H

H:
1: precedes the European postal code on addresses in Hungary, such as H-1031 Budapest.
2: Acknowledgment of Receipt; Scott catalog number prefix to identify stamps other than standard postage.
3: Flat plate imperf. coil; Scott Catalogue suffix to identify stamps other than standard postage; also called “V.”
4: auction abbreviation for heavy (cancel).
5: auction abbreviation for hinged.
6: Colombia Scadta consular overprint for Netherlands and Curacao.
7: Hospital, South Australia official overprint, 1868-74.
8: German abbreviation for hell, pale, light color.
9: inscription, weather vane, US nondenominated stamp, valued 1¢, placed on sale Nov. 9, 1998.
10: inscription, flag hat, US nondenominated stamp, valued 33¢, placed on sale Nov. 9, 1998.

H.A.: 1: House of Assembly, South Australia official overprint, 1868-74. 2: overprint on stamps of Russia for Siberia.
Haag: (Den., Nor., Swed.) the Hague.
Habana: Havana, Cuba.
H & B Penny Post: Atlantic City, US, local mail service by Hackney & Bolte, 1886.
H & G: Higgins and Gage, worldwide postal stationery catalog.
H & K Packet: 1860 postmark for Holyhead and Kingstown Packet, for mail sorted on board.
Habilitado: (Sp.) 1: “Made good again” overprint confirming that a previous issue of the stamp has been re-authorized for current postal use. 2: overprint on stamps of Cuba for U.S. Administration, 1898-99.
Habilitado Aero, Aereo: (Sp.) overprint on stamps of Mexico for air mail.
Habilitado Correos: (Sp.) overprint on Philippines, Revenue and Telegraph stamps, Spanish
Dominion.
Habilitado para el Servicio Publico: (Sp.) 1: overprint on stamps of Honduras officials, making them valid for regular usage, 1941. 2: overprint on air mail officials of Honduras, making them valid for regular air mail usage, 1941.
Habilitado para Franqueo: (Sp.) made valid for postage.
Habilitado por la Junta Revolucionaria: (Sp.) overprint used only in Llanes (Oviedo) under the provisional government of 1868.
Habilitado por la Nation (H.P.N.): (Sp.) “Validated for the Nation”overprint on stamps of Cuba, Porto Rico and Spain, Sept. 29, 1868, to mark a change of government, late 1860s to early 1870s.
Habilitado Servicio Oficial Aereo: (Sp.) overprint on stamps of Mexico for air mail official.
Habsbrug, S.S.: steamship marking of the Danube Steam Navigation Company built around 1890s, for upper or middle Danube lines.
Hacienda: (Sp.) used on fiscal stamps to indicate The Treasury.
Hackett’s City Post: label, possibly by Hugh W. Becket.
Hackney & Bolte (H & B): U.S. local post, Atlantic City, N. J.,1886-87.
Hadhramaut: southern Arabia, now part of Yemen; 1886: under British protection, as part of the crown colony of Aden; included Qu’aiti State in Hadhramaut, Qu’aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla, the Mahra Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra, and the Kathiri State of Seiyun, 1891: mails passed through forwarding agents in Aden, 1937, April 22: Post office opened at Mukalla, dependent on Aden, 1937-42: stamps of Aden used, 1939: postal union for protected states made any stamps valid in any of the countries, 1942, July: first stamps issued, Qu’aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla, 1955: inscription on the Aden protective state of Qu’Aiti, 1955; became Hadramaut.
Hadi Segéli Özvegyeknek és árváknak két (2) fillér: (War subscription for the Widows and Orphans of Fallen Fighters) overprint on stamps of Hungary making it a semi-postal, 1914.
Hadifogoly Posta: (Hung.) prisoner-of-war mail.
Haditengerészeti Posta: (Hung.) marine fieldpost mail.
Hadlow-Tonbridge Area: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hadra: Egypt, see Interpostal seals, 1879-82.
Hadtap Postahivatal: (Hung.) Hungarian Base Post Office.
Hæfte(r): (Dan.) unexploded booklet(s).
Hængsel: (Dan.) (stamp) hinge.
Hængselrest: (Dan.) hinge remnant.
Hængsel – Uden: (Dan.) without a (stamp) hinge.
Haerhpin: formerly Harbin, People’s Republic of China.
Hafnia: Copenhagen, Denmark.
Häfte: (Swed.) unexploded booklet.
Häftessamlingar: (Swed.) unexploded booklet collections.
Haga Patria: inscription on stamps of Mexico for postal tax.
Hagen:Hagen Local Post: see Drammen – I. B. Hagen Local Post.
Hagert, Md: Hagerstown, Md pre-adhesive postmark.
Hague, The: now known as Gravenhage, The Netherlands.
Hahamas: British Colonial Royal Wedding frames from “Surreal and Unreal Stickers.”
Haiderabad: (Fr., Ger.) Hyderabad.
Haik’ou: People’s Republic of China, formerly Hoihow; see: China, Indo-China Post offices.
Hainan Island: island 15 miles off the southern coast of China, part of the South China Liberation Area, 1858: opened to foreign trade, 1939-45: occupied by Japan, 1950, April: came under Communist control.
Hair lines: fine colorless scratches found on the 4, 6, and 9 pence British stamps of 1862-64 to identify certain plates.
Hait Dahomey: postmark on stamps of Dahomey, 1899-1945.
Haiti: West Indies; western part of island of Santo Domingo (Hispaniola) currency: 100 centimes = 1 piaster (1906), 100 centimes = 1 gourde 1804: Republic of Haiti founded, 1808-09: public mail service started, 1844: Dominican Republic became independent, and Haiti separated, 1869-81: British stamps cancelled “C 59” at Jacmel and “E 53” at Port-au-Prince, 1870-81: French stamps cancelled “C 59” at Jacmel and “E 53” at Port-au-Prince, 1881, July 1: No.1, 1 centime vermilion, stamps first issued, 1881, July 1: joined the UPU, 1898, May: first postage due stamp, 1915, July 9 -July 15, 1934: occupied by US, Marine post offices used American stamps in Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince, 1929: first air mail stamps, 1939, Oct. 3: first semipostal stamp.
Haïti: (Fr.) Haiti.
Haiti, Republique d’: inscription, used on stamps of Haiti, 1881-
H.A.K.: (H. A. Killikelley) initials of postal official of Colonial post office at Georgetown, British Guinea, 1850-51 issue.
Hakasia: bogus Russian local overprint, cinderella, 1997.
Halb: (Ger.) half.
Halbamtich: (Ger.) semi-official.
Halberstadt: Brief-Beforderung Courier, German local, 1896-1900.
Halbiert: (Ger.) bisect; stamp cut in half which has been used to pay the postage at half the face value of the original stamp; the bisect is collected on the original cover with the postmark or cancellation covering the cut.
Halbmond: (Ger.) crescent.
Hale & Co:. U.S. local post, New York, N.Y. 1844, earliest mechanical separation of stamp by die cut adhesive in the U.S., first use of precanceled stamps
Haleb: see: Aleppo, Syria.
Hale, Charles S.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps. Halfpenny tax: hand-struck marking; 1813-1839, mail from England to or from Scotland indicating that an extra 1/2d postage was chargeable as a levy paid to the Scottish Turnpike Trusts.
Halfpenny: St. Christopher overprint.
Halftone block: a printing surface for relief printing made by etching a zinc or copper plate through a halftone screen to light reflected from an original; ends with a grid of opaque lines crossing at right angles with the effect of being produced in dots.
Halifax Detective Agency: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Halifax Stamp Shop: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hall & Mills Despatch Post: 1: U.S. local post, New York, N.Y., 1847. 2: S. Allan Taylor label.
Hall & Ruckel: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Halle a.d. Saale: German local, post WW I.
Halle/Salle: 1: Privatstadtbriefbeförderung Courier, German local, 1891-1900. 2: Stadtbrief-Beförderung Express, German local 1896-1900.
Hallettsville, Tex Paid 10: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Hall, J.V.: postmaster, Demopolis, Ala., issued Confederate Postmaster’s Provisional envelope.
Hall, Reuben P. & Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Halsingborg: 1. Swedish local, 1926-47. 2. (also Helsingborg) seaport in Malmöhus province in SW Sweden on the Øresund Strait opposite of Helsingør, Denmark, ca. 340 miles SSW of Stockholm. Several local posts established in the 1920s-1940s, to include Budcentralens Expresspost, Häsingborg Lokalposten, and Lokala Expressposte (q.v. individual Göteborg Local Post entries).
