Ten percent discount!
Which postal service would make such a gesture towards users of stamps on mail? And yet, this happened shortly after the Second World War. In 1946, our southern neighbors made a political decision that lowered the rates for postcards and letters. What was the reason for this?
At the proposal of the Belgian government led by Prime Minister Achille Van Acker, the aim was to avoid excessive inflation and a wage increase by lowering prices. Postal rates for letters and postcards were therefore reduced by ten percent in May 1946. This rate reduction was announced in a letter issued by the Belgian Postal Administration and was also published in a service order. Service Order No. 20 of May 16, 1946, read as follows:
Circular from the Postal Administration concerning -10% stamps. Service Order No. 20. 16-5-1946
In application of a government decree, the postal rates applicable since September 1945 will be subject to a 10% reduction effective from next Monday, May 20th. The offices will find attached a list of the changes to be made to Service Order No. 10 of 6-9-1945. To facilitate the implementation of this decree and pending the adjustment of the Stamp Service in Mechelen to the requirements of the new rates by the Stamp Office, it is necessary to instruct every post office holding stamps in stock as listed below to apply a "-10%" overprint to every stamp of 1,50; 2F, 5F, single postcards of 0,75 and 2F, and double postcards of 1,50 and 4F. The overprint "-10%" must be applied with greasy ink, by means of a (preferably) steel or rubber stamp which must be ordered very urgently from private retailers and delivered within 24 hours. The stamp impression may not exceed the following maximum dimensions: 15mm x 10mm. The application of the overprints must be completed no later than Monday morning, at the opening of the counters. On Friday, May 17, 1946, many directors and managers of post offices went to a local stamp maker to have the necessary stamps, made of metal, plastic, or rubber, produced. For after the weekend, all stamps and postcards of the mentioned values were to be sold only with the designation -10%. Consequently, coordination regarding the design of the stamps could not take place, and as a result, many models of this stamp emerged. The manager of the Tubize post office had the stamp manufactured literally according to the text:
The stamp printing office in Mechelen was also commissioned to overprint existing sheets of the mentioned values. This overprint was applied mechanically (in letterpress) to the 1,50, 2F, and 5F stamps of the Leopold III 'open collar' type and with 'V' and crown (monogram). However, the stamps with this overprint did not appear until June 4, 1946, and were used throughout the country.
Only the stamp impressions show where the relevant stamp with standard overprint was used. Examples are the impressions of the date stamp from Lier and the flag from the stamping machine from Turnhout.
Later, often at the request of collectors and dealers, other values were also provided with an overprint. The reason: for additional postage on postcards!!
Prints from the Gellingen (Ghislenghien) post office
Gellingen, a village in Hainaut near Ath southwest of Brussels, was the only post office in Belgium to produce overprinted models displaying the amount of the postage value after 10% had been deducted. The values were 1,35 (instead of 1,50), 1,80 (instead of 2F), and 4,50 (instead of 5F). The overprints first appeared at the post office counter on May 27, 1946.
What a delightful puzzle it must have been to trace all those overprints and their corresponding post offices! Has that job been completely finished yet? It reminds me of the postage overprints on the Hradcany stamps of Czechoslovakia; there, too, every region, or perhaps even every post office, had its own overprint. However, that was during such a massively chaotic period (even more chaotic than post-war Belgium) that I believe that research is far from finished.
Please name a catalogue (or several) in which all this Belgian printing is clearly listed!
'@Cees
If I understand correctly, every office [1500 ??] had to provide a personal overprint?? Delightful chaos that no philatelist really should have to worry about. And the additions made on the advice of the local stamp dealer were nicely incorporated, weren't they???
In that case, I’d rather collect personalized stamps after all: they generally look much nicer, and here too we can go on endlessly…
Rein, take the Boom post office as an example. The imprint of this office was also used by the offices in Niel, Rumst, Sauvegarde (Ruisbroek), Terhagen, Tisselt, and Willebroek. The imprint of Antwerp 1 was even used by 82 other offices. In total, therefore, the imprint forms were produced by approximately 350 offices. A catalogue in that area does exist, but it is outdated. It is the 'Catalogue Illustré' by Prinet from 1948. I do not know if a reprint with additions exists.
And nowadays, they are doing things differently in Belgium.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/4714154/__Postzegel_Belgie_duurder_bij_kleine_aankoop__.html?p=12,2
In the library of our association, there is another, bilingual, catalogue of these prints, namely;
National catalog
specialized “- 10% ”
The compiler is Gaston M. Blumental.
All offices with the imprint are listed herein, as far as is known.
Unfortunately, a year does not appear anywhere in this booklet.
‘@Jan
The introduction of blocks of 10, requiring mandatory "en bloc" purchasing as was introduced in our country in 1993, was attempted in Belgium but rejected by the Federal Parliament. Sheets of 10 may be opened unless a sheet contains multiple postage values!
Smart move by the Post!!!! Very well deserved!