P - (French Payé) - Paid, framed or unframed cachet applied to mail 1843–1876 as part of the Accounting Marks system.
Paquebot - Literally means packet boat in French, but it is used as a specific term by the Universal Postal Union when referring to mail originating on a vessel out in international waters. Once in port, mail from these ships, carrying postage from the country of origin, would be transferred to smaller packet boats that would relay them to the local post office. This correspondence was hand stamped with the term Paquebot to alert postal clerks that it was all right to accept mail with a foreign stamp on it, since it was posted at sea.
Para - Turkish currency, 1/40 of a Piaster. The Turkish Pound was valued at 100 Piaster, and each Piaster was valued at 40 Paras.
Parcel Post - A service provided by the Post Office Department which accommodated packages weighing over 1 kg.
Parcel card - (UPU term, bulletin d'expédition), known also as “dispatch note”, is a form attached to parcels (sent by parcel post) with details of preferred routing, weight, postage paid (and to be collected), and addresses of sender and recipient. The recipient is supposed to sign the form, which is then returned to the exchange office of the country of origin.
PD - (French- Payé à la destination) - Paid to Destination, framed or unframed cachet applied to mail 1843–1876 as part of the Accounting Marks system.
Pen cancelled - Adhesive stamp used postally and cancelled by hand-writing across it.
Perfin - A stamp perforated across the centre with the initials of a company or other organization to discourage stamp theft. The name is a contraction of perforated initials or perforated insignia.
Perforation - A process involving the removal of small bits of paper in various shapes to allow for easy tearing. The number of perforations (each consisting of a depression and a projection) in two centimeters is called the 'gauge' of that perforation.
PF - (French- Payé à la Frontière) - Paid to Frontier, framed or unframed cachet applied to mail 1843–1876 as part of the Accounting Marks system.
Piaster - Turkish currency. The Turkish Pound was valued at 100 Piasters, each Piaster was valued at 40 Paras.
Picture Postcard - A card used to send a message via the mail. These cards usually include an image on one side and space for a message and an address on the other.
Piroscafo - (Italian - plural piriscafi) Steamship.
Plate block - Block of four, six or other number of postage stamps complete with portion of sheet margin containing the printed number of the plate used.
Plate number - The serial number engraved on a plate which usually appears in a corner of a sheet of stamps.
Plate Proof - Certified plate proofs are the last printed proof from the plate before printing the stamps, with the approval signatures and date. For postal scholars, these plates provide important production information in the plate margin inscriptions, including guidelines, plate numbers, and initials of the person who created the plate from a transfer roll.
Plating - Reconstruction of sheets or blocks of stamps from singles or multiples which can be identified as they vary in some degree throughout the sheet or block.
Porto - Postage.
Postal Card - A card which is similar in look and function to a postcard but which is produced by the postal service. Postal cards include pre-printed postage on the card.
Postal envelope - An envelope with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related service has been prepaid.
Postal Service - A national, usually governmental, system of transmitting written communications.
Postal stationery - A stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related service has been prepaid.
Postcard - Postcards were developed as a regulated sized piece of card stock paper primarily created to be used as an inexpensive method of sending correspondence through the mail, with space for a message on one side and an address on the other.
Post Card - The term post card is an archaic spelling of postcard, used primarily in the early twentieth century. Its use is still considered acceptable, though rarely found.
Postage due stamp - A stamp used to collect the fee paid by the recipient of mail for underpaid postal charges.
Postamt - (German) Post Office.
Poste restante - (French- post remaining) - A service, free or under fee, where the post office holds mail until the recipient calls for it. It is a common destination for mail for people who are visiting a particular location and have no way of having mail delivered directly to their place of residence at that time.
Post Office - The location at which mail is received, sorted, and delivered, and where stamps and other postal materials are sold.
Post office abroad - Post Offices staffed and operated by one country and located in another country.
Postmark - An authorized mark printed over a postage stamp that makes reuse virtually impossible, while recording the date and place of mailing.
Postmaster - The individual in charge of the operations of a local post office.
Postmaster General - The executive head of the Postal Service.
PP - (French - Port Payé) - Postage Paid, red or black, framed or unframed cachet applied to mail 1843–1876 as part of the Accounting Marks system.
Precancel - A stamp cancelled prior to affixing on mail matter or before being deposited at the post office, which allows the item to bypass the usual canceling process.
Proof - Piece of fine card or other high-quality substrate on which an impression has been carefully taken from a new die or other printing hardware to check that the design is correct in all respects.
Provisional stamp - A stamp produced and often issued during an emergency to meet an immediate need, whose value or purpose has been altered after printing by means of a surcharge or overprint.