BELGIUM
Two telegraph seals, different versions of the same design, and a single seal of an earlier design have so far been found.
| Updates. The above was written by Steve Hiscocks. I have added many new colour illustrations. On close examination, there appears to be many similar types. I have categorised them to reduce the amount of re-ordering. There will need to be more re-numbering. No pricing as yet. |
Oval types.
These feature scalloped edges.
Posts and Telegraphs.
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| #Ov1 Posts & Telegraphs, 1880, 37.8mm | #Ov2 Posts & Telegraphs, 1885, 37.8mm |
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| #Ov3 Posts & Telegraphs, 1888-92, 38.2mm | #Ov4 Posts & Telegraphs, 1898? 37.8mm (Rays not at 90 deg. to ellipse) |
Telegraphs only.
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| #Ov5 Telegraphs, 1896-1901, 39mm | #Ov6 Telegraphs with imprint, 1897-98, 39mm |
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| #Ov7 Telegraphs, 39mm | #Ov8 Telegraphs, 1898, 37mm |
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHv1 | Ov1 | - | 1880. Scalloped. Dark blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv2 | Ov2 | - | 1885. Scalloped. Dark blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv3 | Ov3 | - | 1888-92. Scalloped. Grey blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv4 | Ov4 | - | 1898? Scalloped. Grey blue. Rays not at 90deg. | - | - | - |
| RHv5 | Ov5 | - | 1896-1901. Scalloped. Blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv6 | Ov6 | 3 | 1897-1898. Scalloped. Grey-blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv7 | Ov7 | 3 | Scalloped. Slate-blue. | - | - | - |
| RHv8 | Ov8 | - | 1898. Scalloped. Blue. Rays not at 90deg. | - | - | - |
Hiscocks added the following note:
| Note. #3 [Now #Ov1] looks rather like an etiquette but I have seen five or six examples used as seals on folded telegrams from 1892 to 1898. |
My note: Hiscocks observations appear to have mixed several types together.
Type #Ov6 has an imprint of F. Meyer Van Loo / Gand (Ghent) 1897.
Rectangular types.
Belgian State.
My note on the ones below: These are turning out to be more complicated than at first appeared.
The sizes, colours and number of the scallopes varied over time. I will do a table showing these, including
Hiscocks images, scaled according to his stated sizes. He has quoted 'Scalloped 6' for his two images.
If he is using the same definition as for normal perforation, the number in a span of 20mm, then H2 was Scalloped 7.
I have dropped the use of this terminology in favour of quoting size and number of 'Bumps along the top' [BaT] .
The sides mostly had 7 'bumps', but some have 8. It is also known for the top and bottom to be different.
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Type #R1 Long top-right. Imprint. F. Meyer Van Loo, Gand (1885-1906) 1900 - top 1902 - bottom 49.6 mm BaT = 18 |
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Type #R2 'DEPOSE' Date? 50.5 mm BaT = 17 Bottom = 18 Sides = 7 |
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Type #R3 Short left ends. 15 Sept. 1903 (Nandrin) 49.8 mm BaT = 19 Bottom = 20 Sides = 8 This may be the same as #R5 |
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Type #R4 Short left ends. 1906 50 mm BaT = 18 Sides = 7 Looks the same as the last except for the scalloping. |
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Type #R5 Short left & bottom-right bolts. 1907-8 ? mm BaT = 18 |
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Type #R5 Short left & bottom-right bolts. 1907-8 ? mm BaT = 18 |
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Type #R6 Accents high up. scalloping at top and bottom different. 1908 50.7 mm BaT/B = 20/19 or BaT/B = 19/20 8 side bumps |
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Type #R7 Accents low down and thick., Lightning bolts blocky. 51mm BaT = 18 |
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Type #R7a This looks like #R6 except for the position of 'TÉLÉGRAMME' relative to the lightning bolts. 51mm BaT = 18 16 September 1903 Villers-le-Temple. |
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Type #R8a Accents low down, Lightning bolts blocky. Top 'G' different 1920-23 50mm BaT = 16 Two very different shades. |
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Type #R8b 1927-35 50mm BaT = 16 Very similar to last except perhaps top-right thunderbolt. |
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Type #R9 Centre of 'M's do not reach bottom. 1934-6 50.6 mm BaT = 16 |
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Type #R10 "reverse scallop" on left Date ? size ? BaT = 16 |
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Type #R11 Date ? 49.1mm BaT = 18 (bottom 17) 7 side bumps |
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Type #R12 Date ? 49.4 mm Perf. 11½ |
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Type #R13 1936 ? mm Imperf. x perf. ? |
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Type #R13b ? 1939 ? mm Imperf x perf ? |
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHr1 | R1 | - | 1900. With imprint. Scalloped Red-brown. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
| RHr1a | R1 | - | 1902. With imprint. Grey-brown. | - | - | - |
| RHr2 | R2 | - | Date? DEPOSE . Scalloped Light grey. BaT = 17, bottom = 18, sides = 7 | - | - | - |
| RHr3 | R3 | - | 1903. Scalloped Light grey-brown. BaT = 19, bottom = 20, sides = 8 | - | - | - |
| RHr4 | R4 | #2 | 1906. As last, but BaT = 18, sides = 7 | - | - | - |
| RHr5 | R5 | - | 1907-8. Short top-right. Scalloped Dark greenish grey. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
| RHr6 | R6 | - | 1908 Scalloped Light brownish grey. Accents high up, BaT = 19/20 | - | - | - |
| RHr7 | R7 | - | Date? 51mm. Scalloped Dark greenish grey. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
| RHr8a | R8a | - | 1920-23 50mm. Scalloped Dark greenish grey. BaT = 16 | - | - | - |
| RHr8b | R8b | #1 | 1927-35? 50mm. Scalloped Greenish grey. BaT = 16 | - | - | - |
| RHr9 | R9 | - | 1934-6. 50.6mm. Scalloped. Light grey. BaT = 16 | - | - | - |
| RHr10 | R10 | - | Date? Size? "reverse scallop" on left. BaT = 16 | - | - | - |
| RHr11 | R11 | - | Date ? Scalloped Dark greyish green. BaT = 18/17 | - | - | - |
| RHr12 | R12 | - | Date ? Perf. 11½ Light grey. | - | - | - |
| RHr13 | R13 | - | 1936 Imperf x perf ? or torn from strip ? Light grey. | - | - | - |
Hiscocks added the following note:
| Note. The dimensions given exclude the shading in the margins of both, although this might reasonably be regarded as part of the design. There are many differences in design but one of the most obvious, apart from the colours, is that the accents are almost touching the first two 'E's in TÉLÉGRAMME in #1 [now #R7b] but are very small and over 1mm above the 'E's in #2 [now #R5] . |
Director of Telegraphs and Telephones ("REGIE van T.T. " or RTT).
