Philippine Republic
Errors & Varieties

Underlined Dates Indicate Completed Sections. Others Will be Uploaded Soon ….

1946-1950	1951-1955	1956-1960	1961-1965	1966-1970	1971-1975
1976-1980	1981-1985	1986-1990	1991-1995	1996-2000	2001-2005

An Error is defined as a philatelic item that has something wrong in its design or in its production that makes it different from the stated design; this can be in the perforations, colour or printing. A Variety is defined as a difference from the standard or normal form of the stamp such as colour variations, shifted perforations and minor flaws.

Most philatelists consider a stamp to be an error when:
- There is an omission of colour or perforations;
- A colour or overprint is printed more than once or inverted;
- The stamp is perforated more than once;
- The printing is on the wrong side of the paper or on a wrong type of paper; or
- An overprint is done on a wrong stamp

All other mistakes, no matter how dramatic, are considered to be Varieties. Varieties often occur on the whole or part of a printing caused by mistakes on the printing plate. Varieties also occur due to misalignment or shifts of some colour(s) or perforations; and others from paper creases or folds. In some instances, these result in very dramatic changes in the appearance of the stamps, which are commonly referred to as Freaks and Oddities.

Errors, Freaks and Oddities (EFOs) occur naturally during the printing process. All such errors or imperfections are supposed to be withdrawn and destroyed and are not intended to reach the general public. However, even with the strictest measures undertaken by printers and postal authorities, there are a number of EFOs that manage to slip through the inspection process.

The Philippine Republic era offers the collector an interesting range of Errors and Varieties. This web site is aimed at providing a comprehensive list of known EFOs from 1946 to the present day. I am hopeful that new finds will be brought forward for inclusion in the site for all other collectors to enjoy.

I would like to thank Dr Ngo Tiong Tak for providing assistance and encouragement in building this web site, as well as allowing the inclusion of a number of EFOs from his personal collection. The work he has carried out in this area over the years has formed a solid foundation from which majority of the information contained in this site has been obtained.

Nigel Gooding
Surrey, UK

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