Michel - English introduction

The

Stamp CatalogueAn Introduction for English-speaking readers

Schwaneberger Verlag · München

Englisch 05.05.2003 14:10 Uhr Seite 1

Contents

3 Introduction

3 The MICHEL Stamp Catalogues

4 Basic German

5 Typical Set Listing

6 The Catalogue Listings

8 The Front and Back of the Catalogue

8 Glossary of Colours

10 Glossary of Country Names

11 Glossary of Philatelic Terms,Symbols and Abbreviations

Compiled: Martyn Yeo, Printed in Germany

© 2003, Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH, Muthmannstr. 4, 80939 MünchenPhone (0 89) 3 23 93-02, Fax (0 89) 3 23 24-02

E-mail sales department: [email protected] department: [email protected]

[email protected]: http://www.michel.de

or http://www.briefmarken.de

The use of the MICHEL numbering system in catalogues, albums and other systematic listings of postagestamps is only allowed with the express permission of the publishing company.


MICHEL

IntroductionHugo Michel’s first stamp catalogue was published inApolda, a town some 10 miles north-east of Weimar,in 1910. By today’s standards it was a slim volume –its 112 pages listed the stamps of European countriesand their post offices abroad.

The MICHEL catalogue rapidly became a standardwork of reference, used by dealers to identify theirstock, by philatelists to check their collections and asa reference for buying and exchanging stamps. HugoMichel subsequently sold the rights to his catalogueto the stamp album publishers Schwaneberger Ver-lag, who still retain them.

The basic catalogue now occupies 13 volumes cover-ing the stamps of all countries – despite its vastincrease in size its basic structure has never beenaltered. Over the years it has won more than 200medals at national and international stamp exhibi-tions, including 20 gold medals. More than 400,000MICHEL catalogues are printed every year, and theyfind their way to collectors all over the world.

MICHEL catalogue numbers are used by most col-lectors in German-speaking countries and in easternEurope, and they are the standard reference numbersfor stamps of these countries. Because of the clearand authoritative listings which they provide, MICHELcatalogues are gaining in popularity in many othercountries too. New editions appear regularly, andeach one includes detailed editorial changes, em-bracing new philatelic research, newly listed errorsand varieties, revised catalogue prices and newissues.

The MICHEL catalogue is published in German bySchwaneberger Verlag GmbH, whose offices are atMuthmannstraße 4, D-80939 München, Germany.All the volumes and other MICHEL products areavailable from good stamp dealers or, in case ofdifficulty, directly by mail order from the followingMICHEL agents:

United Kingdom Safe Albums (UK) Ltd, 16 FalconBusiness Park, Ivanhoe Road, Hogwood Lane,Finchampstead, Berkshire.

United States Lighthouse Publications Inc., 274Washington Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601.

The MICHEL catalogue is supplemented by themonthly publication MICHEL-Rundschau. It con-tains useful articles on collecting, but for English-speaking catalogue users the more important part isits listing of new issues, presented in a matching style.

The MICHEL Stamp CataloguesThe 15 volumes of the main MICHEL stamp cata-logue are as follows:

GERMANY (MICHEL-Deutschland-Katalog) cover-ing all German stamp issues. These include German

States, colonies, mandated territories, protectorates,post offices abroad, occupation issues, Danzig, Saar,and the former postal adminstrations of West Berlinand East Germany. Published with colour illustrationsthroughout.

WEST- AND CENTRAL EUROPE (MICHEL-Europa-Katalog, Band 1) contains Austria, Liechtenstein,Switzerland, France, Monaco, countries of the IberianPeninsula and UNO Geneva and Vienna .

SOUTHERN EUROPE (MICHEL-Europa-Katalog,Band 2) contains Italy with San Marino and Vatican,the countries of the Balcan Peninsula, Bulgaria,Turkey and Cyprus.

NORTH AN NORTHWEST EUROPE (MICHEL-Europa-Katalog, Band 3) contains Scandinavia, theBaltic States, Great Britain, Ireland and the BeneluxStates.

EASTERN EUROPE (MICHEL-Europa-Katalog,Band 4) contains Moldavia, Poland, Rumania, Rus-sia, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic,Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary and Belarus.

NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA (MICHEL-Über-see-Katalog Band 1, Nord- und Mittelamerika)covering continental countries from Panama north-wards.

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS (MICHEL-Übersee-KatalogBand 2, Karibische Inseln) covering the islandsround the Caribbean Sea as well as the Bahamas andthe Bermudas.

SOUTH AMERICA (MICHEL-Übersee-KatalogBand 3, Südamerika) does not include the FalklandIslands and antarctic territories.

NORTH AND EAST AFRICA (MICHEL-Übersee-Ka-talog Band 4, Nord- und Ostafrika) covering Africanorth of the Sahara and the east coast countries fromEgypt to Tansania.

WEST AFRICA (MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog Band 5,Westafrika) covering Africa south of the Sahara fromCape Verde to the former French Congo.SOUTHERN AFRICA (MICHEL-Übersee-KatalogBand 6, Südliches Afrika). The remaining countriesof Africa as well as the islands in the Atlantic and In-dian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea.

AUSTRALIA, OCEANIA, ANTARCTIC TERRITORIES(MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog Band 7, Australien,Ozeanien, Antarktis).SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA (MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog Band 8 Süd- und Südost-Asien) additio-nally covering Indonesia and the Philippines.

CENTRAL AND EAST ASIA (MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog Band 9, Mittel- und Ostasien) coveringAsia north of the Himalaya, also including Iran, Af-ghanistan and Japan.

MIDDLE EAST (MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog Band10, Naher Osten).

