Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
What is the difference between stamp freaks and stamp errors?
Any quick answer?
Cheryl
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Errors have a catalog variety designation such as Scott Catalog #233a. Freaks and Oddities are just that and generally don't get that much recognition or a catalog variety designation for such things as mis-perforation, vignette shifts etc... and are shunned by the main stream collectors however there are collectors who like me seek them out.
Jeremy
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I would call them all errors. I guess that freaks refer to ones not recognized in the catalog. I've both found and purchased from the PO errors. None are recognized. Most people just use them anyway. For example, I have a sheet of one year's Christmas stamps that didn't go through the die cutting machine. I could just cut them out myself and use them, but I'm keeping them! LOL
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An "Error" is usually applied to a stamp which has an anomaly that was the result of an failure or omission that occurred during the production process of the stamp: a color failure, a perforation failure, are the most common seen errors.
A "Freak" is more of a random occurrence, generally not repeatable, or duplicated during the production process.
Many collectors will collect both indiscriminately, and that's great for them.
They have their own organization: The Errors, Freaks, & Oddities Collector's Club, here
https://www.efocc.org/
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@MikeL
A cool club!
I think I will join.
-Ari 
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Cheryl,
My take on errors is the absolute absence of a thing or its presence in an inverted way: so, an error would be an absent color, perforations on any side where otherwise perforated, an inverted vignette, missing phosphor.
Freaks can be similar, but aren't missing all of a thing, so partial perfs, a little bit of red, misalignment that cuts a stamp in half.
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04:22:04pm
Where does a "variety" fit into this?
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@Harvey
Error and variery is the same thing!
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Outside the US and Canada, a plate flaw is considered a variety
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@DaveSheridan
Thanks
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Dave
in US, a plate flaw is a variety as well
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and a plate flaw on Canadian stamps generally will be listed as a variety in the Unitrade catalogue (though not all such plate flaws are given variety listings).
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Deja vu all over again!
The terms are often used loosely, but here is how I personally break it down (as a US collector):
An ERROR has a Scott number associated with it, such as 505 and C3a.
A FREAK is listed in the catalog but without a catalog number (even a minor), such as 1c Columbian (#230) broken hat and #921 KORPA flaw. Often a plate flaw.
An ODDITY is something like a PARTIAL color missing or over or under inking not listed at all in the catalog. I would include all paper folds and crazy perfs in this group, but crazy perfs are usually called perforation ERRORS, so it gets confusing!
And there are (aren't there always?) exceptions, but this has been a good rule of thumb for me.
Personally, I'm more interested in the underlying CAUSE of the error. Take 505 and C3a.
505 (5c red) was entered into 3 positions on the plate and sheet after sheet came out with the error. I would consider that a DESIGN error.
C3a (inverted Jenny) was just a sheet that was run the wrong way on the second run through the press. I would consider that isolated human error.
EFOs are tons of fun! Especially multiple flaws like a color shift AND a paper fold!
Lars
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EFO's are intriguing and can be quite costly. After a lifetime of collecting the front of the book, that is a fun side addiction to become involved in, along with the back of the book world .
Dan
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For a more precise definition of "Errors, Freaks, & Oddities", with examples, I will refer everyone back to the website I mentioned earlier, and this article by John M. Hotchner.
https://www.efocc.org/Resources/Hotchner ...
While I respect that each collector can make his own definition of what each term means to him, for the newcomers to this part of the hobby, I believe that it is BEST for their experience that they begin with the knowledge of the experts and specialists in the field who came before them.
In the referenced essay, John goes into great detail and both defines terms and then he presents examples of many, many varieties of each of the types in the three categories.
MikeL
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"One thing I find difficult to distinguish
What is the difference between stamp freaks and stamp errors?
Any quick answer?
Cheryl"
Cheryl -
The quick answer: Just call them all "EFOs" and you will always be correct!
Linus
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"For a more precise definition of "Errors, Freaks, & Oddities", with examples, I will refer everyone back to the website I mentioned earlier, and this article by John M. Hotchner.
https://www.efocc.org/Resources/Hotchner ...
While I respect that each collector can make his own definition of what each term means to him, for the newcomers to this part of the hobby, I believe that it is BEST for their experience that they begin with the knowledge of the experts and specialists in the field who came before them."
Are you serious? That is just one person's opinion. I doubt that very many philatelists would consider Cinderellas or Unissued Stamps to be "Oddities". The author tried to shoehorn EVERYTHING into one of three buckets. I get it. He's an EFO guy and when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I would agree with about 80% of it, but 10% is debatable and 10% is just wacky!
I would suggest that for newcomers that it is BEST not to blindly trust one single opinion!
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Beautifully said. I've never seen a discussion about stamps that included the words shoehorn, hammer and nail!
Just bye the bye, the EFOCC website is, in my opinion, an assault on the eyes. I thought it might be useful, but it could really do with a re-design
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I do not agree that proofs and specimens are classified as oddities.
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01:51:55pm
One thing I find difficult to distinguish
What is the difference between stamp freaks and stamp errors?
Any quick answer?
Cheryl
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04:09:31pm
re: Freaks and Errors
Errors have a catalog variety designation such as Scott Catalog #233a. Freaks and Oddities are just that and generally don't get that much recognition or a catalog variety designation for such things as mis-perforation, vignette shifts etc... and are shunned by the main stream collectors however there are collectors who like me seek them out.
