Our Stamp Den

Tips for the Beginner
 Mourning Stamps
Nicknames of famous stamps
TASCO Educational Booklets
TASCO Non-booklet items: advertising covers, cinderellas, approval sheets, etc
World Records in Stamps
Write an Article or Tell us About Your Collection
Ten Low Cost Ways to Start Collecting Stamps

Albums - Glassine Interleaving
Acid_Paper_and_Album_Pages
Buying Stamps - Kiloware and Mixtures
Buying & Using Sheet Protectors
Buying Stamps - New Issues
Great Deals are Often Not What They Seem
 Glues, Gums, and Adhesives
How to Tell a Revenue Usage When You See One
Inventories or Keeping Track
Learning About Your Hobby
Mount Stamps
Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Cancellations
 Problems and a solution
Select An Album
Soaking Stamps
Soaking II
Sort Stamps
Save Time
Tools of the Trade
Tools -Cleaning Up
Tools - Stockbooks, Stockpages and Stockcards
Tag Stamps --Safety
Watermark Stamps 
What Condition Your Condition Is In
Specializing and Specialty Groups
What are and How to --Perforations---
What is My Collection Worth?
 “Unlisted Watermarks” and More
Used Catalogs and Stamp Books

Artcraft FDC's
My Other World
U.S. Revenues - I Love them!
What to Collect

Donations

On To The Fun Page

Stamp Glossary "M"

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Machin The name given to G.B. definitives, first issued in 1967 bearing the Queen's head designed from a plaster cast of the queen's profile by Arnold Machin,

Machine Cancellation A mark applied by an automatic machines as opposed to handstamping, on the stamps to denote usage and prevent re-use.

Maltese Cross Term used (but erroneously) to describe the 1840 obliteration of Great Britain. It is actually an eight-pointed cross formed by four triangles, their tops meeting in the center, their bases indented-the top points should not overlap.

Margin The unprinted edging surrounding or dividing a sheet of stamps.

Marginal Guide Marks Lines, dots, arrows and other marks in the margins of sheets of stamps use as guides by the printer in perforating and trimming the printed sheets.

Marginal Inscriptions see Imprints

Metered Mail Mail that is automatically franked by a machine. The impression, which is a combined ‘postage stamp and postmark’, marks the amount of postage paid and the date of posting, while the automatic machine ‘meters’ or records the number of letters and the total postage.

Millesime Numerals recording the year of printing certain stamps of France and Colonies-‘1’,’2’, etc. (the last digit of the year of issue), usually printed in the gutter margins between panes.

Miniature Sheet A small sheet containing a single stamp, pair, block or set of stamps, with wide, inscribed and/or decorative margins, issued as a commemorative souvenir for collectors. Also known as souvenir sheet

Mint Stamp as originally issued, unused and with full gum.

Mourning Stamps Stamps issued during national bereavement, either special issues printed in black or existing stamps having an added black border.

Mute cancel -- A dated postmark that does not give the name or location of the canceling office.