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Postage Due stamps from the Netherlands and ex-colonies
Contents: |
The history of the different types of the Schmidlin postage due stamp is a complex one. The foundations for much of the later confusion were laid right at the beginning. When the first Dutch postage due stamps were introduced, in 1870 in the Netherlands and in 1874 in Netherlands Indies, for each value a different block was made. 200 of these blocks were then arranged into plates of 20 x 10. Joh. Enschedé, the national stampprinter, had made 7 plates: |
In 1881 the existing postage due rates were too crude, there was need for more different values. Rather than making new designs, it was decided that the existing blocks should be reused. To do that the large numbers were drilled out of the blocks, creating 1700 frames. These were randomly arranged in plates of 200 or 100 and used to print sheets with valueless postage due stamps.
The following sheets were produced:
200 blue frames for the Netherlands
200 red frames for the Netherlands Indies
100 green frames for Curaçao
100 lilac frames for the Surinam
In a second printing stage the values were printed with black ink (red for the 1 guilder value). Due to a misunderstanding the printer omitted the "cent" from the colonial stamps.
In one plate all 4 types were present. Type III was the most common, since it was used in three of the 1870 plates, and the type IV were scarce right from the start, because most of these blocks had been worn out printing 5 cents stamps. Every time a block was damaged too much it got replaced, always by a Type III.
There were 6 plate-rearrangements, and only the first two contained type IV blocks.
The differences between the types is subject of the next paragraphs.
The Type I Schmidlin is derived from the 1875 15 cents Netherlands Indies. There are 4 ways to recognise a Type I:
The Dutch 1894 issue (#3) was made from plates of only Type I or only Type III. Later issues are only Type I. |
The Type II Schmidlin is derived from the 1875 20 cents Netherlands Indies. There are 3 ways to recognise a Type II:
In Dutch issues Type II can only be found in the 1881 issue (#2). |
The Type III Schmidlin is derived from the 1870/74 10 cents Netherlands / Netherlands Indies, and from the unused colourproofs for the Netherlands 25 cents and 50 cents. There are 3 ways to recognise a Type III:
Netherlands: Type III is the common variety for the 1881 issue (#2), and rare in the 1894 issue (#3). About 1 in 10 for every stamp in the 1894 issue is a type III. |
The Type IV Schmidlin is derived from the 1870 5 cents Netherlands. Because this postage due stamps was used the most, not very many blocks could be reused for the bicolour series. There are 3 ways to recognise a Type I:
Netherlands: Type IV is the rarest variety for the 1881 issue (#2). |