Glossary of Philatelic Terms and Abbreviations
This glossary of Swiss philatelic terms and abbreviations is by no means complete, nor can its accuracy be guaranteed. However, it will prove useful to researchers who, for example:
- find a cover or postcard with an unidentifiable handstamp;
- discover a postmark bearing an unusual abbreviation;
- or perhaps encounter an uncommon word in philatelic literature.
Additional entries will be added to the glossary as they become known, together with corrections to the existing content.
Contributions from readers of this website are most welcome. Please email the author at: webmaster@swiss-philately.co.uk
| Abart | Variety |
| Abflug wegen ungünstiger/Witterung verschoben | Flight departure delayed due to inclement weather (two-line boxed cancel) |
| Abgegeben | Delivered |
| Abgereist | Gone away |
| Abgereist ohne Adressangabe | Gone away without leaving an address |
| Abschiedsausgabe | Final issue |
| Abstand | Distance |
| Adresse ungenügend | Address insufficient |
| Adresse insuffisante | Address insufficient |
| A.E.D. (Affranchie Etranger Destination) |
Foreign Rate – Paid to Destination |
| AE/JF (Affranchissement Étranger a payé Jusqu’à la Frontière) |
Foreign Rate – Paid to Frontier |
| Aeroport | Airport |
| Affranchissement au verso | Stamp on reverse |
| ALF | Automatic Letter Facing (and cancelling) |
| AMB. | Ambulant (T.P.O.) |
| Ambulant | Railway Post Office |
| Ambulants | Office dealing with mail despatch by rail |
| Amtlich | Official |
| Annahne | Receiving (window) |
| Annahme verweigert | Refused |
| Annahneamt | Receiving station |
| APC | Automated Postal Centre |
| Après le Départ | After Departure of the Post |
| Arrivee Mess. | Incoming mails |
| ATM (Automaten-Marken) | Frama labels, Auto stamps |
| Aufgabe | Posting of … |
| Aufgegeben (Aufg.) | As Handed In |
| Auftraggeber | Client |
| Ausgabe | Distribution, delivery |
| Auslandprufstelle | Foreign letters censor office Represented by a large ‘A’ in circle on censored letters out of Switzerland during WWII |
| Aushilfs-Stempel | Temporary, or Replacement Canceller |
| Autodienst | Postal cars division |
| Avis de réception | Acknowledgement of receipt (AR), a service additional to registration |
| AW (Abstempelungs-Werk) |
Handbook of Swiss Cancellations 1843-1907, by Andres & Emmenegger |
| Bahnhof | Railway Station |
| Bahnpost | Railway Post Office |
| Bahnpostamt (BPA) | Office dealing with mail despatch by rail |
| B.B. | Brief Bureau (Letter Office) |
| B.F. | Brief Francais (French Office) |
| BBZ | Berner Briefmarken Zeitung (published monthly, by Zumstein & Cie) |
| B.H. | Bâle Helvetique |
| BID (Bibliothek & Dokumentation) | Library & Documentation, Bern 3030 |
| Blindenschrift | Braille publications |
| Boite | Letter-box |
| Briefe | Letter |
| Briefamt | Letter Office |
| Brief & Geldpostamt | Letter & Money Account Division |
| Briefannahme | Letter receiving |
| Briefaufgabe | Letter posting |
| Brf. Dist. | Letter distribution |
| Brf. Ausgabe | Letter delivery |
| Brf. Exped. | Letter despatch |
| Briefpost | Letter window |
| Briefträger | Mail carrier |
| Briefversand. | Letter despatch |
| B.S. | Bâle Suisse |
| Cases | Lock boxes (POB) |
| CD | Correspondence via Delle |
| CF | Correspondence via Ferney |
| Chargé | Registered |
| Checkamt | Cheque division |
| Checkb(uro) | Cheque office |
| Checkb.K. | Cheque control etc. |
| CFC | Culler facer canceller |
| CH (Confederatio Helvetica) | Swiss Confederation |
| Consign.Lett. | Letter Acceptance Division |
| Consign.Mess. | Mail Acceptance Division |
| Controle | Control Office |
| Colis | Parcels |
| CS1R – CS7R | Correspondence Sardinia (1-7 Rayons) |
| C.T. (Corrispondenzia Ticinese) | handstamp applied at Bellinzona, Locarno and Magadino |