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Other MICHEL Catalogues

Apart from the main catalogue, MICHEL publishesalmost thirty other philatelic titles. There is a range ofspecialized catalogues and other books coveringspecific subjects, ranging from postal stationery tominiature sheets. They include the following collect-ing areas:

Austria SpecializedCEPTUnited Nations SpecializedGermany Junior Catalogue (simplified and in colour)Germany SpecializedGreat Britain SpecializedCroatia SpecializedPostal Stationery – GermanyPostal Stationery – Western Europe/Eastern EuropeScandinavia/The Baltic StatesSwitzerland and Liechtenstein SpecializedUnited States Specialized

A full colour brochure showing the complete rangeof MICHEL publications is available from your localdealer or MICHEL agent.

How to Find the Country You Want

As you see from the list above, the arrangement of thevolumes is on a straightforward geographical basis.Thus you will find Belgium in the North and NorthwestEurope volume, Chile in the South America volume,Japan in the East Asia volume and so on. You should,however, keep the following in mind:

1 ) German spellings of country names result in an al-phabetical order which differs from the English or-der, so for example in the Eastern Europe volumeyou will find Czechoslovakia under T (for Tsche-choslowakei) and Hungary under U (for Ungarn).For more German country names look in the glos-sary.

2) Greece, Turkey and Yugoslavia are in theSouthern Europe volume.

3) The Azores, Canary Islands and Madeira are re-garded as part of Western Europe and groupedafter Portugal or Spain as appropriate.

4) German colonies (for example Cameroon) and is-sues for territories occupied by Germany (such asBohemia and Moravia) are in the Germany vol-ume, irrespective of their geographical location.

5) Issues for “post offices abroad” follow the coun-try which ran the post offices, so that the sectionfor Spanish Post Offices in Morocco follows Spainin the Western Europe volume.

Basic GermanThis introductory guide has been specially written forMICHEL and is designed to help English-speaking

collectors use the catalogue to the fullest extent, eventhose who have no knowledge of the German lan-guage.

lf you do not read and understand German fluently,you will of course not be able to decipher every lastpiece of information presented in the MICHEL cata-logues, which are the result of decades of editorialwork and philatelic research. Yet they are much easierto understand than most German publications, be-cause of their clear layout, the widespread use ofsymbols and the frequent repetition of many commonwords, phrases and philatelic terms. Much of the textis devoted to stamp listings in a standard format.

Persevere – do not be put off! Look up unfamiliarwords as you find them, and you will soon build up auseful vocabulary. Look first of all in the glossaries atthe end of this booklet, then in a German/English dic-tionary (just a pocket sized one will do).

A dictionary is necessary if, for example, you need totranslate the description of a stamp design. Use it forordinary German words and phrases not included inthe glossaries. Use a notebook to record those whichoften occur, to save you looking them up each time.You will be surprised how quickly you begin to makesense of the German text. lf you collect German orAustrian stamps the words and phrases you learn willalso be a great aid to deciphering stamp inscriptions.

The following clues will also help you:

1) All German nouns (not just proper names) startwith a capital letter. Other parts of speech – ad-jectives, pronouns, verbs and so on – start with asmall letter unless they begin a sentence. Wordsending in -ich or -ig are most likely adjectives.

2) Many words are inflected, that is they change theirending or add an ending depending on theircontext within a sentence. For example you maysee the word braun (brown) printed as braunen orbraunes, but the meaning is the same. Plurals areusually formed by adding -e or -en and some-times with the addition of an accent: the plural ofSatz (set) is Sätze (sets).

3) Ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ... ) are indi-cated merely by a full stop (or period) after thenumber, so 1. means “1st”. In sentences contain-ing a lot of punctuation this is quite easy to miss.

4) Remember that long words are often made upfrom combinations of shorter words that you willrecognize more easily, for example Briefmarken-ausstellung (stamp exhibition), or Fußballwelt-meisterschaft (World Cup). Watch for abbrevia-tions, which in German are always punctuated.Commonly used abbreviations are MiNr. (MICHELcatalogue number), usw. (and so on) and z. B. (forexample).

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1979, 14. Nov./1987. Freimarke: Burgen und Schlös-ser (III). \ Schillinger; I = Bdr., II = Ldr.; Bogen (B)(10}10), Markenheftchen (MH) und Rollen (R); A =vierseitig, C und D = dreiseitig gez. K 14.

alc) Schloß Rheydt

; H

1028 60 (Pf) dunkelrosakarmin a . . . . alcA vierseitig gezähnt

I Bdr. (14. 11. 1979) (B) (R) . . . . –,80 –,20II Ldr. (1987) (R). . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,20 –,30

C I oben geschnitten, Bdr. (Okt. 1980) (MH) . . . . . . . 4,50 4,50

D I unten geschnitten, Bdr. (Okt. 1980) (MH) . . . . . . . 4,50 4,50

FDC (A I) 1,80ETB 23/1979 (mit MiNr. 1028 A I) –,50

Unterscheidungsmerkmale Bdr. und Ldr. siehe bei MiNr. 913–920!

