75 years of NVPH First Day Covers

Among collectors, it is a household name: the First Day Cover. On May 2, 1950, the first officially issued First Day Cover of the Dutch Association of Stamp Dealers (NVPH) appeared in the Netherlands. This laid the foundation for a tradition that is now three-quarters of a century old.

First-day envelopes, also known internationally as First Day Covers (FDC), are specially designed envelopes bearing one or more stamps that have been cancelled on the first day of issue with a thematically matching cancellation mark. These envelopes are popular among philatelists due to their historical and visual value. Although the NVPH began production in 1950, the origins of the Dutch tradition actually lie in the autumn of 1949. At that time, the Kinderpostzegels Foundation released the first-day envelope shown below in the new format and layout. Not long thereafter, the PTT transferred the design to the NVPH, which has since been responsible for both the design and the issuance of the collectibles. The first official NVPH first-day envelope appeared with the summer stamps of 1950. A copy of this envelope, with a handwritten address, currently has a catalogue value of approximately 1.600 euros. An unaddressed copy is even valued at 15.000 euros in the catalogue. Two types of the first envelope exist: with or without the text 'Zomerzegels 1950' in the top left corner. An official First Day Cover must always be cancelled with a stamp specially designed for that purpose. The first NVPH envelopes, in particular, are sometimes seen with a 'regular' first day of issue stamp. These bear a significantly lower value. Even before 1949, there were collectors who made their own envelopes with the new stamps and applied a first day of issue stamp. These so-called 'pre-official FDCs' are likewise rare and sought after by collectors. Naturally, this method continued for quite some time alongside the NVPH issues. See the example below from Philatelistenclub Duinwijck. Since the first official first-day cover, the NVPH has designed approximately one thousand different first-day covers, usually in collaboration with PostNL, the successor to the PTT. Between three and twenty-five new examples appear annually. The accompanying postmarks always align with the theme of the issue and are used exclusively for these envelopes. Although issued by the NVPH, this was not immediately apparent on the first envelopes. Starting with the 1959 children's stamps, the envelopes do feature an NVPH logo. And a little later, starting with the 1961 Europa stamps, a serial number was also added to the envelopes. In 1997, two envelopes were used for the first time to mount a single series. For many years now, envelopes have been produced entirely by the NVPH and PostNL, stamp and all. This has not always been the case. In the past, you could buy blank envelopes, affix the stamps yourself, and have them cancelled on the day of issue. This led to many unique features, such as envelopes with blocks of four or with children's stamp blocks, although these did not actually fit well on the envelopes before 1973. But clever solutions were devised for that as well.   Or, for example, in 1974 with a 'pair of cows' instead of a single stamp, so that at least three whole cows are visible. The printing of envelopes was carried out differently than the printing of postage stamps (securities). As a result, various 'misprints' of envelopes are known. Many of these are also included in the NVPH catalogue. They are difficult to find, and it is therefore truly an art to build up a substantial collection of them. In short, you can simply collect first-day envelopes by number, but if you desire a bit more variety and excitement, there are many possibilities. Click here to view Dutch First Day Covers via PostBeeld.