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
Wandering hand Stamps: Special hand stamps cancellation used by Abbabis in South West Africa in 1904. Used for mail collected from different centres.
Want list: A list of needed stamps or covers, identified by catalog number or some other description, submitted by a collector to a dealer, usually including requirements on condition and price.
War stamp: A stamp which is issued in time of war to raise additional revenue, and inscribed War Stamp or War Tax or such similar words.
Water-activated adhesive: Stamp gum designed to adhere to envelope paper only if the gum is moistened. All gummed stamps before 1963 used water-activated adhesive.
Watermark detectors: In case of most stamps with watermark it is sufficient to place a stamp turned upside down in a black glass or tray and look like in bright light. By pouring a drop of benzine, it would be visible benzine evaporates quickly without wetting stamp of the design side. This test will help to identify repaired stamps also.
Watermark: The most common method used as a safeguard against forgeries. It is a design, device or pattern in paper, generally visible by transmitted light, formed by the dandy roll at the wet pulp stage of manufacture, in which the pressure of the attached bits results in a thinning of the paper. Watermarks appear frequently in paper used in stamp printing or envelope manufacture, Notes are printed especially of higher values only on special watermark papers. Watermarked papers are common now.
Web: A continuous roll of paper used in stamp printing.
White spot: Sometimes extraneous material like a bit of paper, dust etc. get into the printing press causing white spot on stamp
Wilding: A definitive stamp of Great Britain which was issued in the 1950’s – 1960’s and designed by Dorothy Wilding.
Window booklet: A booklet of stamps which originally revealed the stamps inside through a cut out in the cover of the booklet.
Wing margin: Early British stamps from the side of a pane with selvage attached. British sheets printed before 1880 were perforated down the center of the gutter, producing oversized margins on one side of stamps sadjacent to the gutter. Such copies are distinctive and scarcer than normal copies.
World Catalogues: Details about stamps of whole world published by different agencies. The main catalogues internationally recognised are Stanley gibbons of U.K, Scott of U.S.A,Yvert & Teller of France, Zumstein of Switzerland.
Wove paper: Classical stamps to a great extent were printed on hand made paper of very good quality. It is strongest and does not become yellow. Often thickness of paper varied. Depending on method of production Wove paper or laid paper was obtained.
Wrappers: In 19th century some countries introduced postal wrappers with printed stamps to be used mainly for the delivery of newspaper. A flat sheet or strip open at both ends that can be folded and sealed around a newspaper or periodical.
Wreck mail: Letters saved from shipwreck. In such letters a hand struck marks or special labels noting the damage was shown. Such letters are valuable for specialists and very difficult to get.