how to read the numbers in a postmark?
 

If a postmark has 4 numbers in it, 3 of them is day, month and year
obviously, but what about last one? what does it stands for? thanks

Hello,
the hour ...

"b1zgrz55" a écrit dans le message news:
. rogers.com...
If a postmark has 4 numbers in it, 3 of them is day, month and year
obviously, but what about last one? what does it stands for? thanks

Time of cancelation, probably, but without a clearer description or a scan,
who knows? What country? What year? What type of cancellation?

Bob

From: "b1zgrz55"
Newsgroups: rec.collecting.stamps.discuss
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 23:16:18 GMT
Subject: how to read the numbers in a postmark?

If a postmark has 4 numbers in it, 3 of them is day, month and year
obviously, but what about last one? what does it stands for? thanks

HFG wrote :

Hello,
the hour ...




Yes HFG, it is the most likely answer to this quite unprecise question
as already said by Bob.

In France, it could be also (early 20th century) :
- a number corresponding to the post office where the stamp had been
cancelled
- a number counting the different "levées" (collect of letters by the
postman) in the concerned pillar box which gives an approximation of the
hour

In adition to that, the question reads : " ... 3 of them is day, month
and year obviously ... "

Not so obvious, as in the US, the UK and may be Canada as well, the
order would be month, day, year ?

;-)

--
All the best,
Pierre Courtiade

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 02:35:42 +0200, "Pierre Courtiade"
wrote:

HFG wrote :

Hello,
the hour ...




Yes HFG, it is the most likely answer to this quite unprecise question
as already said by Bob.

In France, it could be also (early 20th century) :
- a number corresponding to the post office where the stamp had been
cancelled
- a number counting the different "levées" (collect of letters by the
postman) in the concerned pillar box which gives an approximation of the
hour

In adition to that, the question reads : " ... 3 of them is day, month
and year obviously ... "

Not so obvious, as in the US, the UK and may be Canada as well, the
order would be month, day, year ?

;-)


Not quite n Canada.

Postage Meters read YY.MM.DD or
DD XXX (Month in Roman numerals) YY

Circular cancels read DD MONTH (alphabetic)
YYYY

Jetspray cancels read:
### {Machine #) #A# A#A (postal code) YY.MM.DD HH.MM

Blair



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"Pierre Courtiade" wrote in message ...
HFG wrote :

In adition to that, the question reads : " ... 3 of them is day, month
and year obviously ... "

Not so obvious, as in the US, the UK and may be Canada as well, the
order would be month, day, year ?

Not in the UK. Despite having many Americanisms forced on us
(mini-billions, -izes, trick-and-treat, Thanksgiving, and, just
recently, yellow school busses) we still use day-month-year.

However, a postmark I happen to have in front of me says
unequivocally:

MOUNT PLEASANT
8 45AM
11 AUG
2003

Chris

Chris Doran wrote :

Not in the UK. Despite having many Americanisms forced on us
(mini-billions, -izes, trick-and-treat, Thanksgiving, and, just
recently, yellow school busses) we still use day-month-year.

However, a postmark I happen to have in front of me says
unequivocally:

MOUNT PLEASANT
8 45AM
11 AUG
2003


Chris,

Many thanks for correcting my bad knowledge of UK versus US (I lived
four years in London but in an international environment : this may
explain that sometimes I mix the habits of the Americans and those of
the British ;-).

As for the dates, I thought that in both the UK and the US, a correct
writing should be :

Saturday September 20th 2003 (with some comas I don't know where to
place :-(

and not
Saturday 20th September 2003
(direct translation from the French :
Samedi 20 Septembre 2003)

I am not speaking of postmarks (I should, as we are on rcsd !)
but of the current use of dates, i.e. in a letter.

Coming back to your answer :

I like the mini-billion term ;-)))
I thought that the spellings in '-ize' and the 'trick-and-treat' habit
from the children were coming from the UK ?
I was not aware of the yellow school busses now used in the UK, but I
think that (for safety purposes) it is a nice idea ;-)

Many thanks as well to Blair for his kind answer explaining the
situation in Canada as for the dates on the postmarks.

--
All the best,
Pierre Courtiade

In an earlier message "Pierre Courtiade" wrote:

Chris Doran wrote :

Not in the UK. Despite having many Americanisms forced on us
(mini-billions, -izes, trick-and-treat, Thanksgiving, and, just
recently, yellow school busses) we still use day-month-year.

However, a postmark I happen to have in front of me says
unequivocally:

MOUNT PLEASANT
8 45AM
11 AUG
2003


Chris,

Many thanks for correcting my bad knowledge of UK versus US (I lived
four years in London but in an international environment : this may
explain that sometimes I mix the habits of the Americans and those of
the British ;-).

As for the dates, I thought that in both the UK and the US, a correct
writing should be :

Saturday September 20th 2003 (with some comas I don't know where to
place :-(

That is perfectly OK

and not
Saturday 20th September 2003

and so is this.


(direct translation from the French :
Samedi 20 Septembre 2003)

However, when using just numerals as in 20.9.2003 the UK usage
is ALWAYS day month year (logical really), and we can set
our computers accordingly....or even the US way if we are feeling
perverse ;-)

I believe the Italian postmarks are usually as the UK system,
with the hour as the fourth numeral(s)

--
Tony Clayton or
Coins of the UK : http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/coins.html
Values of Coins of the UK : http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/values/coins.html
Metals used in Coins : http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/metal.html
Sent using RISC OS on an Acorn Strong Arm RiscPC
.... Please Tell Me if you Don't Get This Message

Thanks Tony for those explanations.

--
All the best,
Pierre Courtiade