Netherlands - Post & Go 2017 - Essen, Briefmarkenmesse

The new Netherlands ATM stamps can be found in a few permanent locations (since May 2018 there is only one location left). One of the ATM machines is used by PostNL for stamp shows and other special occasions. After the introduction at the stamp show in Hilversum in January 2017 the first occasion to get ATM stamps was the Briefmarkenmesse in Essen, Germany. At this yearly event most European postal administrations are present with their latest stamps and other products.

I arrived early in the morning of 11 May 2017 at the PostNL stand in the Messe building only to find a machine that didn't work and a long row of waiting collectors. It turned out that there was an unknown bug in the system. The supplier of the machine was working online from London to repair it. It took almost two hours for technician Bob to repair it. After that I had to wait for some time before it was my turn to get my stamps. I prepared two envelopes, one for each of the stamps.

PostNL provided a special postmark with the coat of arms of the city of Essen and a datestamp from 's-Gravenhage (The Hague). Unlike all other postal administrations you can postmark your stamps and covers yourself. The postmarks are tied with a string to a table next to the PostNL stand. This allows the staff to help the customers without spending time on cancelling stamps. It was possible to leave your envelopes with the PostNL staff. They would take care of sending them through the ordinary mail without then envelopes being cancelled by the sorting machines. Unfortunately one did get a second postmark. Since then I have posted my envelopes myself using the protection I

The ATM stamps have the normal design and the values of 1 (for national mail up to 20 grams) and INTERNATIONAAL 1 (for international mail up to 20 gr). Printed above the machine and order number is the text Essen 2017. With each stamp I got a receipt from the ATM machine.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 11 and 24 May 2017

Date received: 26 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 112

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 11 May 2017

Date received: 26 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 113

Germany - Braunschweig - Philatelie-Shop

Deutsche Post has established special philately windows in 26 major post offices throughout the country. Each uses a datestamp with the letters 'ps' in it to distinguish it from normal datestamps. The letters ps stand for Philatelie-Shop.

The Philatelie-Shop in Braunschweig can be found in the Post Office Building in the city center. It was built in 1878-1881 under the direction of August Kind (1824-1904), the chief of the building department of the Reichspost under Heinrich von Stephan. The address for postmark requests is: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Strasse 3, 38100 Braunschweig, Germany. Opening hours: Mo-Fr 9.00-18.30 h., Sat 9.30-13.00 h.

For the envelope I used the new definitive 90 cent stamp from the flower series, issued on 11 May 2017 that I bought at the Philatelie-Shop in Essen on the first day of issue. The priority label was added to the envelope by the German post.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 23 May 2017

Date received: 26 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 111

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina, and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. During World War II, Romania was an Axis power and, consequently, an ally of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union, fighting side by side with the Wehrmacht until 1944, when it joined the Allies and faced occupation by the Red Army's forces. Throughout wartime Romania had lost several territories, of which only Northern Transylvania was regained after the war. Following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition towards democracy and a capitalist market economy.

Following rapid economic growth in the early 2000s, Romania has an economy predominantly based on services, and is a producer and net exporter of machines and electric energy, featuring companies like Automobile Dacia and OMV Petrom. It has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, part of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. An overwhelming majority of the population identifies themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians and are native speakers of Romanian, a Romance language.

During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. The stamp I chose was a new one issued to honour Postcrossing. The stamp was postmarked with the datestamp of Bucuresti Tranzit, the Bucharest Regional Transit Center..

This and other stamps can be found on the website of Romfilatelia, the state company that issues the Romanian postage stamps: romfilatelia.ro.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 16 May 2017

Date received: 26 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 110