Waagerechtes Paar (aus Bogen):; H

1028 A I/1028 A I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,80 1,80

Einzelmarke mit anhängendem Bogenrand 50% vorstehender Paarpreise

Senkrechtes Paar (C/D) siehe bei MH 23

Rollenmarken (R):Marke mit Nr. � Marke mit Nr.; H � ; H

1028 A I R . . . . 2,— –,30 � 1028 A II R . . . . 2,50 –,50

Auflagen: MiNr. 1028 A II = 89 500 000 Stück, ETB = 427 000 Stück

Weitere Werte siehe Zusammenfassung nach Blockaufstellung

Bildgleiche Marke mit zusätzlicher Inschrift „BERLIN“ siehe Berlin(West) MiNr. 611

5

TTyyppiiccaall SSeett LLiissttiinngg

Dates of issueDesigner

Stamp illustration

Illustration code lettersand descriptions

Printing methodsDescription of the issue

Varieties frombooklets(partly imperf)

Face value

Prices for pairs

Cross-reference tovertical Pair

Numbers issued

Cross-reference to otherstamps in the same set

Cross-reference toWest Berlin

FDC priceETB price

Illustration code letters

Colour

Mint price

Currency unit

Perforation

MICHEL cataloguenumber

Basic stamp

Varieties of printingprocess

Used price

Date of issue

MICHEL


5) Always keep an eye open for Latin words (such asbird names) or other non-German words (likeforeign placenames) in the text. Your dictionarywill not be of much help here!

lf you wish to go further, the German-English Phila-telic Dictionary is published by the Germany Philatel-ic Society Inc. and is available at the GPS ServiceCenter, PO Box 779, Arnold, MD 21012, USA. Thiswould be invaluable for collectors researching intoGerman philately in some detail, and is particularlyhelpful on abbreviations and technical terms used bythe military and the postal services.

The Catalogue ListingsThe Start of Each Country

Each country section starts with certain general in-formation: the country name in German; its location,historical and political divisions, currency and date ofmembership of the Universal Postal Union (Welt-postverein); an index showing where to find eachminiature sheet or sheetlet (Block); clarification ofhow mounted (:) and unmounted (::) mint pricesapply; and illustrations of all relevant watermarks,which are shown as seen when the stamp is facedown.

The End of Each Country

At the end of a country come price lists for se-tenantcombinations (Zusammendrucke), booklets (Heft-chen) and booklet panes (Heftchenblätter).

Then, as in most catalogues, there will be listings ofsubsidiary groups such as official stamps (Dienst-marken), parcel post stamps (Paketmarken), post-age due labels (Portomarken); also some localissues (Lokalausgaben) and occupation issues (Be-setzungsausgaben). These are each listed in chron-ological order and have their own sequences of cata-logue numbers and illustration code letters. You mayfind that the text refers you back to the main stampsection (in the case of overprints, for example).

Stamp Listings

Within each country stamps are arranged in sets andthe sets are arranged in chronological order. Includedin this sequence are express letter stamps (Eilmar-ken), airmail stamps (look for the f symbol), regis-tration stamps (Einschreibemarken) and newspaperstamps (Zeitungsmarken).

A typical set listing is shown in the illustration on thepage opposite, where its structure is labelled inEnglish. It starts with a bold heading, giving the dateof issue; the purpose, for example the phrase for de-

finitive set (Freimarken) or an indication of the eventor anniversary commemorated; and the printing proc-ess, paper, watermark and perforation.

Below this heading the stamp designs are illustrated.You will notice that these illustrations have code let-ters which start at the beginning of each country witha), b), c), and so on. When the letters reach z) theystart again with aa), ab). In some cases they reachthree letters: aaa), aab), aac).

Once you get used to this code system you will findit very helpful, because you will not confuse the codeswith the catalogue numbers. Also, you will find thatmany more stamps are illustrated than in most othercatalogues, and generally every design in a set isshown, together with any accompanying printed label(Zierfeld) and the whole of each miniature sheet orsheetlet. lf you collect by theme or topic you will findthis invaluable.

Next in the set listing comes the classification ofthe stamps: from left to right each has the unique MI-CHEL catalogue number, the face value with the cur-rency unit (in brackets if not actually shown on thestamp), the colour or colours, the illustration code,the mint price and the used price.

The classification usually ends with prices for com-plete sets and, for modern issues, a first day cover(FDC). Footnotes may follow, giving additional infor-mation such as quantities issued (Auflagen), pricesfor stamps with printed labels attached, for imper-forate stamps or errors, and cross-references to otherstamps in similar designs (in ähnlichen Zeichnun-gen . . . ).

lf the issue is accompanied by miniature sheets orsheetlets the listing of these follows, under the sub-heading Blockausgabe.

Catalogue Numbers

Each stamp listed has a MICHEL catalogue numberassigned to it. This number is unique and is univer-sally recognised.

Major shade varieties are coded by adding letters tothe number, for example: 79a, 79b, 79c and so on.Varieties of paper usually start at “x”, thus: 23x, 23y,23z. Perforation varieties have capitel letters: 406A,406B, 406C would denote the same stamp with threedifferent gauges of perforation. Different types (ofprint, design, etc) have roman numerals: 8 I, 8 II, 8 III.Sometimes these variety code letters are used asheadings where there are multiple price columns.

In the few cases where new stamps have been in-serted into the numercial sequence a capital letterprecedes the number, so the order might be: 305,A305, B305, 306, 307. The MICHEL catalogue avoidsthis practice wherever possible.

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Miniature sheets and sheetlets have their own se-quences of numbers, beginning at 1. They are in-dexed in a checklist at the start or the end of eachcountry, where the phrase siehe nach Nr. refers youto the catalogue number of the stamp each onefollows.

Irregular items, such as stamps prepared for use butnot issued, have their own sequences of Romannumbers: I, II, III, IV and so on.

Face Value Indication

The face value of a stamp is always given in numer-als. Currency designations are abbreviated within thelisting of one collecting field/country in a unified mat-ter regardless how they are written on the stampsthemselves. lf a currency designation is given inbrackets there is no indication on the stamp.

Colours

See the special glossary.

Varieties

Misprintings, flaws, etc. are inevitable also in thestamp printing process. All these varieties are listedin accordance with the MICHEL-Abartenführer in thespecialized catalogues.

These varieties must not be confused with flaws bychance which appear only on parts of the whole issueand cannot be listed.

