In philately, an essay is a design for a proposed stamp submitted to the postal authorities for consideration but not used, or used after alterations have been made.[1][2] By contrast, a proof is a trial printing of an accepted stamp.
Both essays and proofs are rare, as usually just a few are produced. Although intended for internal use by printers and official bodies, essays sometimes find their way onto the philatelic market.
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Essay (philately).
- Anglo-French Union The British Postal Museum & Archive
- Edward VIII Postage Stamp Essay Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
- Essay for the embossed stamp submitted after 1839 by Charles Whiting The British Postal Museum & Archive
- Flashback: Essays, The Stamp Designs That Also Ran The Collectors Weekly
- George VI stamps The British Postal Museum & Archive
- Newfoundland bogus "Essay"
- Switzerland extracts from Essay Proof Journal 1945–1961