COLLECTING SE TENANTS

This is a brief guide to se tenants for stamp collectors.  Se tenant has a French origin and means literally holding one another.

Be sure to check the tip below about collecting se tenants in order.  In stamp collecting se tenant refers to stamps that are joined together as in the original sheet/booklet but differing in design, overprint, color, or perforation.

It is pronounced "C tennant" or "Sa-tennant"

The word is often written in a variety of ways including: se-tenant, setenant, and se tenant all meaning the same thing.   A se tenant can be any multiple of 2 or more stamps that are different but attached.

• A se tenant pair

• A se tenant block

• A se tenant sheet

According to Scott Catalogue

"...unless the se tenant item has a continuous design, the stamps do not have to be in the same order as shown in the catalogue."

In other words, Scott says blocks like Cape Hatteras must be attached in catalogue number order.

Scott says that blocks like Coral Reefs can be attached in any order.

 or

Our View point: 

It's tough to foretell the future and this policy could change.  We greatly admire the editors of Scott Publishing, but the preferred method of collecting stamps does not always remain the same.   Think about hinging stamps a hundred years ago and PNC strips of 3 twenty years ago.  We now know that hinging damages stamps and that you can't make a longer strip of 5 out of a shorter one! 

Right now today we think catalogue order is important!

Philatelic Tip.  If the price is the same then choose the block that's in order over the one that isn't.  You have nothing to lose and you won't be able to go back in time and change it later.  Don't wait 10 years to find out you have the wrong ones.  Learn about catalogue order and use it when selecting se tenant stamps.

Thank you for looking!

-TBR

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