Major errors and varieties are included in the MICHELcatalogue. They fall into various categories. Printingerrors, cover errors of colour, missing colours, errorsin overprints and surcharges, missing values, errors incontrol numbers and watermark errors. You will alsofind plate flaws and other printing imperfections, off-sets and set-offs, double impressions and blurredprintings and printer’s waste.

Forgeries

Two warning Symbols indicate the existence of for-geries: Y indicates forgeries or fakes intended todeceive collectors, whereas [ refers to forgeries in-tended to deceive the postal authorities.

Paper Used for Stamp Printing

Normally for the stamp fabrication kinds of paper arechosen, which meet special requirements and whichare often prepared against counterfeiting (e.g. by silkthread or watermark).

Provisional or wartime issues may be printed on sub-standard paper, and this is indicated in the listings.

Descriptions of older issues may include the use ofsilk-fibre paper, glossy paper, hand-made paper,tinted paper, and so on.

Today there are also kinds of paper in use with a fluo-rescent or phosphorescent additive which flashes un-der ultraviolet radiation (fluorescent) or which glowsfor a short period after the end of the radiation. Bothkinds of paper can easily be detected by use of anUV-Iamp.

A hint for the kind of paper normally is only given ifone stamp issue exists in different papers.

Perforations

Perforations are given to the nearest quarter.Examples of the forms in which they are expressedare as follows:

gez. 13 Perf 13gez. 14:13 Perf 14x13gez. K 141/2 Comb perf 141/2gez. L 121/4 Line perf 121/4gez. 10-12 Perf 10 to 12

Note also the use of Durchstich (4) for roulette andthe â symbol for cut stamps.

Catalogue Prices

Prices in the left-hand column are for mint stamps,and those in the right-hand column are for usedstamps.

Watch the column headings to check whether themint prices are for unmounted (;) or mounted (:)stamps. Remember that the prices are quotedthroughout in Euro.

There may be multiple price columns – for example inthe early issues of Austria where various gauges ofperforation exist for each stamp – but the columnheadings will make these clear. The symbol –,– isused to denote an item for which a catalogue pricecannot be assessed. Italics indicate a fluctuatingprice; a blank indicates that an item does not exist (inthe “mint” column against a first day cover, forexample).

Methods of Printing

Indications are given for each stamp or set. The vastmajority of modern stamps listed in the catalogue willhave been printed by one of three processes – RaTdr.(photogravure), Odr. (offset litho) or StTdr. (intaglio) –or perhaps by two of these in combination. Otherprocesses which have been used for printing stampsare covered in the glossary.

7MICHEL


The different methods of printing should be lookedafter in special manuals.

Watermarks

Most modern stamps are unwatermarked, thoughsome countries still use watermarked paper for se-curity reasons. Watermarks are illustrated at the be-ginning of each country, and numbered Wz. 1, Wz. 2and so on. They are always depicted as seen from theback of the stamp.

The Front and Back of the CatalogueAt the front of each catalogue, after the title-page,comes a section headed Preisnotierungen, whichindicates which years unmounted or mounted mintprices apply to, and how to calculate prices forstamps on cover. Next is the Vorwort (foreword) writ-ten by the editor and the Einführung (introduction).All the important points dealt with in the introductionare also covered in this booklet. Following the intro-duction is a page of Abkürzungen und Zeichen-erklärungen (abbreviations and symbols). Again, themost important of these are covered in this booklet.The other item usually appearing at the front of thecatalogue is headed Bitte der Redaktion and tellsyou how to contact the catalogue’s editor.

At the back of the catalogue you will find a sectionheaded Prüfordnung, which explains in some detailthe system of authentication or expertization used inGermany and gives names and addresses for therecognized experts in different fields. There is also anindex (Inhalts- und Stichwortverzeichnis) to helpyou to find countries in the catalogue you have or inother volumes. You will need to check the beginningof the index for abbreviations used in it, such as DKfor Deutschland-Katalog (a reference to the Ger-many volume). Some of the specialized cataloguescontain a stamp design index (AlphabetischesRegister) as well.

Glossary of ColoursEvery basic catalogue entry gives the colour or col-ours of the stamp, immediately following its facevalue (and currency).

Stamps printed in more than one colour have thecolours separated by an oblique stroke, for example3 Sch. schwarz/blau. Note that this means “blackand blue”, not “black on blue paper” as it might insome catalogues; the German for the latter would beschwarz a. blau. Stamps printed in three or morecolours may simply be described as mehrfarbig(multicoloured).

You will find that you soon recognize most of thecommonly used colour descriptions. As all colournames are adjectives, they always start with a smallletter.

Compound colour names are formed in much thesame way as they are in English, but without hy-phens. Simple compounds are formed like this: grau-blau = grey-blue, olivgelb = olive-yellow.

To save space in the catalogue listings, colours areoften abbreviated. These abbreviations will include afull stop or an apostrophe. Abbreviations are alsoused for the colours of overprints and surcharges, butnote that these are always assumed to be black if nocolour is specified.

The MICHEL Colour Guide

The MICHEL Colour Guide (MICHEL-Farbenführer)has been published for many years, and is an essen-tial accessory to the MICHEL catalogues. The 1992(36th) edition is a much improved and expanded ver-sion. This glossary and all references to stamp col-ours in this booklet are based on this 1992 edition.

The MICHEL Colour Guide is available from goodstamp dealers or directly from your MICHEL agent. Itcontains more than 570 square patches of colour,similar in style to a paint chart. Each patch is caption-ed with the colour name in German and has a circu-lar hole in it, through which you can view the stampto get a good match.

