC	Stated to have a catalogue value of……………
Selv.	Selvedge
(P)	Photographed
CPS	Counter Printed Stamps ( Face Value Printed on Stamps at P.O. Counter )
ATM	Automatic Teller Machine
P.O.	Post Office
Marg.	Marginal (Copy of Stamp Adjacent to Selvedge of Sheet)

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