Terneuzen

Terneuzen 1838-1946

A variety of cancels..............a variety of names..........

The city of Terneuzen got a post office (Postkantoor) on January 1, 1838. But the name of the city as described in the cancels was not always the same. This page shows a great variety of cancels used during the period from 1838 to 1946.

TER-NEUZEN

tern1839.jpg (408409 bytes)

A prepaid letter from TER-NEUZEN to Middelburg, sent October 3, 1839. Combination of a circular date cancel with no year indication and also a FRANCO cancel. Postage 15 cents (written on the back) was based on the shortest distance.

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t1854.jpg (124445 bytes)

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Franco semi-circle cancel ("FRANCO halfrond") with Egyptian characters and no year indication. Issued 1844.

Circular mark with year indication of straight characters. Red ink had te be used with this postmark. Issued 1854.

Circular mark with twig ("Takjestempel"). To be used with red ink. Issued 1865.

TERNEUZEN

tern1877.jpg (339674 bytes)

Franked letter from Axel (see NAME cancel) to Enschede, sent February 2, 1877. Axel was a "hulpkantoor", so the letter was first dispatched to Terneuzen, where the post office cancelled the stamp (Netherlands nr 19, emission of 1872, King Willem III blue) with the numerical postmark "79" and also the "two-letter" date cancel TERNEUZEN, both in black ink. The two-letter cancel (tweeletter stempel) was issued in 1866. The numerical postmark "79" (Nummer- of puntstempel) was issued in 1869.

t1872.jpg (128816 bytes)

Franco cancel with twig
("Francotakjestempel")
Used after 1872.

TER NEUZEN

tern1884.jpg (534808 bytes)

Postal card from TER NEUZEN to Apeldoorn, sent February 27, 1884 which arrived in Apeldoorn February 28, 1884. The small round postmark cancel ("klein-rond") was handed to the Terneuzen post office on February 22, 1883.

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This large round postmark
("groot-rond")
was used after March 26, 1898.

NEUZEN

tern1904.jpg (826894 bytes)

Letter from NEUZEN to Brussels (Belgium), sent April 30, 1904. This letter was cancelled with the "groot-rond" cancel, obtained November 22, 1903. The letter was sent through Gent (Belgium) by train from Terneuzen to Gent (cancel GAND-STATION on the back, see below) and arrived at Brussels on May 1 (see cancel below, BRUXELLES ARRIVEE)

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t1906.jpg (160185 bytes)

t1912.jpg (149363 bytes)

t1924.jpg (133537 bytes)

Type wheel postmark with long bar ("Typeraderstempel/lange-balk") was issued in November 1906.

Roller type precancel ("Drukwerkrolstempel"), mainly used for cancelling newspaper wrappers and printed matters. Year of use is shown in centre circle. In use from 1912 to 1920.

Type wheel postmark with short bar ("Typeraderstempel/korte-balk") was issued in December 1924.

TERNEUZEN

Tot 1941 werd er blijkbaar niet eenduidig omgegaan met de schrijfwijze van de plaatsnaam, getuige het rondschrijven van de Secretaris-Generaal van Binnenlandsche Zaken, de heer Frederiks, aan de 'heeren Secretarissen-Generaal der onderscheidene Departementen van Algemeen Bestuur' (uit bijvoegsel bij Staatsblad 451 van 1941):

"Ik heb de eer U mede te deelen, dat gebleken is, dat ten aanzien van de schrijfwijze van den naam der gemeente Terneuzen tot dusver geen uniformiteit heeft bestaan. Het verdient aanbeveling in deze de schrijfwijze te volgen, waartoe de raad dier gemeente in zijn vergadering van 24 maart 1938 heeft besloten, n.l. 'Terneuzen', welke schrijfwijze, blijkens het destijds ingestelde onderzoek historisch verantwoord kan worden geacht. In verband hiermede zal ik het op prijs stellen, indien U in den vervolge dezelfde schrijfwijze zoudt willen aannemen. Ik moge U verzoeken de onder U ressorterende diensten dienovereenkomstig in te lichten."

tern1946.jpg (344203 bytes)

Official letter (DIENST) without stamp, sent locally from Terneuzen town hall November 26, 1946. This cancel was handed to the Terneuzen post office in January 1943.


Name cancel, handed to the post office on January 2, 1942, here on a telegram.	Roller type precancel ("Drukwerkrolstempel") with no year indication. This postmark was issued as a result of the change in name from Neuzen to Terneuzen. Used 1942 and later.
.

Notes: 1. Literature: P.C.Korteweg "300 jaar postmerken van Nederland 1570-1870" (NVPH) 2. Above materials came from a number of filatelists and friends. With thanks!
3.Another article (in Dutch language) on Terneuzen cancels can be seen on my other website http://people.zeelandnet.nl/acoomens/

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