Blanket perfin – pattern made to cover more than one stamp
Code hole – and additional hole extra to the normal design which may indicate a different machine
Die – a set of pins that make one complete design or set of initials, and which may also include a code hole (or code holes)
Double. triple, etc. – where the perfin pattern has been struck on the stamp more than once, usually with slight mis-registration
Head – that part of the perforator that contains the die(s) used to create the perfin(s)
Illegal – pattern that exceeds government mandated size restrictions
Issue – stamp on which the pattern is punched
Multiple die – the same pattern repeated more than once on a perforator head (possibly with minor variations)
Official – perfins used by government agencies
Pattern – the letters, design, or figures that comprise the perfin
Perfin cancel – where a perfin is used to cancel a stamp (usually revenue) or a document
Perfin – from perforated initials or insignia
Perforator – a machine – hand, mechanically, or electrically operated – that perforates the pattern into a stamp
Personal use – perfins stamp used on private correspondence
Private – perfins for business or personal use versus official government use
Revenue perfin – Either (1) when the perfin was put in the revenue stamp before it was affixed to the document; Or (2) when the perfin was put in the revenue stamp after it was affixed to the document.
SPIF – Stamps Perforated with Initials of Firms
Split – a partial perfin pattern that is incomplete due to off-centering of the pattern to left or right, top or bottom, etc.
Type – a single copy of a perfin pattern, irrespective of the stamp
