Postage stamp

A postage stamp is evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services. It is usually a small paper rectangle which is attached to an envelope, signifying that the person sending the letter or package has paid for delivery. (Stamps have been issued in other shapes, however: the circular stamps of New Zealand, triangular and pentagonal, and Sierra Leone and Tonga have issued self-adhesive stamps in the shape of fruit, Bhutan has issued a stamp with its national anthem on a playable record, etc.)

The first postage stamp was the Penny Black issued by the United Kingdom with Queen Victoria on the stamp. Because the United Kingdom issued the first stamps, the Universal Postal Union (or U.P.U.) grants the it an exemption from its rule that the identification of the issuing country must appear on a stamp in roman script for use in international mails. Before joining the U.P.U. many countries did not do this (e. g. the "bullseye" stamps of Brazil, or the numerous early issues of China and Japan that confound new collectors unfamiliar with oriental scripts). A stamp must also show a face value in the issuing country's currency. Some countries, including the U.S. and Britain have issued stamps with a letter of the alphabet or designation such as "First Class" for a face value. Typically (though not necessarily) these are restricted to use in domestic mail.

Types of postage stamps

• airmail - for payment of airmail service. While the word or words "airmail" or equivalent is usually printed on the stamp, Scott has recognised as airmail stamps some U.S. stamps showing the silhouette of an airplane.
• commemorative - are limited runs of stamps designed to commemorate a particular event
• definitive - stamps issued mainly to pay postage often having basic designs and issued over many years. Definitive stamps are often the same basic size.
• postage due - a stamp applied showing that the full amount of required postage has not been paid, and indicating the amount short the recipient will have to pay. (Collectors and philatelists debate whether these should be called stamps, some saying that as they do not pre-pay postage they should be called "labels".)
• semi-postal / charity stamp - a stamp issued with an additonal charge above the amount needed to pay postage, where the extra charge is used for charitable purposes such as the Red Cross. The usage of semi-postal stamps is entirely at the option of the purchaser. Countries (such as Belgium and Switzerland) that make extensive use of this form of charitable fund-raising design such stamps in a way that makes them more desirable for collectors.

Stamp collecting or philately is a popular hobby. Some small countries such as Lichtenstein are known for their elaborate stamps intended to be collected and which provides a large fraction of the country's governmental revenues.