Glossary: L

Philatelic and postal history terms from "A" to "Z."

Late fee stamp - a stamp paying additional fees on correspondence put into the post after normal closing hours, the intention of which is to connect with evening dispatches by mail trains.

Letter carrier - the person who delivers mail to the addressee. Other terms for this position have included 'mailman' and 'mail carrier'.

Life insurance stamp - a stamp used in New Zealand to pay postage on mail sent by the Government Life Insurance Department.

Line perforation - process by which a sheet of stamps is perforated one row at a time, proceeding in one direction, over the entire sheet. The sheet is then turned ninety degrees, and the process is repeated. The distinguishing characteristic is that the holes in the vertical and horizontal rows do not coincide at the four corners of each stamp.

Line roulette - a series of short dashes cut into the paper.

Literacy fund stamp - a stamp used in government campaigns to combat illiteracy.

Lithography - a printing process in which the design is drawn, photographed, and transferred to the stone or plates of zinc or aluminum in a greasy ink. It is then fixed by treatment with acid. In printing, the stone or plate is wet with a fluid that repels the printing ink, except on the greasy lines of the design. Such printing from a smooth surface produces no pressure through the paper or raised ink as results from typography engraving.

Local city government issue - a stamp issued for use in only one city or area.

Local official stamps - stamps that franked official correspondence for one year to determine the amount of mail sent by designated provinces.

Lottery stamp - a stamp whose fee covered postage and credit to the U.N. refugee fund; each stamp also had serial number for participation in late-year lottery. Associated with Norway and marked "June 1, 1964."

Lozenge perforation - perforation that consists of diamond-shaped holes.