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

Netherlands - Post & Go 2017 - Bussum, Collect Club

The Netherlands did not have ATM stamps for years. In January 2017 they were re-introduced at the stamp show in Hilversum (I missed that). PostNL is experimenting with selling single stamps instead of sheets of ten stamps. Selling single stamps stopped when PostNL closed the post offices and put postal desks in bookstores, supermarkets and other shops.

In January 2017, four machines were in use. Machine NL01 is used for special events, NL02 is placed in the Collect Club stamp shop in Bussum and NL03 can be found in the PostNL shop in The Hague. There is also a machine NL00. The stamps from this machine are sold through the PostNL Collect Club website and in two shops in Amersfoort.

In October 2017 the NL02 machine in Bussum was relocated to The Hague and place in The Read Shop Apon in the Theresiastraat. Half a year later it was removed from there and whas then stored at the PostNL headquarters in The Hague without being used.

Each machine contains two rolls of 1500 stamps that are printed on demand. The stamp 'butterfly' has the value 1 (letter national up to 20 gr), the stamp 'tulip' has a value of INTERNATIONAAL 1 (letter international up to 20 gr) with a printed priority label.

I bought the stamps in Bussum on 21 April 2017. Since PostNL had withdrawn all datestamps at that time, the only possibility was to put my envelopes in a letter box. The envelopes were cancelled at the sorting centre in Amsterdam.

Date sent: 21 April 2017

Date postmark: 21 April 2017

Date received: 22 April 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 9

Date sent: 21 April 2017

Date postmark: 21 April 2017

Date received: 22 April 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 10

Netherlands - Post & Go 2017 - Den Haag, PostNL

The Netherlands did not have ATM stamps for years. In January 2017 they were re-introduced at the stamp show in Hilversum (I missed that). PostNL is experimenting with selling single stamps instead of sheets of ten stamps. Selling single stamps stopped when PostNL closed the post offices and put postal desks in bookstores, supermarkets and other shops.

In January 2017, four machines were in use. Machine NL01 is used for special events, NL02 is placed in the Collect Club stamp shop in Bussum and NL03 can be found in the PostNL shop in The Hague. There is also a machine NL00. The stamps from this machine are sold through the PostNL Collect Club website and in two shops in Amersfoort.

In October 2017 the NL02 machine in Bussum was relocated to The Hague and place in The Read Shop Apon in the Theresiastraat. Half a year later it was removed from there and whas then stored at the PostNL headquarters in The Hague without being used.

Each machine contains two rolls of 1500 stamps that are printed on demand. The stamp 'butterfly' has the value 1 (letter national up to 20 gr), the stamp 'tulip' has a value of INTERNATIONAAL 1 (letter international up to 20 gr) with a printed priority label.

I bought the stamps in The Hague on 20 April 2017. Since PostNL had withdrawn all datestamps at that time, the only possibility was to put my envelopes in a letter box.The envelopes were cancelled at the sorting centre in The Hague ('s-Gravenhage).

The post office in The Hage was closed on 14 November 2018, making it the last post office in the Netherlands to disappear. From that date no separate post offices exist anymore in the country.

Date sent: 20 April 2017

Date postmark: 20 April 2017

Date received: 21 April 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 7

Date sent: 20 April 2017

Date postmark: 20 April 2017

Date received: 21 April 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 8