The main list in this appendix shows the basic coloursincluded in the Colour Guide. In addition, over 370further colours are shown, and these are formed byadding one of the following four prefixes to a basiccolour:

hell- palemittel- midlebhaft- brightdunkel- dark

So, for example, based on olivbraun (olive brown),we have the following five colours, ranging from thepalest to the deepest:

hellolivbraun pale olive brownmittelolivbraun mid olive brownlebhaftolivbraun bright olive brownolivbraun olive browndunkelolivbraun dark olive brown

Note that hyphens are not used in these compoundcolour names. These five colours will be arrangedin a single horizontal row on the Colour Guide (thepalest at the left) so that you can compare themeasily.

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List of Colours

The following alphabetical list includes the basiccolours shown in the MICHEL Colour Guide, the ab-breviations used for colour names, and the abbrevia-tions used for the colours of overprints and sur-charges. All other colour names given in the MICHELcolour guide may be derived by combination of therespective colour designations given below.

Bl Blue overprint or surchargeBl. Blue (abbreviation of blau)blau Bluebläulich Bluish (used in combination with

other colours)Br Brown overprint or surchargeBr. Brown (abbreviation of braun)br’n Brown (abbreviation of braun)braun Brownbräunlich Brownish (used in combination with

other colours)bronze Bronze (used for an overprint or sur-

charge and usually shown as Bz)Bz Bronze overprint or surcharge

chrom Chrome (used in combination withother colours)

cyanblau Cyan

d’ Dark/deep (abbreviation of dunkel)dkl’ Dark/deep (abbreviation of dunkel)dunkelgrau Dark/deep grey

G Gold overprint or surchargeGb Yellow overprint or surchargegelb Yellowgelblich Yellowish (used in combination with

other colours)glb. Yellow (abbreviation of gelb)gold Gold (used for an overprint or sur-

charge and usually shownas G)

Gr Green overprint or surchargegr. Grey (abbreviation of grau)gr’n Green (abbreviation of grün)Gra Grey overprint or surchargegrau Greygrün Greengrünlich Greenish (used in combination with

other colours)

h’ Pale/light (abbreviation of hell)hell Pale/light (used in combination with

other colours)

indigo Indigo

K Carmine overprint or surchargekar. Carmine (abbreviation of karmin)karmin Carminekobalt CobaltKu Copper overprint or surchargekupfer Copper (used for an overprint or

surcharge and usually shown asKu)

L Lilac overprint or surchargelebhaft Bright (used in combination with

colour names)lil. Lilac (abbreviation of lila)lila Lilacmagenta Magentamatt Dull (used in combination with

colour names)mehrfarbig Multicoloured (printed in three or

more colours)mfg. Multicoloured (abbreviation of

mehrfarbig)mittel Mid (used in combination with

colour names)

ocker Ochreol. Olive (abbreviation of oliv)oliv Oliveopalgrün Opal-greenOr Orange overprint or surchargeor. Orange (abbreviation of orange)orange Orange

preußischblau Prussian bluepurpur Purple

R Red overprint or surchargeros. Pink (abbreviation of rosa)rosa Pinkrot Redrötlich Reddish (used in combination with

other colours)

S Black overprint or surchargeschw. Black or deep (abbreviation of

schwarz)schwärzlich Blackish (used in combination with

other colours)schwarz BlackSi Silver overprint or surchargesiena Siennasilber Silver (used for an overprint or sur-

charge and usually shown as Si)smaragdgrün Emerald-green

9MICHEL


türkis Turquoise

ultram. Ultramarine (abbreviation of ultra-marin)

ultramarin Ultramarine

V Violet overprint or surchargevio. Violet (abbreviation of violett)violett Violet

weiß White

weißgrau White-grey

zinnober Vermilion

Glossary of Country NamesThe majority of country names in German are verysimilar to the English equivalents, for example Liba-non (Lebanon), Mexiko (Mexico) and Schweden(Sweden). Because of this, they are easy to find in thecatalogues. First, find the correct geographical vol-ume, then look up the page number using thecontents list on the outside back cover.

There are, however, a few common country nameswhere the German and English names are signifi-cantly different or where they start with a different let-ter of the alphabet. These are given below. Unlike theother glossaries, the English names are shown first.

Aegean Islands Ägäische InselnAustria Österreich

Cambodia KambodschaCameroon KamerunCanada KanadaCayman Islands Kaiman-InselnCent. African Zentralafrikanische

Republic RepublikChad TschadChannel Islands KanalinselnChristmas Island Weihnachts-InselCocos Islands Kokos-InselnColombia KolumbienComoro Islands KomorenConfederate States Konföderierte Staaten

von AmerikaCongo KongoCrete KretaCuba KubaCroatia KroatienCyprus ZypernCzechoslovakia Tschechoslowakei

East Germany Deutsche DemokratischeRepublik

Egypt ÄgyptenEquatorial Guinea Äquatorial-GuineaEstonia EstlandEthiopia Äthiopien

Fiji Fidschi-InselnFrance FrankreichFrench Polynesia Französisch-PolynesienFrench Southern and Französische Gebiete in

Antarctic Territories der Antarktis

Germany DeutschlandGreat Britain GroßbritannienGreece Griechenland

Hungary Ungarn

Ivory Coast Elfenbeinküste

Kenya, Uganda Ostafrikanische Gemein-and Tanganyika schaft

Latvia LettlandLithuania Litauen

New Zealand NeuseelandNova Scotia Neuschottland

Russia Rußland

Soviet Union SowjetunionSwitzerland Schweiz

United States Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika

United Arab Emirates Vereinigte ArabischeEmirate

United Nations Vereinte NationenUpper Volta Obervolta

Virgin Islands Jungferninseln

West Germany Bundesrepublik Deutsch-land

Yemen JemenYugoslavia Jugoslawien

Zambia SambiaZimbabwe Simbabwe

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Glossary of Philatelic Terms, Symbols and AbbreviationsA few abbreviations and symbols which occur very in-frequently have been omitted from this list, but thesedo all appear in the introduction to each catalogue.

