Motivation:

In regards to the numeral cancels there are two publications which will give you an idea about the values of the cancels and their relative scarcity. These publications are:

1. De Puntstempels van Nederlands-Indië, by P.R. Bulterman. This publication was published in Postzak # 153, September 1987.

2. Nederlands-Indië Puntstempels 1874-1893; met waardebepaling voor afstempelingen op losse postzegels en op poststuk, by P. Storm van Leeuwen. This publication is part of De Specialiteiten Catalogus 2006-2011 of the NVPH   (2005).

Because five advanced collectors of the numeral cancels of the Dutch East Indies wanted to compare their collections to what was published in the above  mentioned publication a  project was set up. This study/survey took place  from December 2006 through February 2007.

Questions:

Three questions had to be answered

1. How easy/hard would it be to setup  a large collection of numeral cancels?

2. What is the ratio of the stamps of the five collectors relative to reference stamp NVPH#9; in other words, for example how many Scott #9 versus a postage due #3?

   a) The ratios will carry one decimal

3. What is the average number of stamps (by postoffice), found by the collectors to determine the scarcity of a particular post office?

   a) One should take into account the number of years a postoffice was open during the  period of use of the numeral cancel.

Assumptions:

• The first, second and Wilhelmina issue are not part of the survey;

• Stamps 3 and 4 are counted together;

• Stamps 5 and 6 are counted together;

• This makes for a total 31 separate stamps and postage due stamps, which are given a rating;

• Only postoffices with  clear differences are treated separately:

  • Field postoffice Atjeh type 1 in addition to type 2 of Atjeh and Kottaradja

  • Exp. Postoffice. Mailsteamer/Karanganjer in addition to Demak

  • 100 type 1 Langkat in addition to type 2 Bangil

  • 116 type 1 Boeleleng in addition to type 2 Gombong

  • 117 type 1 Banckalan in addition to type 2 Bindjei 

• The postoffices 60, 61, 66 type 2, 67, 68, 69 type 1, 81, 84, 107, 113 can only be differentiated based on the date cancel;

• There are a total of 125 different postoffices that have been counted;

• In theory there are than 31 different stamps x 125 different postoffices= 3875 possible combinations. In addition:

  • For field postoffice Atjeh 66 with type 1 ( valid into 1881) with near certainty the following do not exist:

    • Scott 10,14,17,18,19,20,21,22

    • postage dues  7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 

  • For the postal agents Singapore 89 and Penang 90 with near certainty the following do not exist:

    • postage dues 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15

  • For Langkat 100 type 1  with near certainty the following do not exist:

    • Scott 10,14,17,18,19,20,21,22

    • postage dues 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15

• By eliminating the impossible combinations (60 in all) we end up with a total of 3815 possible combinations;

• Scott # 9 (10 cent King Willem III) is the reference with an assigned value of 1.0;

• If another stamp has a value of 3.4, it means that Scott #9 is 3.4 times as common as this stamp;

• For postoffices closed before the end of use of the numeral cancels  (mid april 1893), for example then field postoffices and Langkat, one can not find numeral cancels on those offices beyond the closing date;

• For postoffices opened after the introduction date of the numeral cancels (April 1, 1874) it will be difficult (if not impossible) to find numeral cancels on dates prior to the opening of the postoffice (for example Lasem and Toeren).

Collections used for the survey:

For the survey five collections, with a number of combinations of stamps and numeral cancels ranging from 750 to 1659 (excluding doubles) were used . A total of 5947 stamps. These collectors  have been active for years (average of 15 years), and are visitors of auctions, bourses and the internet.

Results after analyzing the survey: 

• It is hard to differentiate between 69 type 1 Karanganjer and 69 type 2 Demak;

• Postage dues 1, 2, 3, and 4 are very rare after postoffice Garoet 102 because these postoffices opened at about or after the introduction of the newer postage dues stamps;

• Scott # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are very rare after postoffice 109 Wingli, because those offices opened late and also because the newer cipher type stamps came out.

• Postage dues (except 11) are rare after postoffice 41 Tjiandjoer;

• Postage dues are not known for 44 Tjiamis, 80 Indrapoera and of course 74 Kottaboemi, 112 Goenoengtoea and 114 Rantauprapat.

About the valuations in Bulterman and Storm van Leeuwen, based on the collections examined:

• 114 and 74 are maybe rated too low     

• 112 is rarer

• 79 is rarer       

• 100-1 is less rare (can only be found on a few stamps)

• 69-1 Field postoffice Atjeh is rarer (can only be found on a few stamps)

• 44 is rarer

• 75 is less rare

• In addition, there are many minor differences with Bulterman and Storm van Leeuwen. 

Conclusion: 

It will be hard for the advanced and especially for the just starting collector to accumulate an extensive collection of numeral cancels by postoffice. It will take years of looking for them at bourses, auctions, and internet, besides a substantial monetary investment. Stamps are often not offered as singles, but in (partial) collections, resulting in redundancy.

Of course  examining ‘only’ five large collections has its limitations. By only judging the combinations of cancels per postoffice, all doublets are left out; this can cause a somewhat skewed picture. Also, not all rare stamps have a certificate of authenticity, given reason for  questionable conclusions.

It will be impossible to collect all combinations. The five collectors have 1930 combinations (excluding doubles). This is about 50% of all theoretically possible combinations.

Ratios determined for the following stamps:

Note: Scott#9: 10 cent King Willam III is the reference stamp; the most common stamp with a numeral cancel.

The stamps come from five large collections; each stamp being counted only once. Next, all the results are added and an average is calculated. A factor of 3.6 for Scott#18 means that Scott # 9 is 3.6 times as common. In other words, a Scott#18 is on average 3.6 times as rare as a Scott#9 of the same post office.

Ratios determined for the following postoffices:

The stamps come from five large collections, counting only unique combinations. Next, the results were added and an average calculated. The lower the average the rarer the post office cancel. In this survey Soerabaja is the most common, Rantauprapat the rarest.

 * postoffices can only be identified on piece.