| C.V. | Col Vapore (by Steamer) |
| CVL | Correspondence Valais (on mail to Sardinia) |
| Darf nur auf schweiz.. | may only fly on Swiss airlines |
| D.Bu | Diligence Bureau |
| Decart(age) | International Parcel Card Sorting Office |
| Decédé | Deceased |
| Decesso | Deceased |
| Depot privé de Colis Postaux | Private Parcel Post Acceptance |
| Depot Colis | Parcel window |
| Depot Lett. | Letter window |
| Depot CFF | Railroad station office |
| Distribution | Delivery |
| Ditta cassata | Firm closed |
| Drinlich | Urgent |
| Druck & Werz. | Stamp Printing Division |
| Drucksachen | Printed matter |
| Eilsendungen | Special delivery |
| Eildienst | Special Delivery Service |
| Eilzustellg. | Special Delivery |
| Eilversand | Special Delivery despatch |
| Eilschalter | Special Delivery window |
| Eil – & Tel. zust. | Special Delivery & Telegram distribution |
| Empfangschein | Receipt |
| Einschreiben | Registered |
| Einschreibtaxe | Registry fee |
| Einzugsaufträge | Special envelopes used for collecting debts |
| Einzugsmandat | Debt Collection |
| E V. En Ville. | In the town |
| Exp(edition) | Posting of … |
| Express | Special Delivery |
| Exp. Lett. | Letter Posting Division (despatch) |
| Exp. Let(tres) | Letter Posting Division (despatch) |
| Expr. et Teleg. | Special Delivery & Telegrams |
| Fact. Lett. | Mail carrier (letters) |
| Facteur(s) | Mail carrier(s) |
| Fächer | Lock boxes (POB) |
| Fahrpost | Parcel Post |
| Fahrpostausg. | Parcel Despatch (by horse coach) |
| F.D.n | Fischer Par Delle (used on mail to France 1823-27) ‘n’ indicates value in kreutzer (e.g. F.D.4), amount due to Swiss mail contractors-Fischer |
| F.F.n | Fischer Par Ferney (used on mail to France 1823-27) ‘n’ indicates value in kreutzer (e.g. F.F.4), amount due to Swiss mail contractors-Fischer. Similar marks without numerals are found on internal letters from Geneva to Ferney |
| FIP (Federation international de philatélie) | International Philatelic Federation |
| FP Aufg. | Parcel Despatch (by horse coach) |
| Fermo Posta | Lock boxes (POB) |
| Fil(iale) | Branch Office |
| Firma erloschen | Firm closed |
| Flug Nicht Ausgeführt | Flight did not operate |
| Flug ausgefallen | Flight did not operate |
| Flugplatz | Airport |
| Flugpost | Airmail |
| Flugpostdienst eingestellt | airmail service suspended |
| Franco | Postage Paid |
| Franco Grenze | Paid to Frontier |
| Franco trop peu | Insufficiently franked |
| Frankatur siehe Rücksette | Stamp on reverse |
| Gare | Railway Station |
| GD-PTT (General Direktion PTT) | General Management PTT, Bern 3030 |
| Geldpost | Money division |
| Geldannahme | Money acceptance window |
| Gestorben | Deceased |
| G.F.n | Geneve Par Ferney (used on mail to France in 1831 only) ‘n’ indicates value in kreutzer, amount due to Geneva Post Office (e.g. G.F.4) |
| Giornali | Newspapers |
| Grenzrayon | Limited Border Zone |
| H.Buchsee | Herzogenbuchsee |
| Hier. | In this town |
| H.R. | Helvetische Republic |
| Impayé | Unpaid |
| Impostazione di Invii | Private Parcel Post Acceptance |
| Inconnu | Unknown |
| Indirizzo insufficiente | Address insufficient |
| Ins Fach Legen | Leave in the Post Office Box |
| Journaux | Newspapers |
| Kein Fluganschluss… | no airmail connection, forwarded by rail |
| Kontrolle | Control Office |
| Kopfstehend | Inverted |
| Kreidepapier | Chalk-surfaced paper |
| Kreispost | District H.Q. |
| Kreisstempel | Circular cancellation |
| KPD (Kreispostdirektion / Direction d’arrondissement postal / Direzione di circondario postale) |
Postal region directorate (11) |
| LBpH | Lettre Bâloise pour Huningue (for Huningue) |
| L B | Lettre Bâloise (followed by value in Kreutzers, e.g. L B/4 K) |
| Let. Arr. | Letter arriving branch |
