Anneau-lune

Phil Merrill_

Earlier this year I bought an online copy of the 2019 Maury France catalog. Everytime I try reading it closely, I find some new, brain-busting rabbit hole to jump down. Our French siblings are, well, nuts.

In several entries I found a variety listing for "anneau-lune," I don't know French, so I ran it through the translator and got "moon ring." Huh. With a little searching I found that a moon ring is a printing flaw found in typography. When a bit of trash gets between the paper and the inked impression mat, the bit of trash shows as a blob with a ring around it. Thus:

The left stamp has a perfect moon. The French put a premium on stuff like this. I think I might have tossed it. Now we know.

Greg Doll

Moon ring huh? I won't go there. But it is interesting I suppose but just imagine if occurs in other places on the stamp. Won't go there either.

Greg Doll

My apologies, don't mean to make fun. Just had a good day and being goofy I guess. But I did learn something new so thanks!

Phil Merrill_

Oh, no Greg. I think it is kinda goofy myself. But I had never heard of such a thing having a name (outside the printshop) and even a cataloged premium. Those wacky French...

Scott Payton

When I studied printing, back in the day (1980's), we would have called this a "Hickey".

Phil Merrill_

They mean the same here, but the connotative distance between anneau-lune and hickey is vast...

Greg Doll

A hickey meant something quite different back in junior high and high school. A red badge of courage (or stupidity), so to speak.

Bill O'Malley

Yes I had a number of those. :-)

Greg Doll

Yup, nothing stands out in high school like a guy wearing a turtleneck in SE Texas. Especially during football and basketball practice.

Phil Merrill_

I got mine in college. But I was most proud of the scratches on my back...

Greg Doll

It all starts somewhere. But I do like getting back scratches. But now, I'm just happy to be able to get out of bed without making odd grunting noises. Grurp...ugh...oooffff...OWWW!

Scott Payton

There's something in there about Bentley, but I'm not going there...

Phil Merrill_

Getting back to this particular printing defect, in the Irish Hibernian catalog this is called a "bullet hole." I also asked Herself, who spent some 20 years in the printing industry and still does graphic arts professionally, and she says it is called a "bubble."

Scott Payton

When I took printing in high school (the year after high school was invented), they referred to these as "hickeys".

It's one of those things that every "region" has it's own term for it seems. (Kind of like how the bob cat, mountain lion and puma are all actually the same animal).

Greg Doll

Around here at least...there is huge difference between a bobcat and a mountain lion. Don't want to meet either one in person.

Phil Merrill_

Exactly right. Everyone at every level or place will always have their own jargon, that was my point. And I think it is probably a good idea for us as collectors and dealers to be cognizant that what one group in this place calls a "that" is a "this" some place else. Never stop learning....

Scott Payton

Indeed.
Though it would help if more collectors and dealers (buyers and sellers -- not the same thing) spent a little time educating on the philatelic language that has been developed over decades of discussion. I'm considering listing one, though there are several around, I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with all the language they contain.