Hälsingborg – A. Bergqvist Lokala Expressposten: Local post established by A. Bergqvist, with individual 3 øre scarlet, dark red, and red, and 6 öre blue “Lokala Expressposten Hälsingborg” local stamps depicting the head of Mercury issued during 1937-1939, and additional stamps depicting a stylized Viking ship issued during 1946-1947.
Hälsingborg – A. Thene Budcentralens Expresspost: Local post established by A. Thene, with lithographed (Hälsingborg Lithographic Co,) 4 öre red-lilac “Budcentr. Expresspost – Hälsingborg” local Stamp depicting a merchant ship at dock issued 21 June1926. The company was re-named, with a lithographed 4 øre dark blue “Budcentralens Expresspost Hälsingborg” local stamp depicting Mercury running issued later in 1926.
Hälsingborg – E. S. Wester Local Post: Local post established by E. S. Wester, with lithographed (Sydsvenska Biljettryckeriet Landskrona Co.) 4 öre brown “Lokalposten / Hälsingborg” local stamp issued in 1929, an a modified design 4 öre deep purple issued in 1930. A second stamp series (Schmiths Boktryckeri Co., Hälsingborg) depicting a stylized Viking ship was issued in various colors with different 2 øre, 4 øre and 6 øre values during 1935-1947. From 1935-onwards, the service was managed by the office of the A. Bergqvist Lokala Expressposten (q.v.).
Halvány: (Hung.) pale, light (color).
Halványbarna: (Hung.) light brown (color).
Halványibola: (Hung.) pale violet (color).
Halványkék: (Hung.) pale blue (color).
Halványnarancs: (Hung.) pale orange (color).
Halványrózsa: (Hung.) pale rose (color).
Halványsárga: (Hung.) pale yellow (color).
Halverat: (Swed.) bisected.
Halveret: (Dan.) bisected.
Halvering: (Dan., Swed) bisect.
Halvert: (Nor.) bisect, bisected.
Halvfems: (Dan.) ninety (number).
Halvfjerds: (Dan.) seventy (number).
Halvtreds: (Dan.) fifty (number).
Ham (W.A.) & Co.’s Express: baggage firm serviced Boston & Maine Railroad; used labels, year unknown.
Hamburg: German State, located in northern Germany; currency: 16 schillings = 1 mark 1615: had postal service via Thurn and Taxis, 1651-1806: several foreign post offices in Hamburg, 1806: foreign post offices closed during French occupation, 1811: France annexed Hamburg, gave it department number 128, 1859, Jan.1: No.1, 1/2 schilling black, first stamps; Free City, 1867, Aug. 8: stamps of Hamburg used in Bergedorf, 1868, Jan.1: stamps of the North German Confederation, 1870: became part of the German Empire, 1871: stamps of the German Empire.
Hamburg: German locals: 1: Hamburg,1945-48. 2: Boten-Marken, 1861-64. 3: Brief & Circulair-Beförderung Cito; 1896-1900. 4: Brief & Packetbeförderung H. Maack; 1872-74. 5: Brief, Packet & Guter-Expedition Charles van Diemen,186?. 6: Briefbeförderung Express; 1895-1900. 7: Circulairbeförderung von M. Laschick, 1889-1890. 8: Hamburg-Altonaer-Packetfahrt von Grell & Co., 1896-1925. 9: Hamburger Orts-Paket-Postgesellschaft, 1908-17. 10: Hamburger Packetfahrt F.W. Neukirch, 1912-17. 11: Hammonia/Stadtbriefbeförderung, 1886-89. 12: Privat-Beförderung Hammonia (II) 1888-1900.
Hamburg/A: Hamburg – Amsterdam railway stamp, 1848.
Hamburg American Packet Compay: Hamburg American Packet Company: Hapag, West Indies local postal issues, 1875-81, four reprints1897, 1938, 1955 and 1975.
Hamburg, Free City of: on Elbe River in Northern Germany; 1806-1815: under French rule, became a member of the North German Confederation, later the German Empire.
Hamburg Packet: marking on steamer mail from Hamburg to the U.S. that passed through the Hamburg Exchange Office, per postal convention effective July 1, 1857.
Hamburgh, S.C. Paid 5: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Hamilton: Bermuda 1848-61.
Hamilton Bank Note Co.: a stamp engraving firm known for its connection with the Seebeck issues, 1890-98; see Seebeck.
Hamilton counterfeit: postal forgery of the US 2-cent 1894 Washington stamp offered at a discount by a Canadian firm who had bought them from a printer in Hamilton, Ontario without knowing their being counterfeit.
Hamilton Service: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hamisitvány: (Hung.) forgery.
Hammarskjold invert: 1962 United Nations secretary U.S. stamp with the yellow color inverted, error reprinted by the USPS.
Hammerfest: City in Finnmark county, N Norway, located on Kvaløy Island ca. 740 miles NNE of Oslo. Local post established by W. B, Bogh (see Stenkjær), and facilitated by the local postmaster of the Norwegian post office, with first “Hammerdest / Bypost” local issue set-of-4 depicting the North Cape rock formation being issued on 3 Jul 1888, and with overpint surcharges on these stamps being issued in December 1888. The local post closed in June 1895.
Hammerfest Bypost: Norway local post, 1888-95.
Hammer price: auction term for 1: final bid acknowledged and accepted by the auctioneer as the winning high bid. 2: knockdown price.
Hammerstempel: (Ger.) hand cancel.
Hampton, T. A. City Despatch: U.S. local post, Philadelphia, Pa.1847.
Hanau: displaced persons camp, 1947-48.
Hanau: Privat-Brief-Verkehr, German Local, 1893-1900.
Hancock, John postal card: United States non-denominated postal card, value 10¢, 1978
Hancock’s Express: local freight serviced Boston and North Bridgewater, Mass.; used a label, 1846?
Handback service: a canceled cover or other item returned directly to the postal customer instead of being processed through the mail.
Handbat: USPS term for circle-date stamper (CDS), named that because handle is shaped like a baseball bat.
Hand cancel: cancellation applied by hand to stamps or covers.
Hand chop: overprint in Japanese characters applied to the stamps of nations occupied by Japan during WW II.
Hand colored: a hand drawn or printed cachet to which hand coloring or painting has been applied.
Hand drawn cachet: a cachet applied by hand by any media such as pen, pencil, brush, etc.
Handelswert: (Ger.) net price.
Hand engraving: printing plates produced entirely by handwork.
H&G: Higgins & Gage, worldwide postal stationery catalog.
Handgravyr: (Swed.) hand engraving.
Hand gummed: gum manually applied with brush or roller, used until about 1880.
H. & K. Pkt.: Holyhead & Kingston Packet, Britain.
Händler: (Ger.) dealer.
Hand made cachet: an original, individually made cachet.
Hand made cover: folding a sheet of paper to act as an envelope.
Handoverprint Study Group: Germany Philatelic Society focuses on one set of stamps issued in 1948 in East Germany.
Hand painted: any stamp where coloring has been applied by hand; Russian Zemstvo in Tikhvin, 1878 had centers hand painted.
Handschriftlich: (Ger.) manuscript.
Handsiegel, handstempel: (Ger.) hand cancel.
Håndskrevet: (Nor.) manuscript (cancellation).
Handstamp: 1: a hand-held device for printing that is struck on an ink pad, and then applied to paper. 2: to print with that type of device. 3: name given to the impression or postmark imprinted. 3: postmarked or canceled by hand, usually by a rubber stamp, may also be a steel device.
Handstempel: (Dut., Ger.) handstamp.
Håndstempel: (Dan.) handstamp, manual cancellation device.
Handstempelüberdruck: (Ger.) (HOP) hand stamped overprint.
Handstruck: 1: term for postal marking indicating postage had been prepaid or was due. 2: stamps printed by striking the printing base by hand upon paper. 3: term used in England referring to hand stamps for town and/or rate mark.
Hanford’s Pony Express: inscription on local stamps for John Hanforth’s Williamsburgh Express, operating between New York City and Brooklyn, N.Y.
Hang-Khong: Vietnam, airmail.
Hangö-Hyv.Jernyag: (Fin.) inscription on stamps of Finland, Hangö-Hyvinge railway stamp.
Hankow (L.P.O.): China, treaty port local, 1893-97; now known as Wuhan.
Hanley’s City Express Post: S. Allan Taylor label.
Hannover: see: Hanover, German State.
Hannover: displaced persons camp local, 1949.
Hannover: 1: Hannoversche Verkehrsanstalt, German local, 1906. 2: Privat-Stadtbrief-Expedition Merkur, German local, 1886-1900. 3: German States, 1850-66.
