Selvedge Art on Canadian StampsDefinition: Selvedge is the margin area of paper around a stamp or a sheet of stamps, usually torn off by the user. But I have found this to be a fascinating part of my collection. The following information deals with Canadian stamps only, but other countries have interesting margin art too. For the first 65 years of Canada’s stamps, there was nothing printed in the border areas, which were pretty narrow. Then for a few years, a design was printed, followed by useful information such as plate numbers and names of printers. That worked for 3 decades, until printing methods changed to lithography and photogravure. 
From the 1950’s to the 1980’s, slogans were sometimes printed, but usually it was the inscription of names of printers and designers, and paper manufacturer. I think it was partly due to philately that more elaborate designs were created for stamps and the margins. 
After the first souvenir sheet in Canada in 1978, there was rapid development of the art in the margins. Line drawings led to full colour art, traffic lights, printing in labels (sometimes called tabs) and unique shapes of selvedge. Now that self-adhesive stamps are more common, the backing paper on them is a great place for art. Here are the sections of this topic:
If you consider that stamps are small works of art, then the extras around the edges enhance the whole image. When you collect only single stamps, you miss out on the art and information found in the margins. So don’t just tear it off, stop to examine it. Have fun looking around the site, and be sure to check your own stamps. Return from Selvedge to Home Page
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