Perfins

Wikipedia reports, "Formerly considered damaged and not worth collecting, perforated postage stamps are now highly sought after by specialist collectors."

According to The Perfin Club's website, "Perfins is an acronym derived from PERForated INSignia or INitialS on stamps. Originating in England in 1868, perfins have been punched into stamps by large commercial organizations such as manufacturers, retailers, railroads, banks, insurance companies, and governments to discourage stamp theft."

It goes on to say, "Since then, in over 300 countries and stamp issuing areas, perfins have been utilized expressly for that purpose. In the United States over 6500 different patters of initials or designs have been perforated into U.S. postage, revenue, and special service stamps."

Shown above, a 1955 Canadian stamp with a CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway) perfin.

To learn more about perfins, click here.