Hanover: German State: located in northern Germany; 1814: became a kingdom, King of England was also King of Hanover, the Royal Great Britain Hanoverian Post Office was independent of any British involvement, 1850, Dec. 1: first stamps as a kingdom, 1866, Oct. 1: province of Prussia, Prussian stamps placed on sale, 1866, Oct. 31: Hanover stamps could no longer be used, 1868, Jan. 1: stamps of the North German Confederation.
Hansa Danziger Privat-Stadtpost und Verkehrs-Anstalt: local, Danzig, Germany, 1886-87.
Hansa Danziger Stadt-Brief Spedition: local, Danzig, Germany, 1890-97.
Hansa Spedition Strucken & Co.: local, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1898-1900.
Hanseatic League: operated municipal post in German cities about 12th century.
Hansson Privata Lokalposten Fern: see Göteborg – H. G. Hansson Privata Lokalposten Fern.
Hanukkah stamp: joint issue between the USPS and the Israeli Postal Administration featured the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.
Hapag: “Hanburg-Amerikanische Paketfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft” The Hamburg American Line local stamp used to prepay charges on mail carried by their ships, 1870s.
Harare: Zimbabwe; formerly Salisbury.
Hardening: process of taking a soft die such asa transfer roller plate, and making it hard through a metallurgical process.
Hardy’s Express: private mail delivery firm serviced between Boston and Lawrence, Mass.; used a label, 1868?
Hareskov Demonstration Flight: see Denmark – Hareskov Demonstration Flight, 1912..
Harkara: Indian States (Hindi) term for postal runner
Harlem Express: baggage firm that serviced New York City, used a label, year unknown.
Harling Group: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hármaslyukasztás: (Hung.) (stamp) with three holes.
Härmed ett pakete: (Swed.) phrase denoting “herewith a parcel” noted on letters and postcards attached packages in Sweden, see Adressbrev.
Harmer’s Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Harminc: (Hung.) thirty (number).
Harnden Express Co.: private mail and parcel firm serviced eastern states; used corner cards and labels; 1839-54.
Három: (Hung.) three (number).
Harper: Harper, seaport in Liberia, registration inscription “R” and names of postal center, 1893-1924.
Harper, G.W.F.: postmaster, Lenoir, N.C., issued Confederate provisional adhesive and envelope.
Härpil: (Swed.) carved wooden sticks with messages, carried by relays, stuck in posts for next man to pick up, 9th century.
Harris Auto Parcel Delivery: parcel delivery firm, area unknown, used labels; year unknown.
Harrisburgh, Tex Paid 5: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.Harris, George S. City Despatch Post: U.S. local post, Philadelphia, Pa. about 1847.
Harris (S.J.) Express: baggage firm serviced New York City, used a label; year unknown.
Harris’ Globe Delivery: parcel delivery serviced unknown area; issued a label; year unknown.
Harris index: research index of British Commonwealth books and journals; available from APRL; see: APRL.
Harrison and Sons: British stamp printers since 1911. known for the George V issues.
Harrison & Sons Ltd.: watermark seen on Maldive Islands.
Harrowgate and District: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Harrow perforation: method by which the entire sheet or pane of stamps was perforated at one time.
Harter, Dr.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Harter, Dr. & Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp. Hartford Mail Route: U.S. local post, Hartford, Conn. 1844.
Hartford Daily Mail: S. Allan Taylor label.
Hartford Manufacturing Co.: maker of early 20th century stamped envelopes.
Hartford Penny Post: U. S. local post handstamp, Hartford, Conn., 1852-61.
Hartford Steamboat Express: private baggage firm serviced New York City; used a label; year unknown.
Hârtie: (Rom.) paper.
Hartman Parcel Delivery Co.: parcel delivery firm serviced Cincinnati, Ohio, area; used stamps; year unknown.
Hartman, S.B. (Dr.) & Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hart, Samuel & Co.: U.S. private die playing card stamp.
Harvesters: name used for reaper designs of Hungary, 1916.
Harvey’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced Boston and Gloucester, Mass., used a label, 1883.
Hashemite Kingdom: see: Jordan, 1949 to date.
Haskins’ Express: parcel delivery firm serviced Boston, Pigeon Cove and Rockport, Mass.; used labels, 1870s?
Hassel: (Den., Nor.) hazel (color).
Hasselnøttbrun: (Den., Nor.) hazelnut-brown (color).
Haste, post Haste: written on envelopes in American Colonial period and England.
Használatlan: (Hung.) unused, no gum.
Használatlan Falcos: (Hung.) mint, hinged, see ragasztönyommal.
Használt (also bélyegzett): (Hung.) used, canceled.
Hat: (Hung.) six (number).
Hatay: territory of northern Syria, on Mediterranean Sea; currency: 100 santims = 1 kurush, 40 paras = 1 kurish (1939) 1918: used stamps of Syria, 1938, April 16: first separate stamps, named Hatay, 1939: transferred to Turkey, first postage due stamps, included surcharge / overprint on stamps of Turkey “Hatay Devleti,” 1939: No. 1, 10 santims deep orange, Hatay formed; then annexed by Turkey from France; used stamps of Turkey; Turks renamed city Iskenderun; see Alexandretta.
Hatay-Devleti: overprint on stamps of Turkey for Hatay, 1939.
Hatayin Anavatana Kavuginasi: (Turk.) overprint for annexation of Hatay by Turkey.
Hat Cancel: obliteration, fancy cancel, 1865-70.
Hatch & Company’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced towns in Mass., used labels, year unknown.
Hatch, Gray & Co.’s Express: private mail firm serviced Boston and New Bedford, Mass., used labels, 1880s.
Hatching: close, fine lines for shading a stamp design.
Hatch’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced Boston, Brant Rock and Marshfield, Mass.; used a label, 1886.
Hattyu, S.S.: steamship marking of the Danube Steam Navigation Company built around 1880s, for middle Danube lines.
Hatvan: (Hung.)sixty (number).
Hauptfeldpostamt: (Ger.) Austrian Head Field Post Office.
Haut: (Fr.) upper, top, high.
Haute: (Fr.) top.
Haute Silesie: Upper Silesia, 1920-22.
Haute Silesie Commission de Gouvernment: inscription for plebiscite of Upper Silesia.
Haute-Volta, Republique de: overprint on stamps of Upper Senegal and Niger for Burkino Faso, 1920-84.
Haute Volte: (Fr.) Upper Volta.
Haut-Oubangui: African local, 1888.
Haut Sénégal-Niger: inscription for Upper Senegal and Niger, 1914-17.
Hatvan: (Hung.) sixty (number).
HAVAS: L’Agence Hava (Fr.) first French meter firm to produce a commercial postage meter machine, 1924.
Hawaii: group of islands in the Pacific; 1819, Dec.: first letter from Hawaii recorded, written by Lucy G. Thurston, 1850: postal system created, 1851, Oct. 1: No.1, 2 cents blue, “missionary” stamps used, Kingdom, 1855: U.S. stamps supplied by San Francisco post office to Honolulu P.O., could be used alone or in conjunction with the stamps of Hawaii, 1870: U.S. and Hawaii signed a postal treaty with basic rate, 1893: Hawaiian stamps picturing royalty overprinted “Provisional Govt. 1893,” Kingdom ended, 1894: became a republic, 1896: first official stamp issued, 1898, Aug.12: formal transfer to the U.S., annexed by the U.S., 1899: provisional government ended, 1900, Apr. 30: became a territory, 1900, June 13: stamps no longer valid, 1900, June 14: admitted as a territory, began to use general stamps of USA, 1928: overprint on US stamps “Hawaii 1778-1928” marking the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the islands by Capt. James Cook, 1959, Aug. 21: became state, transferred to the United States; see Hawaiian Missionaries.
Hawaii: Pineapple Post, local, 1970s.
Hawaiian Is.: inscription used on stamps of Hawaii, 1853-68.
Hawaiian Missionaries: primitive early issues of Hawaii, 1851-52; name came from the fact that many were used by missionaries writing home, printed Oct. 1851 by Henry W. Whitney.
Hawaiian Postage: inscription on Missionary stamps of Hawaii, 1851-52.
Hawaiian remainders: Hawaiian postage stamps, postal cards, and stamped envelopes surcharged “Prov. Govt” destroyed March 28, 1896.
Hawaiian Steam Service: handstamp on mail from Hawaii carried by the California, Oregon and Mexico Steam Ship Co., COMSS, 1867.
Hawaii’s Post: an express mail delivery firm on the island of Oahu that requires stamps to prepay postage.
