The Primary Role Definitives

Postage stamps were introduced for purposes of pre-payment by a customer for the postal service availed by him, the cost of the service offered being the face value of the stamps payable for the service. This is their primary role. Normally ‘definitives’ are stamps that would definitely be available for purchase for three to five years from their issue, though some few rare ones have been reused even a century later.

The rates or values of the stamps in the case of definitive issues are the commonly used postal rates required for all classes of mail – many are issued for the small or ‘make-up rates’ and quite some for high values used for heavy letters, parcels and for airmails. But the value of a stamp issued must correspond to the range of postal rates being charged by the postal administration of a country, since stamps issued with very high values or with materials not recognized for use as postage stamps, will not charm the collectors as they would have no philatelic value.

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