Sheet of stamps

A sheet of stamps or sheet is a unit of stamps as printed, usually on large sheets of paper based on the size of the printing plate, that are separated into panes as sold at post offices. Where more than one pane is on a printed sheet they are arranged in a table-like arrangement. [cite web | title = Glossary Of Philatelic Terms: S | work = | publisher = Linn's Stamp News | url = http://www.linns.com/reference/terms/terms.asp?firstletter=s | accessdate = 2008-03-03 ] The spaces between the single stamps are all of the same size and provide space for a cut or perforation.

ize and format

The sheet of stamps is the usual way of placing stamps on the impressed paper. The number of stamps on a sheet and the format of the sheet depend on the size and format of the single stamps. Small-sized stamps are usually printed in sheets of a hundred stamps, though the Penny Black, as with other pre-decimal sterling currency stamps, were printed in sheets of 240; stamps of larger size, in sheets of fifty, twenty-five or twenty as the USPS.

On November 13, 1994, the Deutsche Post changed the format of its emissions to sheets of ten stamps each. The edges of these sheets are especially designed, making them a novel collecting field.

Printing sheet

In fact the term printing sheet refers only to a part of the actual "printing sheet". Because stamps mostly are printed in four connected sheets in order to provide best use of the stamp paper. At the post office counter only the separated four printing sheets are sold. Therefore the sheet of stamps is also called counter sheet.

Gutters

The empty fields connecting the single counter sheets are called gutters. Normally they are separated in the middle after printing in order to obtain four counter sheets. The half empty fields or gutters then form the sheet's edge. Unseparated gutters with connected stamps of the neighbouring sheets sometimes are traded (stamp - empty field - stamp). These gutters can be either empty or printed, if printed edges were intended.

The philatelist distinguishes "horizontal and vertical gutters". A speciality of the gutters is the "heart" of the printing sheet, where all four panes are connected. Gutters and hearts are very favoured by collectors and reach high catalog values, especially for classic issues.

Tête-bêche

Single sheets do not always have to be separated by empty fields. Of course issues without intended edges were made without empty fields. In order to better distinguish the single sheets the stamps were printed 180° rotated at the separation line. The two upside down stamps are referred to as tête-bêche. Some issues have tête-bêches as well as gutters.

Like the gutters tête-bêches are very favoured by collectors due to their rareness.

tamp arrangement and place

The stamp arrangement on the sheets is a table with rows and columns. Due to this arrangement the place of each stamp can be exactly indicated. The philatelist counts the single stamps horizontally from the left to the right, but the post counts them vertically from the top to the bottom. For example the third stamp in the sixth row of a sheet of 10 x 10 would be the 53rd stamp for the collector but the 26th of the sheet for the post.

The first postage stamps of the UK, the Penny Black were printed in sheets of 20 rows and 12 columns, but the place on the sheet was indicated on every stamp by the use of different letters in the bottom corners of each stamp. An "A" in the lower left corner indicated the first row, a "B" the second one, the "C" the third one, ... The columns were indicated according to the same scheme in the lower right corner. Thus the top left stamp had the letter combination "A" - "A", the bottom right stamp was "T" - "L". As a result 240 different stamps were made for each plate used. This should prevent forgery.

heet edge

The term "sheet edge" is referred to the empty fields connected to the stamps and arranged around the sheet. These fields often are plain. Sometimes interesting information can be found, e.g. printing dates etc. The most important inscriptions printed on the edges are:
*number of edition
*sheet inscription (advertisement, information about the stamp issue, ...)
*printing dates
*internal numbers
*gauge-pins
*plate numbers
*banding
*counter of the row value

pecialities

There are several specialities of the printing of sheets. The most important are:
*Andreaskreuze
*se-tenants
*flowering fields

ee also

*sheetlet
*miniature sheet
*postage stamp booklet
*coil stamp

References and sources