International Postage Meter Stamp Catalog/Glossary, Abbreviations and Symbols

Item description format
example
 * A1. Hasler "F88" (MV), 1956. MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg[$5] MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg Catalog number. Meter manufacturer and "model", (basic meter type), earliest known year. MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg[catalog value]
 * Horizontal rectangular frank with panel at top, country name in top panel MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg description
 * and meter no. at bottom center.
 * A. Meter number with “H” prefix MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg sub-types
 * B. Meter number with “R” prefix
 * TM: DC, SC MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg town mark types
 * V/F:	MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgMeterCat solid diamond.jpg.00 (A,O) MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg.00 (O) MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg figure formats and (font styles)


 * a. Date only, without town mark circle or town name MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg varieties
 * b. Printed in green rather than red

Below are explanations of the terms and symbols used in the listings.

Glossary

 * Bank: 	a wheel with numbers on the rim which is rotated to impress part of the postage amount on Multi Value meters
 * Denomination: 	the amount of postage shown by the Value Figures
 * Die: 	the solid print head of a non-digital meter.
 * Digital: 	a meter that uses thermal, laser or some other digital technology instead of a die to apply the Stamp
 * Fixed Value: 	a meter with Frame and Value Figure carved out of a single die. A Fixed Value meter can print either a single denomination stamp or has a small set of different denomination stamps.
 * Frame: 	that portion of the Frank surrounding the Value Figures
 * Frank: 	Noun: that portion of the Meter Stamp showing the Denomination and (nearly always) the country name. Often a currency indicator ($, b, ¥, etc.) is shown along with “POSTAGE PAID” or similar statement.
 * Verb: to apply a postage stamp to a piece of mail


 * Greater Border: 	a frame surrounding a large portion of the Impression often including the Frank, Town Mark and Slogan . This is a feature found on many early Italian stamps but is otherwise quite rare.
 * Identification Number: 	a meter identification number assigned by the postal authority
 * Impression: 	the entire imprint including the Stamp ( Frank, Town/Date Mark ), and, if present, Serial number , Slogan , Slug , Greater Border , etc.
 * Indicia/Indicium: 	same as Frank (noun)
 * Key Letter: 	same as Prefix
 * License Number: 	a number the postal authority assigns to the mailer (rather than to the meter)
 * Limited Value: 	a meter that has one Frame die with a slot into which several Denomination dies can be rotated
 * Mailing Machine: 	a device which processes outgoing mail. It can contain a feeding mechanism, an envelope sealer and a sorter as well as a postage meter.
 * Meter: 	for the purposes of this catalog, same as Postage Meter
 * Meter Number: 	an identification number assigned by the meter manufacturer
 * Meter Stamp: 	a postage stamp impressed by a Meter
 * Multi Value: 	a non-digital meter that can print any postage value within a specified range. The machine uses Banks of wheels with numbers on the rims that are rotated to make the correct postage value appear in the stamp.
 * Panel: 	An area within a frank bordered by an outer frame line on two or three sides and an inner frame line on the fourth side
 * Permit Number: 	same as License Number
 * Postage Meter: 	a machine that prints a postage stamp and maintains a record of the total amount of postage printed
 * Prefix: 	a character or characters (usually alphabetic) preceding a Meter Number, Identification Number or License/Permit Number
 * Relief Machine: 	a Postage Meter lent by the distributor or dealer to a customer while the customer’s machine is being serviced
 * Serial Number: 	a counter of Impressions or strikes made by the Meter, unrelated to the amount of postage used
 * Setting: 	same as Spacing
 * Slogan: 	a verbal or pictorial message of a non-postal nature printed by the meter. A slogan typically promotes a product or cause supported by the mailer.
 * Slug: 	similar to a Slogan but the message is for postal purposes. Examples are FIRST CLASS, BULK RATE, PARCEL POST, AIRMAIL, RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED.
 * Spacing: 	the distance between the Town Mark and the Frank . It is usually measured from the right edge of the Town Mark to the left edge of the Frank, but with some stamps, mostly from Francotyp A, B and C models, measurements are from the center of the date figures to the center of the Value Figures.
 * Stacked: 	a word or number with each letter or digit placed one above or below the other
 * stacked letters.jpg


 * Stamp: 	the Frank plus the Town/Date Mark
 * Tape: 	a Meter Stamp impressed on an adhesive paper strip meant to be affixed to a parcel or mail-piece that is too thick to be fed through a postage meter
 * Town/Date Mark: 	that portion of the Meter Stamp that contains the post office name where the meter is licensed and (usually) the date of mailing
 * Town Mark: 	same as Town/Date Mark
 * Value Box: 	a small rectangle immediately surrounding the Value Figures in some Franks
 * Value Figures: 	the numbers and symbols that make up the postage value
 * Vertical: 	a word or number reading up or down
 * vertical letters.jpg

Abbreviations

 * A: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgar font style MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg(See under Value Figures in the Introduction)
 * BIC: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpglar town mark with Broken Inner Circle
 * C/V: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgog Value
 * DC: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpge Circle town mark
 * FV: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg Value meter, single denomination
 * FV-n: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg Value with ‘n’ number of different stamp dies. FV-5 indicates a fixed value meter that can print five different value stamps
 * G: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgc font style MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg(See under Value Figures in the Introduction)
 * ID number: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgification Number
 * L#: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgse number
 * LV-n: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpged Value meter with ‘n’ different postage values
 * M#: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg number
 * MV: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-Value meter
 * NOR: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpglar town mark with No Outer Rim
 * O: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg font style MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg(See under Value Figures in the Introduction)
 * S#: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgl number (impression counter number)
 * SC: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpge Circle town mark
 * SL: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgght Line town mark
 * TM: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg Mark, Town/date Mark
 * V/F: MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg Figures

Symbols
These symbols are used to depict non-numeric elements in the Value Figures:


 * MeterCat 4-point star.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point star
 * MeterCat 5-point asterisk.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point asterisk with arms pointing inward
 * MeterCat solid 5-point star.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg 5-point star, arms pointing outward (can be thick or thin, upright or with vertical arm pointing down)
 * MeterCat hollow 5-point star.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgw 5-point star
 * MeterCat 5-point starburst.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point starburst (sometimes appears to be a dot with five smaller dots around it)
 * MeterCat solid 6-point star.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg 6-point star
 * MeterCat 6-point starburst h.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point star with horizontal and diagonal arms
 * MeterCat 6-point starburst v.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point star with vertical and diagonal arms
 * MeterCat 8-point starburst.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point starburst
 * MeterCat 12-point starburst.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg-point starburst
 * MeterCat Maltese cross.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgse cross
 * ≈ : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpge tilde
 * MeterCat triad.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg stacked wavy lines (sometimes called a triad or triple tilde)
 * = : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg stacked straight lines
 * MeterCat straight triad.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg stacked straight lines
 * MeterCat 4 dashes.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg stacked straight lines
 * MeterCat solid diamond.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg diamond (sometimes appears as a large dot)
 * MeterCat hollow diamond.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgw diamond
 * MeterCat_solid_circle.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg circle
 * MeterCat quad head.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgered solid circle (~ Phillips screw head)
 * MeterCat slot head.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpg solid circle (~ slotted screw head)
 * MeterCat box.jpg : MeterCat 5 spaces.jpgned square

Международный каталог франкотипов/Глоссарий, сокращения и символы