Jeremy
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05:44:04pm
re: Freaks and Errors
I would call them all errors. I guess that freaks refer to ones not recognized in the catalog. I've both found and purchased from the PO errors. None are recognized. Most people just use them anyway. For example, I have a sheet of one year's Christmas stamps that didn't go through the die cutting machine. I could just cut them out myself and use them, but I'm keeping them! LOL
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06:08:11pm
re: Freaks and Errors
An "Error" is usually applied to a stamp which has an anomaly that was the result of an failure or omission that occurred during the production process of the stamp: a color failure, a perforation failure, are the most common seen errors.
A "Freak" is more of a random occurrence, generally not repeatable, or duplicated during the production process.
Many collectors will collect both indiscriminately, and that's great for them.
They have their own organization: The Errors, Freaks, & Oddities Collector's Club, here
https://www.efocc.org/
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Approvals
re: Freaks and Errors
@MikeL
A cool club!
I think I will join.
-Ari
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re: Freaks and Errors
Cheryl,
My take on errors is the absolute absence of a thing or its presence in an inverted way: so, an error would be an absent color, perforations on any side where otherwise perforated, an inverted vignette, missing phosphor.
Freaks can be similar, but aren't missing all of a thing, so partial perfs, a little bit of red, misalignment that cuts a stamp in half.
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This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
22 Mar 2025
04:22:04pm
re: Freaks and Errors
Where does a "variety" fit into this?
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07:48:53pm
re: Freaks and Errors
@Harvey
Error and variery is the same thing!
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re: Freaks and Errors
Outside the US and Canada, a plate flaw is considered a variety
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re: Freaks and Errors
Dave
in US, a plate flaw is a variety as well
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06:50:59pm
re: Freaks and Errors
and a plate flaw on Canadian stamps generally will be listed as a variety in the Unitrade catalogue (though not all such plate flaws are given variety listings).
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this post
re: Freaks and Errors
Deja vu all over again!
The terms are often used loosely, but here is how I personally break it down (as a US collector):
An ERROR has a Scott number associated with it, such as 505 and C3a.
A FREAK is listed in the catalog but without a catalog number (even a minor), such as 1c Columbian (#230) broken hat and #921 KORPA flaw. Often a plate flaw.
An ODDITY is something like a PARTIAL color missing or over or under inking not listed at all in the catalog. I would include all paper folds and crazy perfs in this group, but crazy perfs are usually called perforation ERRORS, so it gets confusing!
And there are (aren't there always?) exceptions, but this has been a good rule of thumb for me.
Personally, I'm more interested in the underlying CAUSE of the error. Take 505 and C3a.
505 (5c red) was entered into 3 positions on the plate and sheet after sheet came out with the error. I would consider that a DESIGN error.
C3a (inverted Jenny) was just a sheet that was run the wrong way on the second run through the press. I would consider that isolated human error.
EFOs are tons of fun! Especially multiple flaws like a color shift AND a paper fold!
Lars
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re: Freaks and Errors
EFO's are intriguing and can be quite costly. After a lifetime of collecting the front of the book, that is a fun side addiction to become involved in, along with the back of the book world .
Dan
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10:01:07am
re: Freaks and Errors
For a more precise definition of "Errors, Freaks, & Oddities", with examples, I will refer everyone back to the website I mentioned earlier, and this article by John M. Hotchner.
https://www.efocc.org/Resources/Hotchner ...
While I respect that each collector can make his own definition of what each term means to him, for the newcomers to this part of the hobby, I believe that it is BEST for their experience that they begin with the knowledge of the experts and specialists in the field who came before them.
In the referenced essay, John goes into great detail and both defines terms and then he presents examples of many, many varieties of each of the types in the three categories.
MikeL
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this post
re: Freaks and Errors
"One thing I find difficult to distinguish
What is the difference between stamp freaks and stamp errors?
Any quick answer?
Cheryl"
Cheryl -
The quick answer: Just call them all "EFOs" and you will always be correct!
Linus
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: Freaks and Errors
"For a more precise definition of "Errors, Freaks, & Oddities", with examples, I will refer everyone back to the website I mentioned earlier, and this article by John M. Hotchner.
https://www.efocc.org/Resources/Hotchner ...
While I respect that each collector can make his own definition of what each term means to him, for the newcomers to this part of the hobby, I believe that it is BEST for their experience that they begin with the knowledge of the experts and specialists in the field who came before them."
Are you serious? That is just one person's opinion. I doubt that very many philatelists would consider Cinderellas or Unissued Stamps to be "Oddities". The author tried to shoehorn EVERYTHING into one of three buckets. I get it. He's an EFO guy and when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I would agree with about 80% of it, but 10% is debatable and 10% is just wacky!
I would suggest that for newcomers that it is BEST not to blindly trust one single opinion!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: Freaks and Errors
Beautifully said. I've never seen a discussion about stamps that included the words shoehorn, hammer and nail!
Just bye the bye, the EFOCC website is, in my opinion, an assault on the eyes. I thought it might be useful, but it could really do with a re-design
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re: Freaks and Errors
I do not agree that proofs and specimens are classified as oddities.
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