Stamp Perforation Varieties



Two stamps may appear to be identical, but small differences between them - some of which are tiny enough to require a magnifying glass to see - can lead to a big difference in the identification and values of the stamps. A perforation guage, which is a small tool that's somewhat similar to a ruler, measures stamp perforations and can help you identify and distinguish between some of these differences.



Perforations are the small holes surrounding each stamp on a pane or on two or three of the sides of booklet stamps or coil stamps. They allow one or more stamps to be cleanly separated from the surrounding stamps, either for use in the mail or for placement in a stamp album by a stamp collector. Many stamp catalogs include information about stamp perforations in their listings for perforated stamps.



As always, scarcity plays an important role in the value of perforation varieties. Some perforation varieties exist in relatively few stamps of a particular design, making them far more valuable than their more common cousins.



A stamp's perforations are described as the number of teeth or holes that are found within a space equalling two centimeters. So, for example, a stamp that is "perf 10" indicates that there are ten teeth or holes in a space of two centimeters all the way around the edges of the stamp (both horizontally and vertically). Some stamps have compound perforations, where the horizontal perforations measure differently than the vertical perforations. Just one example of this type is a stamp that's perf 11 1/2 x 11 - meaning there are 11 1/2 perforation teeth or holes within a 2 centimeter space of the horizontal stamp edges but 11 within a 2 centimeter space of the vertical stamp edges. Compound perforations aren't necessarily a perforation variety, as many stamps were intentionally perforated this way. Yet some stamps with compound perforations, just like some stamps with simple perforations, do have perf varieties. With compound perforations, the horizontal measurement is always listed first and the vertical perforations are always listed second.



Many stamps, from countries throughout the world, have perforation differences between otherwise identical stamps. Finding them is both easy and challenging, but it's always an important part of identifying your stamps and their values.