Coded postal obliterators

Number stamp is a collective term for postmark, which only show a constantly centered number instead of locations and dates, and (in contrast to so-called side temples ) were used for canceling the stamps. The numbers were usually for a specific post office.

The stamps are on their shape further subdivided into grid numbering stamps, rust number stamp, ring number stamp, line numbering stamps, Mühlradstempel, three ring stamp, Vierringstempel etc. Such numbering stamps were in different German States in the second half of the 19th century in use. When the Badische post there was, for example, the five-membered ring and points wreath stamp, in the Bavarian Post Office open and closed Mühlradstempel, in Brunswick Post grate grid cancel or bars temple, in the Prussian postal Vierringstempel in the Saxon postal grid cancel, at the Schleswig- Holstein and Danish postal rust temple three ring stamp, and the postal Administration of the Thurn - und-Taxis -Post also took advantage of three- and four- ring cancel. In the Württemberg post number stamp ( Mühlradstempel ) were tentatively used.

Bavarian closed Mühlradstempel # 441

Danish three ring stamp

French Rhombuspunktstempel

Also available in other European countries came in the 19th century number stamp used, such as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Spain ( with district numbers).

Number stamps were usually displaced by location and date stamp in the 19th century, resulting in the corresponding side temples were superfluous. The last European country Iceland took from 1903 to 1930 still number stamp.