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Type #RT1 Short top-right. "REGIE van T.T." 1945 49.3 mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT2 Long top-right. 1945 49.1 mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT3 High bottom-right. 1949 47.6mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT4 Low bottom-right. Different insulators. 1957 47.2mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT5 like RT3 but more bars above & below insulators. 1963 47.4mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT6 bottom bolts low and smaller centre. 1963 48mm Imperf. |
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Type #RT7 bolts close to centre. ? 46.5mm Imperf. |
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHT1 | RT1 | - | 1945 Imperf. Short top-right. Light brownish grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT2 | RT2 | - | 1945 Imperf. Long top-right. Grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT3 | RT3 | - | 1949 Imperf. RTT. High bottom-right. Grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT4 | RT4 | - | 1957 Imperf. RTT. Low bottom-right. Light grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT5 | RT5 | - | 1963 Imperf. RTT. More bars. Grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT6 | RT6 | - | 1963 Imperf. RTT. Smaller centre. Light grey. | - | - | - |
| RHT7 | RT7 | - | ? Imperf. RTT. Bolts close to centre. Light grey. | - | - | - |
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| #RT8 1973, 49mm | Logo on a Telegram envelope to show this is not inverted. |
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHT8 | RT8 | - | 1973 Imperf. Red on white. | - | - | - |
TELEPHONE.
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| #1 1897, 43mm? | #2 1897, Estimated 39mm (no imprint) On a telephone bill of 7 September 1897. |
Hiscocks added the following note:
| Note. Two further seals or labels as shown above have also been found. These have the word TÉLÉPHONE rather than TÉLÉGRAMME but also seem to have been issued by the Telegraphs Department with designs very similar to those used for telegraph seals. The black one has not been seen used but the brown one was used in 1901 to join two pages of what seems to have been a telephone bill very much as we would use a staple today. the status of these labels or seals is not known and information would be welcomed. |
My note: I have seen several examples of the brown one.
Like the telegraph stamps, there are several variations.
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RH1 | 1 | - | 1897. Scalloped. Black ? | - | - | - |
| RH2 | 1 | - | 1897-1898? Scalloped. Black | - | - | - |
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Type #3 Imprint. F. Meyer Van Loo, Gand 1901 BaT = 18 |
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Type #4 No Imprint. TELEPHOON 1906 51 mm BAT = 18 |
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Type #5 TELEFOON High accents 1926-45 48.5 mm BAT = 16 |
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Type #6 TELEPHOON at the bottom Date ? BAT = 17 Bottom = 18 |
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Type #7 Large letters TELEPHOON Date ? BAT = 18 |
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RH3 | 3 | 2 | 1901 Scalloped 5.9 Red-brown. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
| RH4 | 4 | - | 1906 Scalloped 6.5 Red-brown. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
| RH5 | 5 | - | 1926-45 Scalloped Red-brown. BaT = 16 | - | - | - |
| RH6 | 6 | - | Date? Scalloped Red-brown. BaT = 17/18 | - | - | - |
| RH7 | 7 | - | Date? Scalloped. Red-brown. BaT = 18 | - | - | - |
Belgian Congo
Three examples of the seal shown below have recently appeared on internet auctions
They dated from 1944 to 1945 and had been used to seal folded telegrams in the usual way.
| Updates. The above was written by Steve Hiscocks. I have replaced the image and found more similar types. I have also seen a poor image of a 1935 example that looks different to the others. |
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Type #1 Short thunderbolts particularly bottom-left. 1935 ? mm |
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Type #2 1943-9 49 mm |
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Type #3 small accents on 'E's. 'BELGISCHCONGO' one word. 1948 ? mm |
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Type #4 no accents on 'E's. Short letters at sides. Date ? 49.1 mm Perf. 10.8 |
The position of the word 'TELEGRAM' relative to the thunderbolts is significantly different on these.
| RH # | Type. | was | Description | Mint | Used | On telegram |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RH1 | 1 | - | 1935. Perf. Light bluish green. | - | - | - |
| RH2 | 2 | #1 | 1943-49. Perf. Light greyish green. | - | - | - |
| RH3 | 3 | - | 1948. Perf. Light greyish green. | - | - | - |
| RH4 | 4 | - | Date? Perf. 10.8 Light greyish green. | - | - | - |
If anyone can provide scans to help with this, I am happy to give appropriate credit.
