Post by Linda on Aug 21, 2022 21:12:49 GMT
During the execution of my Ukraine project that asks the participants to go to a local post office to have my postcards postmarked, I came to be told that some countries have set strict regulation on what stamp can be cancelled, some no longer do manual cancellation, some don't even have post office anymore!
I thought some of the information I have gathered could be useful to someone who collects postmarks today, so here it is:
/*----- Canada -----*/
Insofar as I know, Canada Post didn't set any specific rule to forbid cancelling stamps issued by Canada Post (Newfoundland issues may be treated differently though -- this I have never tried). We can mail our item to a given post office with an addressed envelope for the item to be postmarked.
/*----- Denmark -----*/
Danish post offices don't do manual cancellation anymore. To collect postmark from Denmark, please contact Danmarks Filatelist Forbund (danfil@danfil.dk) and send your item to
POSTNORD "STEMPLING",
c/o Danmarks Filatelist Forbund,
Blokken 88
3460 Birkerød
Denmark
It's possible to buy unused Danish stamps that can be fixed on the maxicard / return envelope /etc from their online shop and have the stamps mailed directly to the philatelic division. You need to contact them to make the arrangement if you should wish to send your item separately. (It took them 17 days to reply to my first email.)
/*----- Germany -----*/
Only Euro-currency German stamps are allowed to be cancelled.
/*----- Indonesia -----*/
Indonesia uses hammer cancellation. If we are not an expert in using it, the result will be bad.
/*----- Israel -----*/
Israeli post offices don't do manual cancellation anymore. They put (in many cases they don’t) postmarks at the sorting centres. The last philatelic shop in Tel Aviv where we could mail our items for special cancellations was closed during the pandemic and was never reopened again.
/*----- Japan -----*/
Japan Post offers a wide range of special pictorial cancels (called '風景印', which literally means 'landscape cancel') that can be collected today. However, their website listing these pictorial cancels is not up to date. Some of the cancels have been modified.
There are 2 rules about stamp cancellation in the mailing process:
(1) The stamp(s) affixed must be of the value that is equal or greater to the minimal postage rate currently in use. Today, this value is 63 yens (which allows you to send a postcard within Japan).
(2) For the stamp(s) to be passing through the mailing process, the address and the stamp(s) must be on the same side of the paper. This mean, if you place the stamp(s) on the image side of a postcard, and write the address on the back, this postcard cannot be mailed. You can still collect a cancel on the image side if the value of the stamp(s) add up to at least 63 yen.
If your stamp / cancel is not intended for postal use, than you need not worry about rule #2; you just need to satisfy rule #1.
/*----- Netherlands -----*/
The Netherlands doesn't have real physical post office anymore! However, all outlets do have a stamp and it is possible to get stamps cancelled.
/*----- New Zealand -----*/
No more manual cancellation at the post office. To collect a postmark from New Zealand, please send your item with an addressed envelope to
NZ Post Collectables
5 Church Place
Whanganui 4500
New Zealand
/*----- Portugal -----*/
Only stamps issued after 2012 are allowed to be cancelled for philatelic purpose and for postal use.
/*----- Romania -----*/
Stamps issued before 2005 are not valid for postal use anymore. However, old stamps may act as a sticker without any kind of value or meaning and be postmarked together with a valid stamp. (Mandatory is the presence of new stamp.)
/*----- Sweden -----*/
Swedish Post no longer allows postmarking on cards or letters that are not supposed to be mailed. No more stamp cancellation for philatelic purpose.
/*----- Taiwan -----*/
To collect a particular postmark, it's possible to mail your item to the post office with a return envelope franked with Taiwanese stamps. Please note that Taiwan's postal agency differs from Hong Kong's and China's. Taiwanese post office can only cancel stamps that bear the mention of 'Republic of China' or 'Taiwan' (stamps bearing the latter mention are very rare).