The English translations given are appropriate to thephilatelic usage of the German terms – some of thewords may have different meanings when used in anon-philatelic context.

Symbols and Abbreviations used with MICHEL-Cata-logue

s Colour which appears by use of aUV-Iamp

a the stamp picture is used identicallyon postal stationary

J Revenue cancellationL Cancellation by punchingt Cancellation by pen strokeM other cancellationN Cancellation on occasion of a

special eventO Cancellation with datestamp

(regular cancellation)â Cutf Airmail! Tête-bêche@ Normal overprint or surcharge (if

this symbol is doubled, invertedor sideways it refers to a double, inverted or sideways overprintor surcharge)

: Mounted mint:: Unmounted mint(:) Mint with only part of the original

gum intact

H Postally usedK Cancelled to orderP On coverR On pieceS Bisect (the symbol is appropriately

altered for vertical or horizontalbisects)

Y Forgery[ Postal forgeryZ Forged postmark/cancellationt “The other way around” (for

example, after a stamp descri-bed as gez. 14:13 (perf 14x13)then if the next is given as t it isperf 13x14 – this may occurwhere some stamps in a set arein a horizontal format and othersare vertical)

\ Designer] Engraver_ Official reprintd Block of four–.– No catalogue price quotation

possible

a. On (abbreviation of auf)Abart Varietyabgenutzt WornAbstimmung PlebisciteAh.-Ausg. Provisional issueähnlich Similarallgemein Generalallseitig On all sidesalphabetisches Design index

RegisterAmt Officeamtlich OfficialAnhängsel Attached labelAufdruck Overprint or surcharge (sometimes

Wertaufdruck is used specifi-cally to indicate “surcharge”)

Aufdruckfarbe Colour of overprint (overprints andsurcharges are understood to bein black unless otherwiseindicated)

Aufdrucktype Type of overprintAuflage Issue or edition (used in the sense

of “quantity issued”)Ausführung StyleAusgabe Issue (set or single)Aushilfsaus- Provisional issue

gabeAushilfsmarke Provisional stampAusland Overseas, abroadAusschnitt Cut square or cut outAusstellung ExhibitionAutomaten- Variable rate stamp (“Frama” labels)

marken

B Sheet (abbreviation of Bogen)Bahnpost Railway postBalken Barbalkenförmiger Phosphor bars

Phosphor-aufdruck

Balkenstempel Bar cancellationBand A volume of the MICHEL-catalogueBdr. Letterpress (typography or surface-

printing)berichtigt Correctedbeschnitten Close cut (margins)Besetzung Occupation (as in military occupa-

tion)

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Besetzungs- Occupation issueausgabe

besondere Special Title or designationBezeichnung

Bild Image (used to denote the printedarea of a stamp)

Bildgröße Image sizebilligst Cheapestbl. Blue (abbreviation of blau)Bl Blue overprint or surchargeBlock This has two separate meanings,

which will usually be clear fromthe context. The more usualmeaning is miniature sheet, sou-venir sheet or sheetlet. However,it sometimes means block (agroup of stamps joined together)

Blockform Miniature sheet formatBlockausgabe Issue in a miniature sheet or

sheetletBogenplatz Sheet positionBogen SheetBogenrand Sheet marginBogenwasser- Sheet watermark

zeichenbr. or br’n Brown (abbreviation of braun)breit WideBrief Letter, coverBriefmarke Postage stamp (adhesive)Briefstück Piece (as in “on piece”)Briefumschlag Envelope / CoverBuchdruck Letterpress (typography or surface-

printing)Buchstabe Letter (of the alphabet)bzw. Respectively

d’ or dkl’ Dark (abbreviation of dunkel)Datum DateDatumsstempel DatestampDD Double Print (used as a suffix to

a catalogue number)Deckel Cover (as in booklet cover). Not as

in envelope.dick ThickDienstmarke Official stampDGK The German Postal Stationery

volume of the MICHEL catalogue(MICHEL-Deutschland-Ganz-sachen-Katalog)

DK This abbreviation has two uses.As a suffix to a catalogue num-ber it indicates printed twice,one impression inverted. Usedon its own it stands for the Ger-many volume of the MICHEL ca-talogue (MICHEL-Deutschland-Katalog)

DM Deutschmark

Doppeldruck Double printdoppelt Double or doubledDruck PrintingDruckabart Printing varietyDruckerei Printing worksDruckprobe ProofDruckvermerk Printer’s imprintDSK The Germany Specialized volume

MICHEL catalogue (MICHEL-Deutschland-Spezial-Katalog)

dunkel Darkdünn Thindurchsichtig TransparentDurchstich Roulettedurchstochen Rouletted

echt GenuineEckbuchstabe Corner letterEckrandstück Corner stamp with sheet margins

attachedEGK The European Postal Stationery

volumes of the MICHEL cata-logue (MICHEL-Europa-Ganz-sachen-Katalog)

Eilmarke Express letter or special deliverystamp

einfarbig In one colour (also zweifarbig,dreifarbig)

Einheits- Omnibus designzeichnung

Einschreib- Registered letter stamp (also usedmarke for a registration label)or Einschr.-Marke

einseitig ââ Imperf / cut on one side (also zwei-seitig ââ, dreiseitig ââ )

einzeilig In one line (also zweizeilig, drei-zeilig and so on)

Einzelmarke Single (stamp)Eisenbahnmarke Railway postage stampEisenbahn- Railway parcel stamp

paketmarkeEK The Europe volumes of the

MICHEL catalogue (MICHEL-Europa-Katalog)

Entwerfer Designerentwertet CancelledEntwertung CancellationEntwurf DesignErg. or Additional value (a new stamp