| Lettres | Letter mail |
| Lettere | Letter mail(s) |
| L.G. | Lettre Genevoise |
| Ligne pas ouverte | line not yet opened |
| L.N. | Lettre Neuchâteloise (followed by value in Kreutzers, e.g. L.N.5½Kr.) |
| LT | Lettera Transito (mail passing through Italian States) |
| Luftpost | Airmail |
| L.V. | Lettre Vaudoise (followed by value in Kreutzers, e.g. L.V.6.K) |
| L.Z. | Lettre Zurichoise (followed by value in Kreutzers, e.g. L.Z./8.Kr) |
| Maison sociale | Firm closed |
| Mandate, Mandats | Postal Orders |
| Mandatbureau | Money Order Office |
| Mandatdistr. | Money Order Delivery Section |
| MLO | Mechanised Letter Office |
| Mess(ageries) | Mail Office |
| Messagerieagentur | Message Agency |
| Messageriebureau | Message Bureau or Office |
| Mit Vorausflug nach. | Onward flight to destination. Directional route mark applied on mail delivered to seapost offices, where the sender does not specify a catapult flight |
| N.Abg. (Nach Abgang der Post) | After Departure of the Mail |
| Nachnahme | COD |
| Nachnahmen | C.O.D. window |
| Nachnahme Frankatur | Collect Franking |
| Nachschlagedienst | Directory Service (incomplete address) |
| Nichteilige Massensendungen | Non-urgent mass-mailings |
| Nicht abgeholt | Unclaimed |
| Nicht ausgeführt | Flight did not operate |
| Nicht eingelöst | Unpaid |
| Nicht nachsenden! | Do not forward! |
| Non pagato | Unpaid |
| Non-réclamé | Unclaimed |
| Non-retirato | Unclaimed |
| Non effectué | Flight did not operate |
| N.P.Schl. (Nach Postschluss) | After close of Post Office |
| n’existe plus | Firm closed |
| Nur mit Flugpost | By Airmail only |
| NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung) | Zürich daily newspaper (philatelic half-page on Fridays) |
| OCR | Optical Character Reader |
| Ordres de recouvrement | Special envelopes used for collecting debts |
| Office des Ambulants | Office dealing with mail despatched by rail |
| Office tempor. | Temporary mail facility |
| OV (OrtsVerzeichnis / Liste des localités / Elenco delle località) |
List of Place Names (produced annually) |
| P. (Payé) | Paid |
| P.A. (Post Ausgabe) | Postal Delivery |
| P.D. (Payé à la destination ) | Paid to Destination |
| P.F. (Payé à la Frontiére) | Paid to Frontier |
| P.P. (Port Payé) | Postage Paid |
| Päckchenstempel | Parcel Cancel |
| Paketannahmestelle | Private Parcel Post Acceptance |
| Parti | Gone away |
| Partito | Gone away |
| Parti sans laisser d’adresse | Gone away without leaving an address |
| Partito senza lasciara indirizzo | Gone away without leaving an address |
| Postanweisungen | Money orders |
| Postcheckverkehr | Postal check traffic |
| Postcheckrechnung | Post office check calculation |
| Paketagentur | Parcel Agency |
| Paketamt | Parcel post office |
| Paketannahme | Parcel receiving window |
| Paketaufgabe | Parcel posting window |
| Paketausgabe | Parcel distribution |
| Paketversand | Parcel despatch |
| Paketpost | Parcel post |
| Plattennummer | Plate number |
| PLZ (Postleitzahl / Numéro postal d’acheminement / Numero postale d’avviamento indica) |
Postcode |
| Portofreiheits | Free Frank stamp |
| Postagentur | Postal Agency |
| Postkarten | Postcard |
| Postpakete | Parcels |
| Postanweisungen | money orders |
| Poste aerienne | Airmail |
| Postlager | Will call (general delivery) |
| PK (Postkreis) | Postal district |
| Poste restante | Will call (general delivery) |
| Postreisende | Postal coach div. (for travellers, ticket office) |
| PTA (PTT Amsblatter / PTT Feuilles Officielles / PTT foglio ufficiale) |
PTT Bulletins (weekly) |
| PTT (Post Telefon Telegraph / Poste telepone / Posta telefono telegrafo) |
Swiss Post, Bern |
| R. or Rte | Route, e.g. Rte Lucerne |
| Raggio Limitrofo | Limited Border Zone |