Hawaii, Republic of: inscription used on stamps of Hawaii, 1894.
Hawid: manufacturer of Hawid Mounts, Hans Widmaier.
Hawker: overprint on stamps of Newfoundland “First Trans-Atlantic Air Post” to carry mail by H. G. Hawker on his ill-fated flight attempt in April 1919.
Hayti: Haiti.
Hazeltine, E.T.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
HB: auction abbreviation for hardbound
H.B.: (Ger.) “Herzogtum Braunschweig,” Germany, pre-adhesive postmark.
H.B.A.: overprint on stamps of Russia for Siberia, 1921.
H-Blatt (Hbl.): (Ger.) booklet pane.
H.B. Sanitats Stempel: health sanitary pre-adhesive marking.
H C: auction abbreviation for hand cancel.
H C B P: Hamilton’s Continental Balloon Post; Hamilton’s Excursions, carried between 1870-75; between Marseilles and Paris, stamp printed on cover.
HCL: Herbert C. Leach, BEP employee initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
Head cancellations: name given to fancy cancels, 1860-80.
Head-out: USPS term for the starting point of a mail run or trip.
Head plate: plate that prints the stamp’s central design; named for the monarch’s head..
Heads of wheat: name given to pictorial overprints on 1919 stamps of Hungary.
Health: inscription for semi-postal, New Zealand.
Health stamp: stamps issued with a charity premium to raise funds for children health camps.
Healthy India: India charity label.
Heath, Charles: engraver commissioned in 1840 to engrave the original die for Great Britain’s Penny Black.
Heaton stamps: the 50¢ stamp of the Columbian series and the 10¢ stamp of the Trans Mississippi series, named after paintings by A. G. Heaton.
Heat sensitive stamps: use of a thermochromic ink permits color to change when it is touched; first stamp using this process was the 27-pence British issue of March 13, 2001.
Heavy cancel: obliteration which spoils the appearance of the stamp by covering most its surface.
Hebe, S.S.: steamship marking of the Danube Steam Navigation Company built around 1850s, for middle Danube lines.
Hebraisk: (Nor.) Hebrew).
Hebré: (Swed.) Hebrew
Hebreer: (Nor.) Hebrew
Hebreisk: (Swed.) Hebrew
Hectograph: print made from a special ink held on a gelatine printing base which contains ink transferred from a drawing on special paper.
Hedjaz & Nedje, Hejaz & Nejd: Nejd (Saudi Arabia), 1929-33.
Heft: (Ger.) booklet (of stamps).
Heftchen: (Ger.) stamp booklet.
Heftchenblatt: (Ger.) booklet pane; uncut block of stamps especially printed and cut for use in a booklet.
Heftchenmarke: (Ger.) a stamp from a booklet.
Hefte: (Dan., Nor.) unexploded booklet
Héfto: (Hung.) Monday.
H.E.H. the Nizam’s Government: inscription for India, Feudatory State of Hyderabad, 1927-37.
Hehza: Egypt, 1879-1880; see Interpostal seals.
Heidelberg: German locals; 1: Privatbriefbeförderungsanstalt Merkur, 1886-87. 2: Privat-Brief-Verkehr (Arnold), 1886-1900.
Heidelberg-Neunheim: Brief & Packetverkehr, German local, 1887.
Heijtz: specialized catalogue for Falkland Islands, dependencies and British Antarctic Territory.
Heilbronn: Privat-Stadt-Brief-Verkehr, German local, 1896-1900.
Heilungkiang: see Kirin and Heilungchange.
Heimatphilatelie: (Ger.) hometown philately; collecting philatelic materials only from your hometown and its environs.
Heimbold’s: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Heimbold’s, A.L.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Heimreise Angetreten: (Ger.) return home has commenced, marking for German troops returning from China.
Hejaz-Nejd: see Saudi Arabia; c1865- Oct. 30, 1881: Egyptian post office operated at Jeddah, 1881: first stamps from Turkey, 1916, Aug. 20: became kingdom, first stamps issued, 1917: first postage due stamp, 1920, Aug. 10: Hejaz independence, 1923, Apr.: stamps of Hejaz overprinted, 1925, March 23: replaced stamps of Hejaz, 1926, Jan. 8: Nejd conquers Hejaz, 1926, Feb. 1926: became part of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, 1932, Sept. 22: name changed to Saudi Arabia.
Hela Peninsula: German local for military, 1945 inscribed “Deutsche durch Feldpost U-boot.”.
Helark: (Dan., Swed) sheet (of stamps).
Hela Verden: (Dan.) all world.
Hela Världen-Samlinger: (Swed.) worldwide collections.
Helder: (Dut.) Bright color.
Held for Postage: marking on early 1900 postcards with a divided line sent from overseas to the US. assessed for additional postage.
Helena, Tex, 5 Postage: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Helera: currency unit in Montenegro.
Helft den Ärmsten der Armen Spendet der Mainzer Winterhilfe: (Ger.) “Help the poorest of the poor, Donate to the Mainz Winter relief,” Germany machine cancel, 1933.
Helicopter mail: first flight with mail took place in July 1946 in Los Angeles, CA. operated by the Air Transport Command and Air Rescue Service.
Heligoland: island in the North Sea, near the northern coast of Germany; currency: 16 schillings = 1 mark, 100 pfennig = 1 mark = 1 schilling 1807: captured by Britain from Denmark, 1814-90: under British control, mails carried by steam vessels from Cuxhaven, 1859-June: stamps of the free city of Hamburg used, 1867, April 15: No. 1, 1/2 schilling blue-green and rose, stamps of Heligoland issued, 1868: joined the North German Confederation, 1879, July 1: joined the UPU, 1890, Aug. 9: ceded to Germany, became part of Schleswig-Holstein Province, stamps of German Empire used, 1945-52: British occupation, 1952: returned to Germany, stamps of Germany used.
Heligoland 8th June 1946: inscription; same scene for Aden, Gozo, Hong Kong, Malayan Union, Northern Ireland, Sarawak, Scotland, Singapore, Zanzibar; unissued Great Britain cinderellas by David Horry, 2001.
Heliograbado: (Sp.) an early type of photogravure printing of postage stamps.
Heliogravør: (Dan.) heliogravure printing, see Tryk – Heliogravør.
Héliogravure (Helio): (Fr.) an early type of photogravure printing of postage stamps.
Helipot Corp.: division of Beckman Instruments, Fullerton, Calif., 1950s fantasy issue using firm’s products as subjects.
Hell: (Ger.) pale, light, thin (spot).
Hellas: Greece, 1966 to date.
Hellblau: (Ger.) light blue (color).
Heller: currency unit in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carinthia, German East Africa, Liechtenstein.
Hellin: local post, Spanish civil war, Republican, 1937.
Hellouan: Egypt, 1879-1884; see Interpostal seals.
Helmstedt: Displaced camp local post, 1945.
Helpost: (Nor.) postal stationery.
Helsag: (Dan.) postal stationery.
Helsagbrevkort: (Dan.) postal card postal stationery.
Helsak: (Swed.) postal stationery.
Helsakssamlingar: (Swed.) postal stationery collections.
Helsingfors A.A.: Finland local post, 1866-91; now known as Helsinki.
Helsinki: capital of Finland; first Finnish stamp, 1917, is known as the Helsinki issue.
Helvetia: (Ger.) Switzerland; Latin name used since nation has four official languages.
Helyi Kiadások: (Hung.) local issues.
Helyi Kidás: (Hung.) local issue.
Helyi levél, Hl: (Hun.) local letter overprint on hyper inflated issues of Hungary in 1946 for use of postage prepayment.
Helyi lev.-lap, Hlp: (Hun.) local postcard overprint on hyper inflated issues of Hungary in 1946 for use of postage prepayment.
Henderson Island, Dependency of: bogus overprint of Pitcairn Island.
Henkelspur: (Ger.) hinge mark on gum.
Henning & Bonhack: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Henry, John F.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Henry’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced upstate New York, used a label, year unknown.
Henry, W. E. & Co.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Heraklion: Crete; British Post Offices, 1898-99; also known as Iraklion, Candia..
Herald & Weekly Times: local, Australia,1920.
Herausgeben: (Ger.) to issue (stamps, etc.).
Herbertshohe: now known as Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.
Herceg Bosnia: Lipa and Kuna inscription on early Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian Administration), 1993.
Herceg Bosnia: illegal labels, purporting to be stamps, as per Sept. 7, 1998 letter by Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UPU, not valid for postage; see Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croat Administration in Mostar.