Ergänzungs- added to a set)wert

Ersttag First dayErsttagsbrief First day cover (usually abbreviated

to FDC, which avoids confusionwith ETB)

ETB First day sheet or first day card(abbreviation of Ersttagsblatt)

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F Printing or colour error (used as asuffix to a catalogue number)

Fabrikwasser- Papermaker’s watermarkzeichen

falsch ForgedFalschstempel Forged postmarkFälschung ForgeryFalz Stamp hingefalzlos HingelessFarbampeln Traffic lightsFarbänderung Change of colourFarbe ColourFarbenabart Colour varietyfarbig ColouredFarbwechsel Change of colourFaserpapier Paper with silk fibres (“granite

paper”)FDC First day coverFederstrich- Pen cancellation

entwertungFehldruck Printing errorfehlend Missing or omittedFehlfarbe Error of colourFeldpost- Military post stamp

markefiskalisch Fiscal (adjective)Flp.-Ausg. Airmail issueFlp.-So.-Ausg. Commemorative airmail issueFlugpost AirmailFlugpostbrief Airmail letterFlugpost- Airmail stamp

markefluoreszierend FluorescentFormat Size or formatfrankatur- Valid for postage

gültigFrankierung FrankingFreim.-Ah.-Ausg. Provisional issueFreim.-Erg.- Additional definitive value

WertFreimarke Postage stamp (usually denotes

a definitive)Freim.-Ausg. Definitive issue

G Gold overprint or surcharge; if usedas a suffix to a catalogue num-ber it indicates a variety printedon the gummed side

ganzflächiger All-over phosphorPhosphor-aufdruck

Ganzsache Postal stationerygeänderte Changed colours

FarbenGebiet SubjectGeburtstag Birthday (100. Geburtstag = birth

centenary)gebraucht Usedgedruckt Printed

gefälligkeits- Cancelled to ordergestempelt

gefärbt TintedGemälde PaintingGeschenk- Presentation pack

päckchengeschnitten Cutgestempelt Postmarkedgestreift Laidgestreiftes Laid paper

Papiergestrichen Coatedgestrichenes Coated paper

Papiergetönt Tonedgezähnt or gez. Perforatedgez. K Comb perforatedgez. Ks Harrow perforatedGlanzpapier Glossy paperglatt Smooth, shinyglb. Yellow (abbreviation of gelb)gleich Same (in gleicher Zeichnung =

in the same design)gr. Grey (abbreviation of grau)Gr Green overprint or surchargegraviert Engravedgr’n Green (abbreviation of grün)Großformat Large size or formatGrund BackgroundGSK The Great Britain Specialized

volume of the MICHELcatalogue (MICHEL-Groß-britannien-Spezial-Katalog)

gültig Validgültig bis Valid untilGummi GumGummi- Ribbed gum

riffelung

h’ Light (abbreviation of hell)Halb Halfhalbiert Bisectedhalbamtlich Semi-officialHandpapier Hand-made paperHandstempel HandstampH-Blatt (Hbl.) Booklet paneHeftchen Stamp bookletHeftchenblatt Booklet panehell Light or paleHochformat Vertical format

Inschrift Inscription

Jahr Year (also used for anniversary:25 Jahre = 25th anniversary)

Jahrestag Anniversary (100. Jahrestag =centenary)

Jahreszahl Date (the year only)

13MICHEL


Jahrgangs- List of year setswerttabelle

K Comb (perforation); if used as asuffix to a catalogue number itindicates a tête-bêche variety

Kammzähnung Comb perforationkarm. Carmine (abbreviation of karmin)Kartonpapier Thick paper (“carton” paper)Kasten- Harrow perforation

zähnungKatalog- Catalogue number

nummerKehrdruck Tête-bêche (one stamp inverted in

relation to an adjacent one)Kenn-Nr. Identification numberKleinbogen Small sheet or sheetletKleinbogen- Set of sheetlets

satzKleinformat Small size or formatkomb. Combined (not comb perforated)Kontroll- Control mark

zeichenkopfstehend InvertedKopftype Head typeKreidepapier Chalk-surfaced paperKriegsdruck Wartime printingKriegsmarke War stampKriegssteuer- War tax stamp

markeKreisstempel Circular cancellationKs Harrow (perforation)

L Line perforation; if used as a suffixto a catalogue number itindicates a blank label

Landesname Country nameLdr. Offset letterpress printingliegend Horizontal or sidewaysIil. Lilac (abbreviation of lila)Linie Line or strokeLinienzähnung Line perforationLokalaufdruck Local overprint or surchargeLokalausgabe Local issueLuftpost Airmail

Makulatur Printer’s wastemangelhaft DefectiveMarken- Stamp booklet

heftchenMarkenheftchen- specially printed sheet, from which

bogen booklet panes are producedMarkenrand Stamp marginMarkenrolle Stamp roll or coilMaschinen- Machine-made paper

papiermatt Dull

Maximumkarte Maximum cardmehrfach Multiplemehrfarbig or Multicoloured (three or more

mfg. colours)MH Stamp bookletMHB Booklet sheet (abbreviation for

Markenheftchenbogen)Militärpost- Military postage stamp

markeMiR The monthly MICHEL magazine,

MICHEL-RundschauMischzähnung Compound perforationMK Maximum cardMuster Specimen

NA New printing, reissueNachdruck Reprintnachgraviert Retouched or re-engravednachgummiert RegummedNaphthadag- Graphite line

Leiste Netz Network (burélage)Neuauflage New printing, reissueNeudruck Reprintneugraviert Retouched or re-engravedNeuheiten New issuesNominale Face value (of a stamp)Notausgabe Emergency issueNr. Number or numbersNr. xxx fallen aus Catalogue Nos. xxx are vacantNr. xxx stammen Catalogue Nos. xxx come from . . .