| Rayon Limitrophe | Limited Border Zone |
| Rebuts | Dead letter office |
| Recommandée | Registered |
| Récépissé | Receipt |
| Récépissé soumis à la taxe | Receipt subject to Tax |
| Reexp(edition) | Re-routing Office |
| Reisendeinshreibstelle | Passenger Booking Place (office) |
| Remis trop tard | Handed in too late |
| Rückschein | Return receipt |
| Recommandiert | Registered |
| Recouvrements | Cash On Delivery |
| Refusé | Refused |
| Respinto | Refused |
| Remboursements | Money delivery (or pay in) window |
| Retourzettel | Return to sender |
| Ricevuta | Receipt |
| Ricevuta passibile di Tassa | Receipt subject to Tax |
| R.L. (Rayon Limitrophe) | Limited Border Zone |
| RM erstellt | Refund for over-franking |
| Rückmeldung erstellt | Refund for over-franking |
| Rückschein | Acknowledgement of receipt (AR), a service additional to registration |
| SBB (Schweizerische Bundesbahnen / Chemin de fer fédéraux suisses / Ferrovie federali svizzere) |
Swiss Federal Railways |
| SBZ | Schweizer Briefmarken Zeitung (published monthly) |
| Sconosciuto | Unknown |
| SLM (Schweizerische Locomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik) |
Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works, Winterthur |
| Spätflug | Late Flight |
| Station | Railway Station |
| Stazione | Railway Station |
| Strafporto | Excess, or Penalty Postage |
| Succ(ursale) | Branch Office |
| SVPS (Schweizerische Verein der Poststempelsammler) |
Swiss Postmark Collectors Society |
| Spediz. lettere | Letter despatch |
| Sendungen ohne Adresse | Unaddressed bulk mail |
| T (Transit) | Applied at Coppet and Vevey on letters to Sardinia |
| Taxe Perçue | Advisory handstamp informing the delivering postal authority that underpaid postage has been collected. |
| Taxpflichtiger Empfangschein | Receipt subject to Tax |
| T B (Transit Bâle) | Handstamp applied to letters from Aargau, Gaübunden, Luzern, Schaffhausen, Ticino and Uri (always in red) |
| T.B. (Transit Bernois) | Applied to letters from Solothurn and Unterwalden. Distinguishable from the Basel mark by the full stops. (in black until May 1846, then in red) |
| T F (Transit Francais) | Handstamp found on mail in transit through France |
| T.G. (Transit Genèvois) | Handstamp applied to letters from Fribourg (always in red) |
| T.V. (Transit Vaudoise) | Hanstamp applied to letters from Valais (always in black) |
| T.Z. (Transit Zürichoise) | Used on letters from Appenzell, Glarus, St.Gallen, Schwyz, Thurgau and Zug (in black for a brief period in 1845 and, thereafter always in red) |
| Timbre insuffisant | Insufficiently franked |
| Trop tard | Too late for same day delivery |
| Transit(o) | Transit Office (mostly for customs goods) |
| Trans. Lett | Letter Transit (re-sorting office) |
| Transitzoll | Transit customs |
| Über ausländische….. | not permitted via foreign airlines |
| Unbekannt | Unknown – no such person |
| Unbekannt verzogen | Address Unknown |
| Unleitstell | Re-routing office |
| UPU (Union Postale Universal) | Universal Postal Union, Bern |
| Vaglia | Money matters (value) |
| Versand | Despatch |
| Verweigert | Refused |
| Vestorben | Deceased |
| Vorläufer | Precursor, Forerunner |
| Voyageurs | Coach Ticket Office |
| VSPhV (Verband Schw.Philatelistenvereine / Union des Sociétés philatelique suisses / Union delle Società filateliche svizzere) |
Union of Swiss Philatelic Societies |
| Warenmuster | Samples |
| Wertsendungen | Declared Value Shipments |
| Wertzeichen | Postage Stamps |
| Zahlungsanweisungen | Delivery of payments |
| Zeitungen | Newspapers |
| Zerbrechlich | Fragile |
| Zu wenig frankiert | Insufficiently franked |
| Zu spät | Too late for same day delivery |
| Zurück | Return |
| Zwerg-Stempel | Dwarf cancel or cancellation |