Hercegovina: (Czech.) Herzegovina.
Hercock Simpson Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Herefordshire, etc.: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Herisau: Switzerland, local airmail, 1913.
Herm Island: island off the coast of Guernsey with local labels using its name; 1938: closed as a Guernsey sub-office,
1945: owner issued series of carriage labels for payment on letters carried from the island to Guernsey, 1949: pigeon post operated, 1949: Guernsey became postally independent, and sub-post office opened on island.
Hermes Head: Greek stamps, first issued in 1861, featuring Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods; there are small Hermes and large Hermes portraits.
Hermosillo: (Sp.) district in Mexico applied as an overprint on revenue stamps as authentication.
Herrera Line: Cuban packet company carried closed British mails, 1860s.
Herrick’s Pills: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Herrick’s Pills & Plasters: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Herringbone cancellation: a cut, sometimes inked, in the repeating pattern of a herringbone that ties the stamp to the document to prevent illegal reuse of the stamp.
Herrmann, Dr. Emanuel: (1839-1902) credited with making a suggestion in 1869 that became known as the postal card.
Herrnhut: German Democratic Republic local post, 1945.
Hertugdømme: (Nor.) duchy.
Herzegoliche Pose Fremarke: German States-Holstein.
Herzogth Holstein: German States, Schleswig-Holstein, 1856-66
Herzogth Schleswig: German States, Schleswig-Holstein, 1864-65.
Hesperio, Estado: bogus, State of Hesperio.
Hess’sche Stadt-Brief-Beforderung: local, Darmstadt, Germany, 1895-96.
Heston: island off the coast of Scotland with local labels using its name.
Hét: (Hung.) seven (number).
Hetherington, J. E.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hetven: (Hung.) seventy (number).
Heychelles: British Colonial Royal Wedding frames from “Surreal and Unreal Stickers.”
H. G. Hansson Privata Lokalposten Fern: see Göteborg – H. G. Hansson Privata Lokalposten Fern.
H H: auction term for “Heavily Hinged.”
H.H. Nawab Shah Jahanbegam: inscription, on Feudatory State of Bhopal. India, 1876-1901, name and title of native ruler.
H H R: auction term for heavily hinged with hinge remnant(s) affixed.
H.H.W. & Co. (H.H. Warner & Co.): U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp
HI: USPS abbreviation for Hawaii, 1875-91.
H.I. & U.S. Postage: inscription on 13-cent stamp of Hawaii, 1851.
Hi-bright paper: paper that is impregnated with brighteners, that glow under longwave ultraviolet light.
Hi-Brite: term used for papers that contain optical fluorescent material that causes the stamp to glow under longwave ultraviolet light.
Hibernia: (Latin) Ireland.
Hidalgos: early issues of Mexico featuring portrait of Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla, first leader of Mexican independence movement.
Hidden dates: the date of stamp manufacture hidden in the stamp design. Used in Canadian stamps since 1935.
Hidden imagery: name given to encoded imagery used on U. S. stamps; see Decoder, Encoded Designs; Stamp decoder.
Hidden reserve: auction term for 1: non-stated minimum price the seller of the lot will accept, bids received below this figure will be ignored. 2: non-stated reserve.
Hierspiel’s Express Co.: parcel firm serviced Jersey City, Lafayette, N. J., and New York City; used a label, year unknown.
Higgins & Gage: catalog of global postal stationery.
High-etch offset: offset printing from letterpress or typography, used for centers of the U.S. 1943-44 flag stamps.
Highland Railway: Scotland local post.
Highly reactive: enclosure made with a vinyl compound will interact with the other material it contacts; this interaction will, over time, permanently damage material; from: Preservation and Storage Library of Victoria.
Highway Contract Route: (HCR) USPS term for postal contractor route to carry mail by highway between designated points.
Highway Post Office (HPO): motor vehicles used for collection, sorting and distribution of
mail operated by U.S. Post office between Washington, DC and Harrisburg, Va in 1941.
Hiiumaa: bogus issue, not valid for postage.
Hilbre: bogus, located in River Dee, British island local, 1961.
Hildasay: tiny island in the Shetlands.
Hildegarde, S.S.: steamship marking of the Danube Steam Navigation Company built around 1850s, for middle or upper Danube lines.
Hildreth’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced Brooklyn and New York City, N.Y.; used a label, year unknown.
Hilera: (Sp.) row of stamps.
Hill & Co’s Express: private mail and parcel serviced Boston and Manchester, Mass.; used a corner card and labels; 1860s.
Hill, Clayton Courier: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hill, Pearson: father of the cancelling machine produced in 1857; operated by steam or foot treadle to automatically apply a duplex cancellation.
Hillsboro, N.C.: see: Confederate States of America, 3¢ 1861 Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Hillsboro, N. C. Paid: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Hill, Sir Rowland: the man who instituted the penny postage system in England, 1840, and is considered the “Father of the Postage Stamp.”
Hill’s Manual of Social and Business Forms: written by Thomas E. Hill in 1873 to help teach students to properly address, frank and post a letter.
Hill’s Post: Oliver B. Hill, U.S. local post, Boston, Mass.,1849.
Hilo de seda: (Sp.) silk thread.
Hilos de trapo: (Sp.) cloth or rag threads found in poor quality granite paper used by the Spanish Republican government for its numeral issue of 1938-39.
Hil’s Postal Service: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hilton & Sons’ Express: freight firm serviced Boston and Lynn, Mass., used a label, year unknown.
Hilton’s Express: railroad parcel firm serviced between Boston and Lynn, Mass.; used a label, 1858.
Himare: formerly Chimarra, Khimara, Chimara, Albania.
Himera: see: Chimarra.
Himmelblå: (Dan., Nor.) sky blue (color).
Himmelblau: (Ger.) blue.
Himriyya: stamps for a village in the Trucial State of Sharjah, 1965, repudiated by the government.
Hinckley & Co’s. Express, Denver City: handstamp for independent mail route.
Hinckley and District: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hinge: small piece of gummed glassine or parchment paper used by collectors for mounting stamps on album pages.
Hinged: an unused postage stamp to which a hinge or stamp mount has been applied; described as “lightly hinged” or “heavily hinged” depending on degree of gum disturbance.
Hinkley’s Express Co.: Abraham M. Hinkley, U.S. local post, New York, N. Y., 1855.
Hintergrund: (Ger.) background.
Hinton: tourist mail, local post of Canada, 1978-81.
H.I. Postage: inscription on stamps of Hawaii Islands.
Hirlap Belyeg: inscription on stamps of Hungary as a newspaper tax, 1900-22.
Hirlapjegy: inscription on stamps of Hungary for newspaper stamps, 1900-22.
Hiscox & Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
His Majesty’s Jubilee, 1910-1935: overprint on stamps of New Guinea, June 27, 1935.
Historical cover: postmarked and cacheted for a historical event, e.g., the inauguration of a president.
Hit: informal USPS term to postmark mail with a hand-stamped cancellation.
Hitler Skull: parody, designed by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, of the basic letter rate German 12p Hitler Head definitive.
Hivastlos: inscription on stamps of Norway and Hungary for official use.
Hjalp Oss Att Hjalpa!: (Swed.) Red Cross cinderella.
H.J.J. Godsfrimaerke: Danish railway parcel stamp.
Hjørne: (Dan.) corner.
Hjørnefold: (Dan.) corner crease.
Hjørne: (Dan., Nor.) corner.
Hjornetakk: (Nor.) corner perforation.
H.J.Z.: overprint on stamps of Palestine for use on the Hedjaz Railway, 1919.
HK: Honk Kong; country code as used by UPU.
$HK: dollar, currency used in Hong Kong.
HKJ: international postal code for Jordan.
HLC: Harvey L. Cote, BEP employee initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
Hlp: Magyar, Helyi lev lap local postcard, overprint on stamps of Hungary, 1946.
Hlubotisk: (Czech.) photo engraving.
HMA Ship: His Majesty’s Australian Ship, Australia hand stamp.
HMC: Harold M. Clarvoe, BEP employee initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
HM / OW: Her Majesty’s Office of Works / Official.
H.M.S: Her/His Majesty’s Ship, also used as a pre-adhesive postmark.
H.M.S. Graham: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
HMW: 1: Herbert M. Williams 2: Harry W. Wolstenholme, BEP employees initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
HN: Honduras (Rep.); country code as used by the UPU.
Hnedá: (Czech.) brown (color).
Hnedy: (Czech.) brown (color).
Hnedavy: (Czech.) brownish (color).
Hnedocerná: (Czech.) brown-black (color).
