Commercial Covers vs. Philatelic Covers - How to Tell the Difference

As we said yesterday, sometimes the distinction between commercial covers and philatelic covers can be a bit blurry. But if you're a cover collector, it is essential to be able to determine if a particular cover is commercial or philatelic.


There are perhaps three ways to determine whether or not a cover is commercial in nature:

1. What postage rate is the cover paying as compared to what franking should be on the cover? In other words, were stamps with a face value that is more than what was necessary to mail it used? If so, the cover may be philatelic, although sometimes commercial covers do have more postage than actually necessary on them.

2. In what timeframe were the stamps used on the cover? In other words, were the stamps used within a short period of time after they were issued (more likely to be a commercial use, although first day covers would be an exception), or were they used much later than they were issued (more likely to be a philatelic cover)?

3. How does the cover look? By that we mean, is its overall appearance philatelic or commercial? This is a judgment call, but here are some things to consider in making that judgment.

Have the stamps been very neatly placed on the cover or is their appearance on the envelope a bit haphazard?

Are all the members of a stamp set present or is a single definitive stamp the only franking?

Is it a philatelic cancel from a stamp show or exhibition?

Is it a first day of use?

How is it addressed?

Has it been opened very neatly or a bit roughly?

Some stamp collectors focus on commercial covers, while others focus on philatelic covers. There is nothing wrong with either type, it's all a matter of individual preference. Commercial covers demonstrate how stamps are used in the mail, but their appearance (as far as the stamps are concerned) is usually nothing special. Philatelic covers (because of the stamps that are used) are often quite beautiful. Which type of cover you decide to collect is up to you.

Collecting Covers - A Stamp Collecting Specialty

New stamp collectors may wonder just what "covers" are, and why they are collectible.

The most simple answer is that a "cover" is an envelope that has been stamped and sent through the mail. They can be collectible for the stamp(s), for the postmark, for the recipient or for the sender, or a combination of these factors. There are two main types of covers: commercial covers and philatelic covers.

Commercial covers are those that are mailed for ordinary (non-collecting) purposes. Since by definition they are not created expressly for stamp collectors but are instead used to transmit material (whatever was inside the cover) they always contained some type of content (although that content often is removed by the recipient before the cover gets into a collector's hands).

Philatelic covers, on the other hand, are covers that are created and mailed specifically for the purpose of someone collecting them. Sometimes they originally include(d) some type of meaningful content inside, but other times there may only be a blank cardboard stiffener. First day covers are a subcategory of philatelic covers.

Sometimes the distinction between commercial covers and philatelic covers can be a bit blurry. But if you're a commercial cover collector, it is essential to be able to determine if a particular cover is commercial or philatelic.

Tomorrow we'll discuss how many stamp collectors make this determination.