Tag Archives: Japan

Definition: Se-tenant Stamps

Se-tenant means two or more different stamps printed on the same pane or sheet of paper. They can be stand-alone designs or part of a larger work of art.

Japan 2013

Japan’s 2013 se-tenant pair of 80-yen stamps celebrating the 120th Anniversary of Volunteer Fire Departments • Courtesy div_style via eBay.com

In the example above from Japan, the two stamp designs are complimentary but not necessarily part of a greater work of art. Notice how the artist is careful not to carry the costumes from one subject into the stamp frame of the other. The art is truncated before it runs into the perforations, with only the background colors tying the two designs together.

New Zealand

New Zealand’s 1986 se-tenant strip of five 25-cent commemoratives marking the 100th Anniversary of Police • Courtesy delcampe.net

In the second example above, this time from New Zealand, designs in the strip of five commemoratives run together, crossing the perforations that divide one stamp from another. Each stamp forms a part of the greater work of art.

Se-tenant (pronounced see-TEN-ant) stamps are fun to collect and some philatelists make them a speciality.

Finding Stamp Dealers

Thousands of stamp dealers operate across the globe, perhaps even in your neighborhood. They are a great source of both new and used stamps, new issues, albums, stock books, stamp tongs, other stamp-collecting supplies and advice.

To find a local stamp dealer or a philatelic firm that specializes in the topics, countries and types of stamps that you want to collect, use one of these stamp-dealer search engines maintained by national stamp-dealer associations.

Though headquartered in a particular country, association membership often extends to dealers of other nations. Click on their respective logos to access membership information:

American Philatelic Society

American Philatelic Society
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA
560+ dealers in USA, Canada and 19 other nations

 

American Stamp Dealers’ Association
Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, USA
350+ dealers in USA and elsewhere, including China, Germany, Japan, Peru, Serbia and 14 other nations

APTA Logo

Australasian Philatelic Traders’ Association
Blackburn, Victoria, Australia
80+ dealers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and four other nations

CSDA Logo

Canadian Stamp Dealers’ Association
London, Ontario, Canada
90+ dealers in Canada, France, UK and USA

NSDA LogoNational Stamp Dealers’ Association
Tempe, Arizona, USA
190+ dealers in USA, Belgium, Canada, France, Israel and UK

New Zealand Stamp Dealers Association
Manukau City, New Zealand
45+ dealers in New Zealand, Australia and three other nations

 

PTS LogoThe Philatelic Traders’ Society
Lingfield, Surrey, United Kingdom
300+ dealers in UK, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Malta, Poland, Portugal and numerous other nations

 

For 19 other national stamp dealers’ associations, visit the International Federation of Stamp Dealers’ Associations where you can find links to professional philatelic groups in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

IFSDAInternational Federation of Stamp Dealers’ Associations
Lausanne, Switzerland