PERFINS

The term "Perfin" is an abbreviation for "Perforated Initials" and is usually applied to stamps punched with holes as a form of protection against theft. However the term has also been applied to patterns intended for use as a cancellation, or for puching information onto documents (such as date perforations of cheques). Click here for a general introduction to Perfins.

Many perfin designs share common groups of sizes and styles of individual letters.

Blocks and strips are important in the study of perfins. These can be used to determin how many stampswere struck in each operation of the perfin machine as well as to how the sheet was prepared before being perfinned (giving rise to "reversed" and "inverted" perfins).

Identifying users from covers is easy enough, but many identities have required a little more detective work.

By now you're probably thinking that perfins are limited to simple initials of firms. But not so ! There are a number of perfins covering various themes such as railways, fancy designs, full names, monograms and official perfins.

Perfins are by no means restricted to postage stamps and can be found on telegraph and other revenue stamps.

When the premisis of Sloper's, who were responsible for many of the perfin dies, was destroyed in a blitz during World War 2, a small number of of dies were made which were combined to give the necessary initials for a client. These issues are referred to as wartime provisionals.

The first books of stamps issued in Great Britain contained perfinned stamps. These were not issued by the Post Office but by private companies with the permission of the Post Office.

The use of perfins is closely linked to the use of both commercial and commonwealth overprints.

Perfins have also been used to commemorate various events, admitedly purely philatelically.

Finally, if a little section on putting a financial value of perfins.