A classic stamp is a postage stamp of a type considered distinctive by philatelists. As L. N. Williams puts it, "the term has never been satisfactorily defined". Definitions have include stamps issued before 1900, although all stamps issued before 1900 are considered "classic", while some stamps issued in the first few years after 1900 are considered "classic", while Williams suggests that the classic period extends from 1840 to 1875. To some extent it conveys collectors' prejudices for or against particular countries or specialties. For instance, the Canadian stamps of the 1930s are highly regarded for their design and production quality, and are routinely called "classics"; but the term is much less likely to be used of the US stamps of the same period, and very few would characterize the poorly-printed Mexican stamps of the 1930s as "classic", even though Mexico's first stamps, the Hidalgo issue, are equally poor but always considered classics.
References
- L.N. Williams, Fundamentals of Philately (American Philatelic Society, 1990) ISBN 0-933580-13-4 p. 20