Also, Taiwan post gives a delay of 10 days to whoever wants to collect the cancel of a particular day. For instance, if you want to obtain the cancel of the first of January -- which is a national holiday, therefore post offices are closed -- you have until 11 January to do so.
I thought some of the information I have gathered could be useful to someone who collects postmarks today, so here it is:
/*----- Canada -----*/
Insofar as I know, Canada Post didn't set any specific rule to forbid cancelling stamps issued by Canada Post (Newfoundland issues may be treated differently though -- this I have never tried). We can mail our item to a given post office with an addressed envelope for the item to be postmarked.
/*----- Denmark -----*/
Danish post offices don't do manual cancellation anymore. To collect postmark from Denmark, please contact Danmarks Filatelist Forbund (danfil@danfil.dk) and send your item to
POSTNORD "STEMPLING",
c/o Danmarks Filatelist Forbund,
Blokken 88
3460 Birkerød
Denmark
It's possible to buy unused Danish stamps that can be fixed on the maxicard / return envelope /etc from their online shop and have the stamps mailed directly to the philatelic division. You need to contact them to make the arrangement if you should wish to send your item separately. (It took them 17 days to reply to my first email.)
/*----- Germany -----*/
Only Euro-currency German stamps are allowed to be cancelled.
/*----- Indonesia -----*/
Indonesia uses hammer cancellation. If we are not an expert in using it, the result will be bad.
/*----- Israel -----*/
Israeli post offices don't do manual cancellation anymore. They put (in many cases they don’t) postmarks at the sorting centres. The last philatelic shop in Tel Aviv where we could mail our items for special cancellations was closed during the pandemic and was never reopened again.
/*----- Japan -----*/
Japan Post offers a wide range of special pictorial cancels (called '風景印', which literally means 'landscape cancel') that can be collected today. However, their website listing these pictorial cancels is not up to date. Some of the cancels have been modified.
There are 2 rules about stamp cancellation in the mailing process:
(1) The stamp(s) affixed must be of the value that is equal or greater to the minimal postage rate currently in use. Today, this value is 63 yens (which allows you to send a postcard within Japan).
(2) For the stamp(s) to be passing through the mailing process, the address and the stamp(s) must be on the same side of the paper. This mean, if you place the stamp(s) on the image side of a postcard, and write the address on the back, this postcard cannot be mailed. You can still collect a cancel on the image side if the value of the stamp(s) add up to at least 63 yen.
If your stamp / cancel is not intended for postal use, than you need not worry about rule #2; you just need to satisfy rule #1.
/*----- Netherlands -----*/
The Netherlands doesn't have real physical post office anymore! However, all outlets do have a stamp and it is possible to get stamps cancelled.
/*----- New Zealand -----*/
No more manual cancellation at the post office. To collect a postmark from New Zealand, please send your item with an addressed envelope to
NZ Post Collectables
5 Church Place
Whanganui 4500
New Zealand
/*----- Portugal -----*/
Only stamps issued after 2012 are allowed to be cancelled for philatelic purpose and for postal use.
/*----- Romania -----*/
Stamps issued before 2005 are not valid for postal use anymore. However, old stamps may act as a sticker without any kind of value or meaning and be postmarked together with a valid stamp. (Mandatory is the presence of new stamp.)
/*----- Sweden -----*/
Swedish Post no longer allows postmarking on cards or letters that are not supposed to be mailed. No more stamp cancellation for philatelic purpose.
/*----- Taiwan -----*/
To collect a particular postmark, it's possible to mail your item to the post office with a return envelope franked with Taiwanese stamps. Please note that Taiwan's postal agency differs from Hong Kong's and China's. Taiwanese post office can only cancel stamps that bear the mention of 'Republic of China' or 'Taiwan' (stamps bearing the latter mention are very rare).
Also, Taiwan post gives a delay of 10 days to whoever wants to collect the cancel of a particular day. For instance, if you want to obtain the cancel of the first of January -- which is a national holiday, therefore post offices are closed -- you have until 11 January to do so.
