The
first day of issue is the day on which a
postage stamp,
postal card or
stamped envelope[?] is officially issued, usually in a particular
city (usually within the country or territory of the
stamp-issuing authority[?] but sometimes from a temporary of permanent foreign or overseas office), though sometimes nationwide or in a particular
region; later the item will usually become available in a wider area. There will usually be a first day of issue
postmark, frequently a
pictorial cancellation[?], indicating the city and date where the item was first issued, and
first day of issue is often used to refer to this postmark. Unofficial first day of issue postmarks can also occur when a
stamp collector[?] purchases the stamps in question from a post office in the first day of issue city and then takes them (on that same day) to a post office in another city to have them cancelled. There have also been numerous instances of stamps being inadvertently sold or stolen, resulting, when they are cancelled on an envelope or package by unaware postal officials, in cancellations prior to the first day of issue.