Compared
Perforated vs Imperforate Stamps
A perforated stamp has the rows of small holes around its edges that let stamps be torn apart, while an imperforate stamp has no holes and was separated by cutting with scissors. The earliest stamps, including the Penny Black, were imperforate; perforations were introduced in the 1850s and became standard. Whether a stamp is perforated or imperforate is part of its identity, and the same design can exist both ways, with different values.
| Perforated | Imperforate | |
|---|---|---|
| Edges | Rows of holes | Plain, no holes |
| Separated by | Tearing along the holes | Cutting with scissors |
| Era | From the 1850s onward | The earliest stamps |
| Margins | Defined by the perforations | Vary; size affects value |
| The Penny Black | Not applicable | Always imperforate |
What perforated means
Perforated stamps are what most people picture: each stamp surrounded by a neat row of small holes, so that one can be torn cleanly from the next. Perforation was introduced in the 1850s to save the trouble of cutting stamps apart by hand, and it quickly became standard the world over.
The spacing of the holes, the perforation gauge, is itself part of a stamp's identity, since the same design can exist with different perforations, as our guide to measuring perforations explains.
What imperforate means
Imperforate stamps have no perforations at all. They were printed in sheets and separated by cutting with scissors, which is how the earliest stamps, including the Penny Black and the first Penny Reds, were issued, before perforation existed. Because they were cut by hand, the margins of an imperforate stamp vary, and the size and evenness of those margins greatly affects value: a four-margin example, with clear space all round, is far more desirable than one cut into the design. Our Penny Black hub explains this for the most famous imperforate of all.
How to tell, and why it matters
Telling the two apart is simple: look at the edges. Holes mean perforated; plain, cut edges mean imperforate. It matters because perforation is part of a stamp's exact identity. The same design can exist both imperforate and perforated, from different periods, and these are different stamps with different values, the Penny Red being the classic case, imperforate to 1854 and perforated thereafter. For imperforate stamps, the margins are crucial to value; for perforated ones, the gauge and the condition of the perforations matter. Our guides to identifying a stamp and measuring perforations explain how these are read.
What it means for value
Margins, and complete perforations
Whether a stamp is perforated or imperforate, and the quality of its edges, weighs directly on value. For an imperforate stamp, margins are everything: a fine four-margin example commands a strong premium over one cut into. For a perforated stamp, the perforations should be complete and even, with no short or missing "teeth", since damaged perforations reduce value. And because the same design can exist both ways, knowing which you have is essential to valuing it, as our guides to condition and value and what affects a stamp's value explain.
Frequently asked questions
A perforated stamp has rows of holes around its edges for tearing apart; an imperforate stamp has no holes and was separated by cutting. The earliest stamps were imperforate; perforation came in the 1850s.
A stamp issued without perforations, separated from the sheet by cutting with scissors. The Penny Black and the first Penny Reds are imperforate. The size of the margins greatly affects value.
Because they were cut by hand, so margins vary. A four-margin example, with clear space all round, is far more desirable and valuable than one cut into the design.
Yes. The same design can exist in both forms from different periods, as different stamps with different values. The Penny Red, imperforate to 1854 and perforated after, is the classic example.
Holes or cut, and the margins matter
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Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026