Hnedocervená: (Czech.) brown-red (color).
Hnedofialová: (Czech.) brown-violet, brownish-purple (color).
Hnedokarminínová: (Czech.) brown-carmine (color).
Hnedoranzová: (Czech.) brown-orange (color).
Hnedosedá: (Czech.) brown-grey (color).
Hngr: USPS abbreviation in address for hanger.
Hobe & Bro.: Special Delivery firm serviced New York City; used a label, year unknown.
Hoby: Montenegro, 1874-96.
Hochdruck: (Ger.) engraving, leaving a raised impression.
Ho Chi Minh City: formerly Saigon, Vietnam.
Hochwasser 1920: (Ger.) (high water), overprint on stamps of Austria for semi-postal use, 1920.
Hockaday & Co.: transported mail from St. Joseph, Mo. to Salt Lake City, 1858.
Hodgman & Co’s Express: private mail delivery firm serviced Boston, Mass, to Bangor, Maine; used a label, 1849.
Hod (N.) Company: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hogar-Escuela de correos: (Sp.) Orphanage School of the Postal Authorities; on semi-postal.
Hogar Telegrafico: (Sp.) Orphanage School of the Telegraph Service; on semi-postal.
Högröd: (Swed.) “high red” (color), seeDjupt klarröd.
Högtryck: (Swed.) typography.
Hohensalza: Rote Radler, German local post, pre 1900.
Hohenstein-Ernstthal: Express-Packet-Verkehr; German local post, 1891.
Hohenzollern: Imperial Germany rulers, name of Yacht of Kaiser Wilhelm on stamps of German colonies, 1900, known as “Yacht” or “ship” issues.
Hohe-Rinne: Inscription found on local tourist stamps issued by the Kurhaus (Eng., Spa Hotel) built in 1894, and located at Hohe Rinne on the Meeresspiegel River on the Siebenburgen (Hung. Erdély, Rom. Transilvania) plateau. The territory orginally was in Hungary, but was ceded to Romania after WWI. The hotel proprietor issued various local stamps during 1895-1924 for prepayment of mail carried from the hotel to and from the post office at Keresztenysziget (Ger. Grossau), and later to and from the post office at Nagy Szeban (Ger. Hermannstadt).
Hoi Hao: Chinese treaty port, overprint on stamps of Indo-China for French Offices in Hoi Hai, China, 1902-22. Hoihow: (Chungking) 1902, Feb. 7-Dec. 31, 1922, overprint Tchongking; now known as
Hoihow: 1900, May 15- Dec. 31, 1922., first issue 1901 overprinted Hoi Hau, see: China, Indo-China Post offices.
Hoi Hau: China overprint on stamps of Indo-China, French Offices in China, 1901-22.
Hoja: (Sp.) sheet (of stamps).
Hoja a elegir: (Sp.) approval sheets or booklets.
Hoja bloque: (Sp.) sheet of a stamp or stamps, surrounded with a paper margin issued for a specific event or purpose; souvenir sheet.
Hojas de albumes: (Sp.) album pages.
Hoja de licitación: (Fr.) bid sheet.
Hoja de Muestra: (Sp.) specimen sheet with one stamp of each new issue affixed sent to all postmasters to acquaint them with the new issues.
Hoja de oferta: (Sp.) bid sheet.
Hoja entera: (Sp.) complete sheet (of stamps).
Hoja recuerdo: (Sp.) souvenir sheet.
Hojita: (Sp.) small sheet (of stamps) local semi-postal issues printed during the Civil War.
Højre: (Dan.) right (side).
Holanda: (Sp. Port.) Holland, the Netherlands.
Holandské Antily: (Czech.) Netherlands Antilles, Dutch Antilles.
Holandsko: (Czech.) Dutch.
Holandsky: (Czech.) Holland (the Netherlands).
Holbaek: Seaport in Vestsjælland county, Denmark, ca. 33 miles W of Copenhagen. Local post established pre-1880 by Holbaek Steamship Company with “Dampbaaden Holbæk” local stamps used both for postal packets and parcels issued the same year (possibly earlier).
Holbaek Steamship Co.: local, Denmark, 1880.
Hold-to-light card: postcard that creates a different image if held to the light.
Hole in stamp: may indicate a form of cancellation, or used on telegrams, or for official correspondence, etc.
Holkar: inscription Indore State, 1886-1904, India; 1904: first postage due stamp, now known as Indore, see: Indore.
Holland: see Netherlands.
Hollandais: (Fr.) Dutch.
Hollandale, Tex. 5: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals. Hollandia: now known as Jayapura, Indonesia.
Hollandia: (Hung.) Holland.
Holland India: (Hung.) the Dutch Indies.
Holland’s Express: baggage firm serviced New York City; used a label, year unknown.
“Hollandshjalp”: “Help for Holland” overprint on stamps of Iceland semi-postal for flood victims, 1953.
Hollandsk: (Dan.) see Dutch
Hollandske Antiller: (Dan.) Netherlands Antilles, see Nederlandske Antiller.
Hollandsk Indien: (Dan.) Dutch (East) Indies, see Nederlandsk Indies.
Hollandsk Ny Guinea: (Dan.) Dutch New Guinea, see Nederlandsk Ny Guinea.
Hollandul: (Hung.) Dutch.
Hollows: irregularities in stamp paper that caused plate “hollows” which, in turn, caused white spots after printing.
Holloway’s Pills and Ointment: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Holman Liver Pad Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Holmestrand: Seaport city in Vestfold county in SW Norway ca. 30 miles SW of Oslo. Local Post established by M. Borrese, with first “Bypost / Holmestrand / Bypost” handstamped on horizonatally laid black on pale green (3 øre) or gold on cream (5 øre) papers local stamps issued 1 June 1888, with further local stamps issued through 1 December 1888.
Holmestrand Bypost: Norway local post, 1888.
Hologram: added to stamp to give illustration an added dimension.
Hologram Omitted: holograms are affiixed with an adehesive, which can be removed with a solvent; the absence of a hologram may not an error.
Holograph: a letter entirely in the handwriting of the person whose signature is on the document. Holstein: former duchy, south of Denmark; pre-1864: under Danish crown, 1864, March: occupied by Prussia and Austria, issued stamps, 1866: Prussia took over, defeating Austria, German States Schleswig-Holstein, 1868: North German Confederation.
Holsteinsborg: formerly Sisimiut, Greenland.
Holte: a small railroad center located in the area of Holte, Denmark. Local post established by a Mr. Jessen under lease from the government on 1 July 1866, being transferred to a Lt. Baumann in June 1869, with a first “Holte / Landpost” 2-Skilling red-brown local stamp being issued 2 March 1870, and with a second similar-design 2-skilling green local stamp being issued 15 September 1872 The Holte local post was the first Danish local post to issue stamps, The post delivered the mails from the railroad station to the surrounding villages, and used the regular government-issued “206” numerical obliterator to cancel the stamps. The service was taken over by the Danish Post Office on 25 May 1873.
Holte Land Post: Denmark local post, 1870-72.
Holub: (Czech.) carrier pigeon.
Holubice: (Czech.) carrier pigeons.
Holyhead and Kingstown Packet (H & K Packet): sorted mail on board ship, first trip, Oct. 1, 1860.
Holzhausen: German local post, 1945-48.
Holzstempel: (Ger.) wooden hand stamp.
Homan’s Empire Express: U.S. local post, New York, N. Y., 1852.
Homan’s Express: local parcel serviced Bangor and Bucksport, Maine; used labels, 1883.
Home Bitters Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Homeland state: term used for South Africa territorial areas prior to their being granted autonomous authority.
Homenaje: (Sp.) homage.
Honah Lee: Puff the Magic Dragons kingdom.
Honan: province in east-central China; 1940s: regional overprints used, 1949: stamps issued for People’s Post, Central China see scott 6L63-87.
Honan: Japanese occupation, 1941-45, also known as Che-Nan. China 3N.
Honda: Colombia provisional overprint, Tolima, 1896; known as the Honda issue.
Hondon de las Nievas: local post, Spanish civil war, Republican, 1937.
Honduras: former Spanish colony in Central America; between Guatemala and Nicaragua; official name of postal administration: Honducor currency: 8 reales = 1 peso, 100 centavos = 1 peso (1878), 100 centavos = 1 lempira (1933) 1865, Dec.: first stamps issued “Correos de Honduras” before postal service organized, 1877, April-78: 2 reales stamps surcharged “Media Real” and re-issued 1878: new series of stamps issued inscribed “Republica de Honduras,” 1879, April 1: joined the UPU, 1890: first official stamp, 1912: U.S. Marines land, 1925: first airmail stamp, 2000, April 7: first semipostal stamp, see British Honduras.
