Dutch stamps with postage due?

Belgium
Untitled-4It is known that in Belgium, a number of post offices were sent a stamp with the letter T to convert ordinary postage stamps into postage due stamps. T stands for tax. This was because there was a shortage of postage due stamps for a short period; it was therefore an emergency measure. Belgium 5 10 ct Belgium 50 1 fr   This emergency measure was applied during the months of October, November, and December 1919, during which only stamps from the 1915 series were permitted to be used. Untitled-10 Untitled-11   From 1958, the stamp with the letter T was brought out of storage again, and we see various stamps likewise being transformed into postage due stamps in a similar manner and used as such. Untitled-12 Untitled-14 Untitled-15 To my surprise, I once came across a number of Dutch stamps on which a letter T was also printed. A serif letter T that resembled the letter T used in Belgium. But also T letters with a straight broad bar and one with a straight short bar. One printed in both black ink and dark purple ink. Untitled-16 Has anyone been 'playing' around with this, keeping the Belgian examples in mind? Have you ever seen similar Dutch 'postage due stamps'? The strange thing is that the letter T is printed on the stamps affixed to the postal item! That is in contrast to the Belgian stamps. Hopefully, someone has a definitive answer regarding the Dutch T.

4 comments

  1. I do have Dutch letters in my collection bearing a T-stamp (the type at the top in your example, but not *on* the stamp); in those cases, additional postage had to be paid. But surely that is not what you mean.

  2. No Hans, the Belgian catalogue clearly states: “A number of post offices that did not have penalty postage stamps available used 1915 issue stamps for collecting penalty postage, which were invalidated with a stamp.”
    The Belgian stamps shown in the above article are also depicted as such in the OCB catalogue under 1919 (Oct-Nov-Dec).

  3. Show,

    The letter on the website I mentioned was from 1936. In this case, the T was placed next to the Dutch stamp, but a slight 'deviation to the right' would have placed the T on the Dutch stamp.

    Doesn't seem impossible to me.

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