United States Postage Meter Stamp Catalog/Glossary and Abbreviations

Item description format A1. Pitney Bowes "M" (FV), 2px1920. 15px[S] 17px catalog number 17px meter manufacturer 33px model 5px meter type 4px intro. year 5pxrarity factor Glossary and abbreviations Components of a meter impression:600px Definitions: Bank: 8pxa wheel with numbers on the rim which is rotated to impress part of the postage amount on Multi Value meters BIC: 8pxcircular town mark with Broken Inner Circle DC: 8pxDouble Circle town mark Denomination: 8pxthe amount of postage shown by the Value Figures Die: 8pxthe solid print head of a non-digital meter. Digital: 8pxa meter that uses thermal, laser or some other digital technology instead of a die to apply the Stamp Fixed Value: 8pxa meter with Frame and Value Figure carved out of a single die. A Fixed Value meter can print either a single denomination stamp or contains a small set of dies that each print a different denomination. Frame: 8pxthat portion of the Frank surrounding the Value Figures Frank (noun): 8pxthat portion of the Meter Stamp showing the Denomination and (nearly always) the country name and “POSTAGE PAID” or similar statement. Frank (verb): 8pxto apply a postage stamp to a piece of mail FV: 8pxFixed Value meter, single denomination FV can also mean Face Value, as do F/V or V/F FV-n: 8pxFixed Value with ‘n’ number of different stamp dies. FV-5 indicates a fixed value meter that can print five different value stamps F/V: Face Value, can also be seen as "FV" (can also mean "Fixed Value) or "V/F", determine meaing from the context. ID number: 8pxIdentification Number Impression: 8pxthe entire imprint including the Stamp (Frank, Town/Date Mark), and, if present, Serial number, Slogan, Slug, Greater Border, etc. Indicia/Indicium: 8pxsame as Frank (noun) Limited Value: 8pxa meter that has one Frame die with a slot into which several Denomination dies can be rotated LV-n: 8pxLimited Value meter with ‘n’ different postage values M#: 8pxMeter number Mailing Machine: 8pxa device which processes outgoing mail. It can contain a feeding mechanism, an envelope sealer and a sorter as well as a postage meter. Meter: 8pxfor the purposes of this catalog, same as Postage Meter Meter Number: 8pxan identification number assigned by the meter manufacturer Meter Stamp: 8pxa postage stamp impressed by a Meter Multi Value: 8pxa non-digital meter that can print any postage value within a specified range. The machine uses Banks of wheels with numbers on the rims that are rotated to make the correct postage value appear in the stamp. MV: 8pxMulti-Value meter P#: 8pxPermit number Panel: 8pxAn area within a frank bordered by an outer frame line on two or three sides and an inner frame line on the fourth side Permit Number: 8pxa number the postal authority assigns to the mailer (rather than to the meter) Postage Meter: 8pxa machine that prints a postage stamp and maintains a record of the total amount of postage printed Prefix: 8pxa character or characters (usually alphabetic) preceding a Meter Number, Identification Number or License/Permit Number SC: 8pxSingle Circle town mark SL: 8pxStraight Line town mark Slogan: 8pxa verbal or pictorial message of a non-postal nature printed by the meter. A slogan typically promotes a product or cause supported by the mailer. Slug: 8pxsimilar to a Slogan but the message is for postal purposes. Examples are FIRST CLASS, BULK RATE, PARCEL POST, AIRMAIL, 562 P.L.&R. right|150px Spacing: 8pxthe distance between the Town Mark and the Frank. It is usually measured from the right edge of the Town Mark to the left edge of the Frank. Stacked: 8pxa word or number with each letter or digit placed one above or below the other Stamp: 8pxthe Frank plus the Town/Date Mark Tape: 8pxa Meter Stamp impressed on an adhesive paper strip meant to be affixed to a parcel or mail-piece that is too thick to be fed through a postage meter Town/Date Mark: 8pxthat portion of the Meter Stamp that contains the post office name where the meter is licensed and (usually) the date of mailing Town Mark: 8pxsame as Town/Date Mark TM: 8pxTown Mark, Town/date Mark Type: 8pxMeters fall into four basic types, fixed-value (FV), limited value (LV), multi-value (MV), and digital (digital) Value Box: 8pxa small rectangle immediately surrounding the Value Figures in some Franks right|150px Value Figures: 8pxthe numbers and symbols that make up the postage value Vertical: 8pxa word or number reading up or down V/F: 8pxValue Figures also seen as F/V or FV with the meaning Face Value