What Does The Description "Sound" Mean?

Is there some secret mushroom you're supposed to eat in order to understand some of the comments in this forum?

I agree with Revenuecollector about his list of attributes of a sound stamp.

So you, revenuecollector, picked up on the problem of general definitions such as sound. It actually varies by what is being looked upon. So a stamp cut in half is sound (bisect) but that is usually on if on cover or piece; Holes punched by someone to ease coil stamp separations is okay and remain sound as long as the correct action, machine, company did the hole punching, as to needle or pin holes done for separation of stamps-- that is fine -- but a pin hole from placing a stamp on a sales board is not still sound, right?

I again point out that the OP asks a question without understanding the nuances of what the question entails.

I believe the reason Siegel has not defined the term "sound" in their definitions is for the very reason that what it can mean changes by item considered.

Edit; I forgot to ask that if used stamps, meaning properly and normally cancelled stamp done in an accepted and normal manner do they remain sound? What about the normal and regular method of cancelling certain revenue stamps via hole punch or cut cancels?

Another question about sound stamps, do they remain sound when the scratch and sniff aroma has faded? Likewise how do one check to see if the aroma is faded without scratching the stamp surface? Does the scratching of scratch and sniff stamps render them no longer sound? {I love the Swiss' chocolate aroma stamps printed as a large chocolate bar with individual segments (stamps) though it is not the only such scratch and sniff issued}

No, philatelia7, but they can require an understanding of language which is not found in the first page of google returns.

What I was trying to point out to you is that your question about "sound" in philately was naive given the wide breath of the word use of "sound" as a philatelic term of art.

NGAI, No Gum As Issued as stamps are officially issued stamps without gum. The Postmaster Farley special printing issues of the 1930s were issued without gum but after protest, you were allowed to return full sheets of the special printings to have them gummed by the BEP (Bureau of Engraving and Printing) of the USA. So it makes a reasonable question if stamps are issued without gum and them later gummed do they remain sound although altered from their issued state? Is that really different from adding new gum to a stamp which lost its gum? For philatelic purposes are regummed stamps sound? How about when the stamp has lost its gum but otherwise remains sound. The catalogs at times give a value of such no-gum stamps which otherwise remain sound.

"Sound stamps" are actual valid postage stamps which are plastic records which can be played on a record player. If you are too young to remember records and record player, you will need to look such up. Bhutan issued a number of records in different sizes, colors and postal denomination for mailing. Bhutan is not the only country to issue stamps with sound recordings.

"Crowd" is a bowed lyre, a type of stringed instrument, associated particularly with Welsh music and a as noun, differs from other noun uses of crowd. Crowd in a nautical usage means to add or add more sail to a ship's mast or masts on a sailing ship. The idiom referenced is "crowd on sail" or "crowd (on) sail" without use on "on."

If a stamp falls in the forest, is there any sound?

OMG I can't quit giggling! I've not only received some great answers to my original question, but the added silliness is an unexpected humorous surprise. Who says philatelic forums are dry as sawdust?

ppg you are splitting hairs
things that were done to facilitate the sale of stamps by the vendors of the same have been acceptable for a long time, so have private types of separation to facilitate use.
pinholes from posting on a sales board are not.
the newer novelty items (scratch and sniff, records etc.) will find their own set of exceptions. but will still fall under the rhe criteria already given.
properly used bisects can still have faults. punch cancels or other forms of defacing stamps are not damaged in the way you imply, but are less than desirable to meany collectors.

My cut cancels on R228 series of documentary stamps used on postal mailing tags had both the stamps and tag cut through by the cutting cancel revenue device canceller. More or less missed the multiple 75 cent parcel post stamps on the tag mailing auto part(s).




Bhutan records are 50 years old.

"Modern" and "Sound" both are philatelic words while long used have considerable wiggle room in definition. I guess when I started collecting the late WF and early 4th Bureau
issues were still modern at 50 years old, right?

Not much "wiggle room" in "sound" IMO given that Siegel uses the term liberally (4,752 returns in Power Search) to describe material free of faults. Of course, there are sellers that will misuse the term but that can be said about any term.

One example: