A Bit Confused On This

Ok. I get I think that a Cinderella is a type of stamp, some without dollar values.

But why do I see stamps that look like a postage stamp, and have a value on them, but they are called Cinderella? I thought if they would have been used for postage of a letter. This is confusing, and I am trying to get what makes it a Cinderella. Also, is the magazine article or place that may help me?

Here is a discussion on the topic of Cinderella stamps:

http://goscf.com/t/12666

Basically anything that isn't a postage stamp. You'll find that the definition can be wider or narrower in certain markets. UK auctions usually list fiscal stamps under Cinderellas. They probably wouldn't in north America.

What is a cinderella for someone using Scott may be a genuine stamp for someone using another catalogue.
Most of the type of stamps you seem to refer that had no official postal use, may have had postal use but did not prepay carriage of mail itself, be a charity label issued by an organisation that is linked to the post, or may be a purely private issue.

An example is a Lundy or Sark stamp from the United Kingdom. It does pay for carriage of mail to the nearest official post office and be put in the post there, requiring a recognised stamp for onwards carriage. In the UK, these, frequently, are called local carriage labels and are not considered cinderellas.

Another example is a beneficencia label 'Huérfanos de Correos' from Spain. These are linked to the postal system, but were not for general use as postage stamps. These are listed by 'Edifil,' the catalogue for Spain.

An example of the third might be linked to fund raisers like these: http://goscf.com/t/86202&whichpage=1#799574. The 'cinderellas' in the thread do not have a value. But no one would have stopped the issuers from adding a value.

Ask 100 collectors and you'll get 100 "definitions", varying mostly in the vast gray areas of how big to draw the circle of an item being "government authorized" and often strongly biased by what they collect themselves. And many are willing to argue very loudly to defend inclusion or exclusion in their "definition". No, I won't offer my definition!

Kevin, Did you have some specific examples? Like the U.S. Supreme Court knowing pornography when they see it, we know Cinderellas when we see them. LOL. Specific examples can be helpful in directing a conversation from the very broad and theoretical to the more practical.

Thanks john John Becker for your examples. I am trying to understand the term more, and what it applies to. I had posted for help with some odd-looking stamps I found in a box I got, and I was told they were Cinderella stamps. And then I saw another post with what looks like a normal stamp, and they also called it a Cinderella stamp. Just trying to figure out what makes it that.

Also, someone said an easter seal is a Cinderella type of stamp.

Here is the one I have.

The item you show here would be considered a Cinderella by almost every collector. It was made by a private charity organization and not issued by a government agency to collect any fee or perform any service (starting down the slippery slope of a definition, I know, but a government vs non-government distinction may be a good place to build upon).

So yes, Christmas seals (even though listed by Scott), Easter seals, National Wildlife Federation seals, etc., are privately-issued Cinderella stamps, regardless of their physical form by often having gum or perforations. Cinderellas with denominations often act as receipts for the donation to the charity.

Bottom line, I wouldn't get bogged down in whether something is considered a Cinderella or not by someone else ... and just enjoy them.

The broadest definitionof a cinderella is something that looks a bit like a postage stamp but it isn't valid to pay for postage. If you really get down to the nitty gritty what philatelist call a stamp isn't. Its a paper label prepaying postage a stamp is that thing you put ink on the press onto paper to leave a mark. Try googling stamps.

Cambridge dictionary: postage = the money that you pay for sending letters and parcels through the post.

You just swept 'To Pay' labels (postage dues) that pay after these have been sent through the post and may just have been used to collect import duties into the cinderella category.

Certain airmail stamps, strictly, have no validity as postage stamps as they only pay an additional fee for carriage on an aeroplane.

On the other hand, I doubt many people here would classify a Panini sticker of Ruud Gullit as a cinderella. But there are countries that issued stamps depicting him and stamps can be self-adhesive and sold on backing paper.

Even the broadest definition will be up for debate.

That is exactly why I stated here yesterday:


And why I won't attempt it here, because I differ with those already sugested and find it a rabbit hole not worth entering given all the other more fun things to do with my collection.

Ok. I have something new I just came across with these termed Cinderella stamps.

I use an app on my cell phone called Stamp Identifier to help me find where some things belong, and where they fit in. Anyway, the other day I had a stamp that gave a country, the Scotts number and its value. It then said it identified it as a Cinderella stamp. Why would a postage stamp be identified as both postage and Cinderella? Now I am really confused. I added it to the country pile while sorting, but not sure why this happens.

Thanks

We can give you maybe a better idea if you post a picture of the item in question.


Peter

You might help us by sharing which stamp it is.

A country name plus a value on a piece of paper do not make a stamp. Many fake stamps are printed for countries that never authorised them. Sometimes, catalogues list them because they believe them to be real issues.

Without knowing what you are referring to, it is impossible to say what is going on.

Next time I get it, I will do that.

An App is a tool not a crutch.

One needs to approach the apps with a large amount of caution. Apps are not substitutes for experience, common sense, and good old fashioned catalog searching based on the clues your item provides. And they won't help much with minor detail varieties, watermarks, etc.

Without a shared illustration it is impossible for us to give meaningful feedback on your specific example. Even knowng what country and catalog number the app returned would be helpful. Hint, hint.

If I get that again, I will post what I can.

I use the app to help when sorting and have no idea where to start. I do have a country list with names, but some are not listed on it, so the app just speeds up that process. After when we are doing the final sorts of each group, I do use the Scotts books.

As some say, it is tool in my toolbox.