door In 1938, a trial was conducted with the Komusin franking stamp machine. This machine was highly innovative, applying a roll stamp to an envelope and cancelling it in one operation. The illustrated postmark closely resembles a franking machine impression (meter mark, “red franking”). In addition to the place name, date, and logo/text of the machine’s user, it also included a machine number. The trial—conducted with the permission of the Dutch postal service (P.T.T.)—was carried out by the importer of the machine, the Nederlandsche Huistelefoon Maatschappij in The Hague.
The machine was unsuccessful due to technical failures, and no sales were made. After some time, the machine was taken out of use and returned to the manufacturer. No follow-up was undertaken.
This marked the birth of one of the rarest postmarks from The Hague. Only a handful of impressions are known, dating from 1938 and 1939.
The illustrated example, printed on a pre-printed window envelope from the Nederlandsche Huistelefoon Maatschappij, features a 5c Veth roll stamp and is dated 11 May 1938. The postmark number is NHTM 101.
This example was featured in an article by R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink in Philatelie in February 1993. It was also argued that the stamp used by the Komusin machine exhibits a distinctive perforation, qualifying it as a perforation variety comparable to the “Bossche tanding” (perforation) or “Heerlense knip” (cut).
The illustrated envelope will be auctioned by René Hillesum Filatelie in auction 69, spring 2025.