Honduras Britannique: (Fr.) British Honduras.
Hong Kong: British Crown Colony, a peninsula in southeast China; official name of postal administration: Hong Kong Post Office currency: 100 cents = 1 Hong Kong dollar 1841, Jan. 26: made a British colony, local handstamps used, 1860, May 1: service passed from London P.O. to the colony, 1862, Dec. 8: No.1, 2 cents pale brown, first stamp issued, but use not compulsory, 1864, Oct. 15: use made compulsory, 1905: stamps of Hong Kong overprinted “China” for British Offices in China, 1914, Mar. 1: joined the UPU included with China, People’s Republic 1923, Dec.: first postage due stamp issued. 1945, April: surcharged stamps of Japan for occupation, 1945, Aug. 14: Japanese occupation ended. 1988, Nov. 30: first semipostal issued. 1997, July 1: reverted to Chinese rule, Special Administrative Region, stamps inscribed, “Hong Kong, China.”
Hong Kong: The Hen House Kowloon inscription; unissued Great Britain cinderella by David Horry, 2001.
Hongrie: (Fr.) Hungary.
Honiton Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Honolulu Advertiser: collection of Hawaii items auctioned by the Robert A. Siegel firm on Nov. 7-11, 1995.
Honour’s City Express: 1849-58, Charleston, S.C.; see: Carriers” Stamps.
Honour envelope: British manila envelope with a large cross and inscription in green meaning that the writer on active service , certified that on their honour that the contents did not discuss military matters.
Honvéd: (Hun.) Defender of the Country, i.e., soldier.
Hooded datestamp: circular datestamp with a concentric oval around the top in the shape of a hood with a description such as “registered.”
Hooper’s Emergency: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
HOP: see Handoverprint Study Group.
Hop Bitters Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hopedale Penny Post: U.S. local post, Milford, Mass., 1849.
Hopeh-Shantung-Honan Border Area: northeast China; 1940s: regional overprints issued, 1946: stamps issued for the North China Liberation area.
Hopei: Japanese occupation, 1941-45. China 4N
Hope Express Co.: private mail and parcel serviced New Jersey and eastern Pa.; used corner cards and labels; year unknown.
Hopflug: overprint on Iceland’s stamps to commemorate Italian Marshall Balbo’s 1933 flight. Hopflug Itala: overprint on stamps of Iceland, Balbo airmail flight, 1933.
Hop Isles: 1924 European cinderella used on private postcards that did not go through the mail.
Hop-po: South Chinese local post in Kwangtung, 1949.
Horario: (Sp.) time-table (of mail departures).
Horisontal: (Swed.) horizontal, see Vågrätt.
Horizontal bars: USPS term for the uniform, wide bars parallel to the length of the mailpiece, printed immediately below the no postage necessary endorsement.
Horizontal coil: stamps that are perforated vertically and arranged in rolls.
Horizontal comb perforation: perforation where the lines appear horizontally and the legs vertically.
Horizontal gum: appearance of a pattern visible in the adhesive.
Hörntand: (Swed.) corner perforation.
Hörn: (Swed.) corner.
Hornchurch Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Horní: (Czech.) up (side).
Hörntand: (Swed.) corner perforation.
Hors d’usage: (Fr.) obsolete.
Horsens Bypost: Denmark local post, 1883-89.
Horsens – Horsens Local Post: Seaport in Vejle county, E Jutland, Denmark, ca. 110 miles WNW of Copenhagen. Local post established by a Mr. Bagger in 1883, with a first “Horsens Bypost / Brevmærke” local stamp being issued on 3 October, and with a second “Express / Express” handstamp on gummed paper local stamp being issued later in the year. The local post was disontinued in May 1884 through insolvency.
Horsens – Melgaard Local Post: The Horsens local post (q.v.) was reopened as the “Horsens Telefon og Bypost” by S. Melgaard on 16 September 1886 using the original company’s remaining stamp stock, and overprinting nmerous varieties of same (when purchased, the original stock was stuck together, and was separated by soaking, so that the 1886 surcharged issues are always without gum). Other Melgaard-specific local stamps depicting a horse in front of a tree and inscribed “Horsens Telefon og Bypodst” were issued in April and August 1889. The local post ceased operations on 29 May 1890.
Horseshoe Route: British commercial air mail route flown to various destinations in a large arc, which gave the route its name, 1940.
Horta: Portuguese district in the Azores; 1892: stamps issued inscribed “Horta,” 1905: replaced by stamps of Portugal.
Horten: Seaport in Vestfold county, SE Norway, on W side of Oslo Fjord ca. 24 miles SSW of Oslo. Local post established by L. K. Hiorth, with 5 øre “Hortens / Bypost” lithographed dark blue local stamps depicting an anchor issued 1 July 1882, with additional redrawn issues of the same design issued through 1885. Hiorth employed Norwegian government mail boxes, with his mails being delivered by government mail carriers. The government objected to the use of government mail boxes, and the local post was forced to close effective 31 December 1888.
Hortens: Norway, local bypost, 1882-85.
Horvát: (Hung.) Croatian.
Horvátország: (Hung.) Croatia.
Hospitalet de Llobregat: local post, Spanish civil war, Republican, 1937.
Hostetter & Smith: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hot case: USPS term for case used for last minute sorting of mail.
Hotchkiss, J. G. Match CO.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Hotelpost: (Nor.) hotel mail.
Hotel Posts: issued by hotels in remote areas to carry guest’s mail to the nearest post office, started since the Swiss post office did not provide pick up or delivery service in the late 1800s.
Hot stamp: USPS term for stamp ink that contains a substance that becomes luminescent when passed through a facer-canceler.
Houghton & Co’s Express: parcel delivery firm serviced Boston and Hudson, Mass.; used a label, year unknown.
Hounslow Local post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Householder: printed matter address and words “postage paid” with or without place of delivery.
Houston: NASA local post, 1970.
Houston, Txs. Paid 5: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Hovedpart: (Nor.) the main part, mainly.
Hovedsag: (Dan.) mainly.
Hovedsakelig: (Nor.) mainly.
Hovercraft mail: first mail carried by hovercraft took place on July 20, 1962 between N. Wales and Merseyside.
Hovercraft Mail: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Howard & Co’s Express: private mail and parcel delivery serviced eastern Pensylvania; used corner cards and labels; 1855-68.
Howard & Jones London: papermaker’s watermark
Howard, B & H.D.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Howe, S. D.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Howell’s Letter Express: U.S. local post, Rochester, N. Y., about 1840s.
Hoyle’s Local Mail: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Høyre: (Nor.) right (side).
Hoyt, E.W. & Co.: U.S. private die perfumery proprietary stamp.
Hoyt’s Letter Express: U.S. local post, Rochester, N. Y., 1844.
H.P.: 1: (Followed by Cyrillic letters) Bulgaria. 2: Hamburg, Germany, pre-adhesive postmark.
3: “Hagagan Post” (Armenia Post) Armenia. 4: inscription on Austrian stamp for use in Western Ukraine during WW I period.
H P O: Highway Post Office cancel used on portable mail handling equipment usually located on buses.
H.P.N.: (Sp.) “Habilitado por la Nación” Validated for the Nation; overprint on provisional (Teruel) issues of Spain in 1868.
Hr: Hryvnia; currency of Ukraine.
HR: 1: hinge remnant. 2: Croatia; country code as used by UPU.
H.R.: Helvetische Republik (Swiss) Swiss Republic.
Hrad: (Czech.) castle.
Hradcany: (Czech.) refers to the Czechoslovakia 1918-1920 definitive series depicting the “Hradcany” castle in Prague.
Hranice: (Czech.) border, boundary, frontier.
H rate US Stamp: United States non-denominated make-up rate, value 1¢, 1999.
Hreben: (Czech.) refers to comb perforation.
Hrebenové Zoubkování: (Czech.) comb perforation.
H.R.R.: Housatonic Rail Road handstamp, 1847.
H.R.S.: Hudson River Steamer, pre-adhesive postmark.
Hrvatska: 1: inscription on stamps of the Republic of Croatia. 2: inscription on Croatian patriotic labels issued in Austria-Hungary, 1900-1914.
Hrvatska: lipa and kuna inscriptions on stamps of National government issues, Croat Administration. Croatia, Jugoslavia.
Hrvatska, Republika: Croatia 1992- .
Hrvatska SHS: (Hung.) overprint for “Serbs, Croats, Slovenes”, 1929 when renamed Yugoslavia.
