philatelia
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What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Jun 29, 2022 16:09:48 GMT
What is the correct term for misperfs - Freak? Error? Oddity? thanks for your advice! here are a few examples…   |
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Jun 29, 2022 16:20:16 GMT
I dislike the word “freak” it has too many pejorative overtones applied to the human condition, “ oddity” doesn’t hit it for me .
Such misaligned perfs have obviously not been intentionally produced , the setting has been wrong, so it is clearly an “error”.
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philatelia
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Captain Jack - my best kiloware find ever!
Posts: 3,655
What I collect: Ireland, Japan, Scandy, USA, Venezuela, Vatican, Bermuda, Austria
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Post by philatelia on Jun 29, 2022 16:36:51 GMT
Error it is! Dang it is so nice to have such savvy philatelists for friends. Thank you, Alex!  You’re a gem! vikingeck Another oddity I found is a one penny stamp used to pay full postage on a half cover. Would that be “insufficient postage paid full rate?” It may seem a bit OCD, but I like to learn the correct terminology. It is easier to communicate when using the accepted jargon. And - I love learning more about the hobby. |
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stanley64
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What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Jun 30, 2022 7:31:37 GMT
Thanks for showing Theresa ( philatelia), those are some nice little gems you have there and misperfs, as Alex ( vikingeck ) rightly points out, are considered "Errors", but "Freaks" and "Oddities" also have their place in philatelic terminology.
For additional information and a listing of the different variants and their categorisation, cast your eyes on Mr. John M. Hotchner's essay that can be found on the Errors, Freaks or Oddities Collectors' Club (EFOCC) website here. If you have the time to spare, the presentation Integrating EFOs into a Topical Collection with Cemil Betanov is worth watching.
With your eyes open and mind alert, you never know what you might find...
Have fun and happy collecting!
P.S. If anyone comes across EFOs on any of the Transportation coil stamps, I would like to see them.
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jun 30, 2022 10:03:28 GMT
I believe EFO is more a US term and other areas in the world may use different terms.
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stanley64
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What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Jul 2, 2022 9:22:34 GMT
With all deference and not to split hairs angore , I believe EFO is an acronym ;-) Barring any other terminology, according to the EFOCC website, forgeries or counterfeits are listed under the category of - 'Oddity'.
Hmmm... Have fun and happy collecting! |
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jul 2, 2022 10:04:17 GMT
Well that is a revelation, Vince ( stanley64 ).... thanks for pointing it out! I never thought of forgeries as being classified as EFOs (Errors, Freaks & Oddities). To me, seeking to place a forgery into one those categories would be the equivalent of taking a normal stamp, which turned out exactly as it was supposed to, and also forcing it into one of those three categories. If the EFO people deem it necessary to classify forgeries as "oddities", then I think I will consider those people as oddities, too, because I think it is stretching a point and forcing something to fit where it doesn't really belong. I don't think that there is anything particularly odd about forgeries. They were created to fill spaces in stamp albums, or to fool collectors, or for other reasons. That's just my two cents, but thanks for the interesting point, which would never have occurred to me. 
Edit: It occurred to me after making the intial post, that with the EFO enthusiasts, perhaps it is a case of "If you're a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." They see the philatelic world through what can be included as EFO material. In that context, I suppose that a forgery would not qualify as a "normal" stamp, so perhaps they have a point. That said, if you carry on with that logic, then even Cinderellas wouldn't qualify as normal stamps, and the list of EFOs grows even larger. As none of it really matters to me, the debate is purely academic from my perspective, and the EFO people can say what they like!  |
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angore
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Post by angore on Jul 3, 2022 10:25:05 GMT
I think it is a bit much to try to fit forgeries and altered stamps into the EFO categories.
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vikingeck
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Post by vikingeck on Jul 3, 2022 13:29:36 GMT
I have only recently come across “EFO”s which I thought were flying saucers and things, and have to confess I am surprised at the categories listed in the Hotchner essay mentioned and linked by Vince stanley64 above. It seems a totally artificial attempt to compartmentalise the uncompartpentaliseable. Most of his perf and mis cut “freaks” are just errors by another name, as are colour misregistration “freaks”, simple errors of registration. Forgeries, essays, proofs are all part of philately, scarce and unusually hard to find but “oddities?” Print flaws, re-entries , and flyspecks all have their place and are frequently catalogued as interesting study features , the joy of philately, but hardly “oddities?” And Cinderellas as just a sub group,of oddities ? That is an insult to Cinderella philately, One man’s oddities are another’s treasure and joy. However each to his own, if folk over there find the need for an EFOCC good luck to them , even if I find the term “freaks” distasteful and politically incorrect, and many of his “oddities”, mundane. |
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You’re a gem! 
