| The abbreviations most commonly used are listed below. | |||||
| Cat | Catalogued Value | O/p-Ovpt | Overprinted | ||
| CDS | Circular date stamp | Pmk | Postmark | ||
| Coll | Collection | R | Reserve,start price | ||
| CTO | Cancelled to order | (P) | Lot Illustrated | ||
| CTS | Cut to shape | PTSA | Priced to sell at... | ||
| C/W | Commonwealth | SC | Stock card | ||
| Comp | Complete | Seln | Selection | ||
| Dupl | Duplicated | Set to.. | Means set complete | ||
| Diff | Different | H V | High Value | ||
| DLR | De La Rue | SP | Surface printed | ||
| EL | Entire Letter | SG | Stanley Gibbons | ||
| FDC | First day cover | STC | Stated to cat by vendor | ||
| Fisc | Fiscal or Fiscal Used | S/W | Side ways | ||
| FU | Fine used | U | Commercially used | ||
| GB | Great Britain | LV | Low Values | ||
| Incl | Includes | UM | Unmounted,never hinged | ||
| LL | Loose leaf | M | Michel | ||
| Inv | Inverted | Unused | Without gum | ||
| LE | Line Engraved | OG | Own Gum | ||
| Marg | Margin or marginal | Vals | Values | ||
| MC | Maltese cross | Vals to ... | Incomplete set | ||
| M/S | Min Sheet | WMK | Watermark | ||
| (Numbers) | Quantities in lot | Var | Variety | ||
| VGU | Very Good used | PS | Pre Stamp | ||
| VFU | Very fine used | RP | Real Photo | ||
| Mint | Usually heavy mounted | MS | Manuscript | ||
| MM | Usually lightly mounted | FFC | First flight cover | ||
| Blk | Block | Imperf | Imperforated | ||
| c | circa/approx | PP | Presentation Pack | ||