Hrzgl Post F.R.M. (Frmrk): German States, Schleswig Holstein, 1864.
H/S, Hndstmp: auction abbreviation for hand stamp.
Hsai-Men: China; see: Amoy.
HSB: Herman S. Batch, BEP employee initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
HT. Senegal & Niger: 1: Upper Senegal and Niger, 1906-14. 2: Haiti; country code as used by the UPU.
HU: Honduras (Republic); country code as used by the UPU.
Huacho: seaport on coast of Peru; 1884: provisional stamp issued due to stamp shortage caused by occupation of Lima and Callao by Chile during 1879-84 war. Hub: the circular portion of a postmark that indicates place, date, Zip code, etc.
Huck-Cottrell Press: single-color intaglio press, forerunner of Cottrell presses, operational in 1969, used to print coil stamps using curved plates.
Huck Multicolor Press: a nine-color, webfed, intaglio press used by the BEP from 1968-76.
Hudson Riv. Mail N.Y.: in a dated circular date stamp, with separate rate marking, route agent’s stamp, used on mail carried by contract steamboats via the Hudson river, New York-Troy route, 1840s-1851.
Hudson Street Post Office: U.S. local post handstamp, New York, N.Y., 1850.
Huecograbado: (Sp.) photogravure, intaglio.
Huejutla: overprint used on stamps of Mexico for this district, 1856-1883.
Huella de charnela: (Sp.) hinge mark.
Huelva: local post, Spanish civil war, Nationalist, 1937.
Huerfanos de correos: (Sp.) Orphans of the Post; charity seals.
Huerfanos de telegrafos: (Sp.) Orphans of Employees of the Telegraph Service; found on semi-postal issues.
Huesca: local post, Spanish civil war, Nationalist, 1937.
Huetor Tajar: local post, Spanish civil war, Nationalist, 1937.
Huevar: local post, Spanish civil war, Nationalist and Republican, 1937.
Huger, Alfred: postmaster, Chapel Hill, N.C. issued Confederate postmaster’s provisional adhesive and envelope.
Huile Lourde: heavy oils, petroleum distillates; French Colony revenue inscription
Huile Nocives: noxious oils; French Colony revenue inscription.
Hull & Barnsley Company: British local post.
Hull, C. E. & Co.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hull Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hultschiner-Landchen: 1920s: mourning label for territory annexed by Czechoslovakia in 1919 issued by German stamp dealer Sigmund Hartig.
Humanity, Kingdom of: bogus South China Seas, located between Philippines and Indonesia, 1955.
Human Rights: common design on stamps of the French Community of Nations, 1958, 1963, 1968.
Humboldt Express: U.S. local post, Nevada, 1863, branch of Langton’s Pioneer Express.
Humilladero: local post, Spanish civil war, Nationalist, 1937.
Hunan: province in south-central China; 1940s: regional overprints issued 1949: stamps issued for Central Chinese Liberation Area.
Hunan-Kiangsi Border Province: (Chinese Red Post),1929-30.
Hunan-West Hupeh: (Chinese Red Post), 1930.
Hund: (Ger.) dog (thematic).
Hundertiahrfeier: (Ger.) centenary.
Hundi: (Ind.) in India, stamp affixed to a commercial paper for payment of money to the bearer.
Hundre: (Nor.) one-hundred (number).
Hundrede: (Dan.) one-hundred (number).
Hundredeogti: (Dan.) one-hundred-ten (number).
Hungarian-American Messenger Service: bogus, 1919.
Hungary: Bistra, hotel, local post,1909-1912.
Hungary: central Europe; between Romania and Austria; Official name of postal administration: Hungarian Post Office Limited Currency: 100 kreuzer = 1 forint, 100 filer = 1 koruna (1900), 100 filer = 1 pengo (1926), 100 filler =1 forint (1946) 1850, June 1: used stamps of Austria, 1867, May 1: independent postal administration created, 1867, June 1: dual stamps issued for Hungary and Austria, Austrian-Hungarian Empire, 1868, April 1: Hungarian postal service took control of Croatia posts and Slovenia Prekomurje posts, 1868, June 20: first stamps for Hungary, 1871, May 1: No.1, 2 kreuzer orange, first stamps of the Monarchy in arrangement with Austria, 1875, July 1: joined the UPU, 1900, Jan. 25: joined UPU as Hungary, 1903: first postage due stamp, 1913, Nov. 20: first semipostal stamp, 1918, July 4: first air mail stamp, 1918, Nov. 16: People’s Republic formed, 1918, Nov. 23: overprinted stamps issued, 1919. May: overprinted occupation stamps of Hungary for Arad region, Debrecen, Temesvar, Transylvania, 1919, June 14: stamps issued for regime of Bela Kun, Serbian occupation (Baranya, Temesvar, Banat), 1919, June 28: overprinted stamps issued for new republic, 1919, Nov. 16: overprinted stamps issued for Admiral Horthy regime, Szeged. 1921: first official stamp, 1945, May: republic proclaimed, 1949, Aug. 20: People’s Republic of Hungary proclaimed, 1989: People’s Republic abolished.
Hungary, Romanian Occupation: 1919: semi-postal, postage due on stamps of Hungary.
Hungary, Serbian Occupation: 1919: semi-postal, postage due on stamps of Hungary.
Hungerhilfe: (Ger.) in aid of starving people.
Hungria: (Sp.) Hungary.
Hunter’s Post: United Kingdom postal strike, local post, 1971.
Hunting Permit stamp: also known as duck stamp; initiated 1934; see: Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp, State Hunting Permit Stamps.
Hungria: (Sp.) Hungary.
Hunt, L. G.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Huntsville, Tex. Paid 5: see: Confederate Postmasters’ Provisionals.
Huo-shan: East Chinese local post, 1949, west south west of Hoi-fei.
Hupeh Province: east-central China; 1940s: regional overprints issued, 1941: overprinted “Domestic Ordinary Letter Surcharge Paid” 1949, May: stamps surcharged for Central Chinese Liberation Area, 1949, June 4: stamps surcharged for Hupeh Postal and Telegraph Administration.
Hunter & Co’s Express: private mail firm serviced Amador, El Dorado and Placer Coubnties, Calif., used a corner card; year unknown.
Hunt’s Despatch: local post.
Hurricane Hattie: overprint on stamps of British Honduras, semi-postal for hurricane of Oct. 31, 1961.
“Hurricane Relief”: 1: 1987 Aitutaki surcharge.2: overprint of Bahamas semi-postals 1992.
Husband, J. T.: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hussey’s Post: U.S. local post, New York, N. Y., 1854-83.
Husty: (Czech.) thick.
Húsz: (Hung.) twenty (number).
Huszonegy: (Hung.) twenty-one (number).
Huszonketto: (Hung.) twenty-two (number).
Hutchings & Hillyer: U.S. private die medicine proprietary stamp.
Hutchinson, D. F. Jr.: see: Private die match proprietary stamps.
Hutt River Province: Australia local stamps of secessionist state.
Ht. (Haute) Senegal Niger: Upper Senegal and Niger.
Hvar: island off Dalmatian coast; 1944, May: charity stamps printed when occupied by Germany.
Hvid: (Dan.) white (color).
Hviderusland: (Dan.) White Russia (Belarus).
Hvit: (Nor.) white (color).
Hviterussland: (Nor.) White Russia (Belarus).
Hwa-Chung Area: Anhwei Kiangsu; East China “Xuazhunbg” 1946-48.
Hwa-Chung, first sub.district: East China, 1949.
Hwai-Nan Area: (Anhwei, Kiangsu Border area, East China “Xuai-Nan” East China, 1942-44.
Hwa-Ting: Northwest Chinese local post; 1949. ESE of Lan-Chow.
HWW: Harry W. Wolstennholme, BEP employee initials, 1906-1928; see Plate Finisher, Siderographer.
Hybrid mail: a presort mail service run by the Taiwan postal administration.
Hybrid proof: a large die proof made with various plate proofs cut close and mounted upon a card or proof paper, may be found die-sunk on the card..
Hyderabad: India Feudatory State; 1869: first local stamps, inscribed H.E.H. The Nizam’s Government, 1873: first official stamp, 1937: first commemorative stamp, 1950, Apr.30: stamps of Republic of India.
Hydro-Aeroplane Mail Service: marking for mail carried via seaplane across the Mississippi River at St. Louis, 1911.
Hyhya: Egypt, 1880-1884; see Interpostal seals.
Hyphen hole perforation: Rectangular-shaped perforation such as used on some U.S. revenue stamps.