Perfin
Sign in to saveright|thumb|A 1951 perfin stamp of the UK (used by Her Majesty's Stationery Office|HMSO) showing front (top) and reverse (bottom) right|thumb|A postal stationery envelope used from London to Düsseldorf in 1900, with additional postage stamp perfinned "C & S" identifying the user as "Churchill & Sim" per the seal on the reverse shown on inset right|thumb|An unusual curved perfin INVENTION from Patent Agents G.F. Redfern & Co. of London, whose telegraphic address was also INVENTION right|thumb|A large block of United States perfin stamps right|thumb|A 1955 Canadian stamp with a CPR (Canadian Pac
Article
10 sectionsContents
- History
- Officially prepared perfins
- Collecting perfins
- Postal stationery
- Perfinned postal orders
- Specimen stamps
- Reply coupons
- References
- Clubs
- External links
right|thumb|A 1951 perfin stamp of the UK (used by Her Majesty's Stationery Office|HMSO) showing front (top) and reverse (bottom) right|thumb|A postal stationery envelope used from London to Düsseldorf in 1900, with additional postage stamp perfinned "C & S" identifying the user as "Churchill & Sim" per the seal on the reverse shown on inset right|thumb|An unusual curved perfin INVENTION from Patent Agents G.F. Redfern & Co. of London, whose telegraphic address was also INVENTION right|thumb|A large block of United States perfin stamps right|thumb|A 1955 Canadian stamp with a CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) perfin In philately, a perfin is a stamp that has had initials or a name perforated across it to discourage theft. The name is a contraction of perforated initials or perforated insignia. They are also sometimes called SPIFS (stamps perforated with initials of firms and societies).
== History == Great Britain was the first country to use perfins, beginning in 1868. The practice spread quickly to Belgium (1872); Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland (1876); and Austria (1877); the U.S. finally allowed perfins in 1908.