Stamps used to pay services
by This parcel card from Dorchester, England 1978 to Biddinghuizen, near Lelystad in the Netherlands. Entered the country in Rotterdam and presented by post office clarks to the customs.
Category: Postage
‘Oranje boven’
Sometimes you will find nice, attractive items because of a (correct) combination not often used.
Behind the window
Postcards and picture postcards which were under-franked were presented in a window envelope to the addressee. This because otherwise there was a chance that the contents were read without paying the postage due. These window envelopes with postage due stamps glued on are not very …
Local postage
From April 1, 1892 till April 1, 1957 there has been a reduced rate for local shipments (with an exception in 1921-1928. This letter (19.10.1953) was sent from The Hague to the neighboring village of Wassenaar, but local was local, so the full letter rate …
Minimum size covers: Small is beautiful!
Today, the minimum size of a letter or card which PostNL will accept is 140 × 90 mm. However, in 1948 Anneke Dronkers announced that she was married in Pembroke, England using a much smaller envelope.
Single: but a nice combination
It is always nice to find a not every day combination of postal services which leads to a single franking.
Ton van Tast
Anton van der Valk (1884 – 1975) has illustrated under his pseudonym Ton van Tast several brochures issued by P.T.T. Among them the booklets both titled “Hoe help ik de post en mijzelf” (How do I help the post and myself). With numerous illustrations the …
“Winterhulp” (1941)
During the Second World War Winterhelp, short for “Stichting Winterhulp Nederland” (the Netherlands Winterhulp Foundation), was the national-socialist organization that took over all social aid from the government in the Netherlands. Part of the funds came from lotteries and stamps.
Telegram to mother by both radio and messenger
by Sending a telegram used to be the best way to get a message across quickly. In the age of the (steam) ship it could take weeks or months before normal mail arrived. Airmail was faster of course, but even that could still take quite some …
Railway stamps
There were several types of railway stamps in use in the Netherlands. From 1914 till during the Second World War (1944) there were railway stamps mainly used for freight, but these could also used for railway express letters. In those cases the railway stamp for …