Types of Stamps

Commemoratives – (for example – Black Heritage/Presidents)

• Stamps that honor anniversaries, important people, or special events.

• Sometimes issued in sets of stamps.

• Larger than definitives

• Printed in smaller quantities

Definitives – (for example – Flags/Butterflies)

• Regular issues of postage stamps, usually sold over long periods of time.

• No special purpose for the stamp except to pay postage.

• Smaller stamps

• Often printed in very high quantity – billions 

Source The Magical World of Stamp Collecting. 2018, ATA