1864

From the W. Guillaume collection

Wedged in between our widely collected first issue and the popular six-value third issue is the 1864 issue. That the 1852 issue should be the collectors’ favorite is only logical: these are the first stamps, and therefore carry their own fascination. Besides, much has been written about them. All cancels found on them have been described in detail by F.W.B. van Humalda van Eysinga and reproduced in the NVPH 2001 Special Catalogue. And just recently we’ve seen the publication of the fourth supplement to the loose-leaf book on the intriguing Plate IA of the 10 cents stamp. The 1867 issue has, in addition to the 5, 10, and 15 cents values, the 20, 25, and 50 cents values. This is a genuinely new issue in two types, each with a different perforation, and it offers a wider range of uses.
So what is wrong with the second issue? Somehow it seems much less popular than the 1852 and 1867 issues. How often does one still see a special 1864 collection in a major stamp exhibition?
Of course there is no accounting for tastes, but in our personal opinion these are the finest classic Dutch stamps. Yet in the past four years they have had only a limited following. Which is unfair, for the series deserves better.

• What are the differences between the Utrecht and the Haarlem printing?
• Can the original positions of these stamps in the plate be determined, and (if so) how?
• How can one tell Plate I from Plate II in the case of the 5 cents stamp?
• What are the characteristic retouches in Plate I for the 5 cents stamp?
• Why was the 10 cents Plate II in use for such a short time only?
• How can the 10 cents Plate II be recognized and how many copies of it are known?
• What are the earliest and the last known dates of use for each of the stamps, in both the Utrecht and the Haarlem printing?
• What does inverted perforation mean, and how can it be recognized?
• How rare are border stamps?
• What proofs are in existence?
• Why do cancellations other than the Boxed paid-post cancellation range from Hard to Find to Very Rare?
• What dot cancels are known to occur with the various values? What addenda does the Cley list make to the catalogue of (say) dot cancels and straight-line cancellations?
• What destinations outside the Netherlands are on record for letters franked with second-issue stamps?
• How many combination frankings are known of second-issue stamps with stamps of the first or third issue?

Many more questions could of course be thought of. The ones we suggested are merely meant to show that these stamps invite study and promise the collector a great deal of pleasure. Without J.F. Cleij’s standard book Emissie 1864 it would not well be possible to lend depth to either the study or the collecting. All aspects of the stamps in question are discussed in great detail. For plating these stamps more information is necessary. Both single stamps and pairs – or even strips of three – are regularly offered for auction. Prices are quite affordable, thanks to the law of (reasonable) supply and (limited) demand.

Are you looking forward with the same kind of eager anticipation as we are to admiring special 1864 exhibits at coming shows, or are you seriously thinking of putting together a special collection? It will no doubt give you a great deal of pleasure.