aus . . .Nr. xxx stammt Catalogue No. xxx comes from . . .

aus . . .numeriert Numbered

Oberfläche Surface (the face of a stamp)Odr. or Offset litho

Offsetdrucko.G. Unused, issued without gum

(abbreviation of ohne Gummi)ol. Olive (appreviation of oliv)or. Orange (abbreviation of orange)Originalgummi Original gumÖSK The Austria Specialized volume

of the MICHEL catalogue (MICHEL-Österreich-Spezial-Katalog)

oWz. No watermark (abbreviation ofohne Wasserzeichen). lf nowatermark is specified, an issueis always assumed to beunwatermarked

Paar PairPaketmarke Parcel post stampPapier Paper

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Papier fl. Fluorescent paperPapier Ordinary paper

normalPapier ph. Phosphor paperPapiersorte Type of paperPf. PfennigPhosphor Phosphor (noun)Phosphor- Phosphor bar

balkenphosphor-be- Phosphorised paper

schichtetesPapier

phosphores- Phosphor (adjective)zierend

Phosphor- Phosphor bandstreifen

Pl. or Platte PlatePlattennummer Plate number

or PI.-Nr.Portofreiheits- Free frank stamp

markePortomarke Postage due stamppostalisch PostalPostamt Post officepostfrisch Unmounted mintPostkarte PostcardPostpreis Franking valuePP Presentation packPrägedruck EmbossingPreis Catalogue priceProbedruck ProofPropaganda- Propaganda forgery

fälschungPrüfung Expertization

Querformat Horizontal format

R Red overprint or surcharge. Alsoused as an abbreviation of Rolle(coil)

Rabattmarke Stamp sold at a discountRand Border or marginRandbe- Printed border

druckungRastertiefdruck Photogravure

or RaTdr.Reihe Rowrepariert Repairedretuschiert RetouchedRolle CoilRollen- Coil perforation

zähnungros. Pink (abbreviation of rosa)rückseitig On the back/reverse

S Black overprint or surcharge (butnote that if no colour is specifiedan overprint or surcharge isassumed to be in black)

S. Pages. SeeSatz SetSatzpreis Price for a complete set. The

number of stamps in the set isusually shown:Satzpreis (6 W.) = set of 6

schwz. Black (abbreviation of schwarz)Seite Pagesenkrecht VerticalSi Silver overprint or surchargesiehe nach See after catalogue No. xxx

Nr. xxxSo.-Ausg. or Commemorative or special issue

Sonderaus-gabe

Sorte Type, kind of (typical usage: ver-schiedene Papiersorten = various types of paper)

Spezial SpecializedSSK The Switzerland and Liechtenstein

Specialized volume of theMICHEL catalogue (MICHEL-Schweiz/Liechtenstein-Spezial-Katalog)

Staat StateStaats- State Printing Works

druckereiStdr. Lithography (direct, not offset)

or Steindruckstehend UprightStempel CancellationSteuermarke Tax or fiscal stampStich EngravingStichtiefdruck Intaglio (recess printing)

or StTdr.Streifen StripStück Item, copy, example or piece

(as in “on piece”)

T Type (abbreviation of Type)Tabelle List or tableteilgezähnt Partly perforatedTelegrafen- Telegraph stamp

markeTelegrafen- Telegraph cancellation

stempelTodestag Death anniversary

(100. Todestag = death centenary)

Ton ShadeType Type (variety or printer’s type)

U Imperforate variety (used as asuffix to a catalogue number)

Übersichts- Checklist summarizing the stampstabelle in a series

Udr Imperf on three sidesUmschlag Envelope/cover

15MICHEL


ungebraucht Mintungestempelt Unusedungezähnt Not perforatedungummiert Without gumunregelmäßig IrregularUnterdruck Underprint (burélage)USK The United States Specialized

volume of the MICHEL catalogue(MICHEL-USA-Spezial-Katalog)

ÜK The Overseas volumes of theMICHEL-catalogue (MICHEL-Übersee-Katalog)

V Printing EssayV Violet overprint or surchargeverfälscht Forgedverfärbt Discolouredvergrößert Enlargedverkehrt Invertedversch. Various or variously (abbreviation of

verschieden)Verzeichnis ChecklistViererblock Block of fourViertel Quarterviol. Violet (abbreviation of violett)Voraus- Precancellation

entwertungVorläufer Precursor, forerunner

W. Value or valueswaagerecht HorizontalWährung Currency (monetary unit)Wappen Coat of armsWasserzeichen WatermarkWasser- Watermark variety

zeichenabartWeitere Werte Other similar valuesWellenlinien Wavy linesWeltpostverein Universal Postal UnionWert Value

Wertangabe Face valueWertziffer Figure of valueWertaufdruck SurchargeWohltätigkeits- Charity issue

ausgabe,Wohlt.-Ausg. orWohlt.-So.Ausg.

Wz. Watermark (if this abbreviation isprinted upside down or on itsside it refers to an inverted orsideways watermark)

Zahl Number, figureZähnung PerforationZeichnung DesignZeitungs- Newspaper stamp

markezentriert CentredZentrierung Centering (of a stamp picture)Zierfeld Printed labelZiffer Number or numeralZufälligkeit ErrorZusammen- Se-tenant printing

druckzusammen- Se-tenant

hängendZuschlags- Stamp with a charity or other

marke premiumZw. Gutter pair (used as a suffix to a

catalogue number)Zwangs- Compulsory tax stamp

zuschlags-marke

zweifarbig Bi-colouredZwischensteg GutterZwischensteg- Gutter pair

paarZf. Printed label (used as a suffix to a

catalogue number)

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Michel - English introduction

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