In philately the word imprimatur refers to the first stamps printed from an approved and finished printing plate.[1]
The term is particularly associated with British Victorian stamps as it was the practice of the printers to retain the first sheet as a record.[1]
The word is from the Latin "let it be printed".[2]
References
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- ^ a b Mackay, James. Philatelic Terms Illustrated, 4th edition, Stanley Gibbons, London, 2003, p.70. ISBN 0-85259-557-3.
- ^ Patrick, Douglas & Mary. The Hodder Stamp Dictionary, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1973, p.115. ISBN 0-340-17183-9.