Portugal (2011).
ATM issues 'European Year of Volunteering 2011'
('Ano Europeu do Voluntariado 2011') |
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| Correios de Portugal continues with various promotional and social awareness campaigns, and the first ATM set of 2011 is dedicated to the commemoration of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. |
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The European Commission announced in November 2009 that 2011 was to be the European Year of Voluntary Activities Promoting Active Citizenship. The general objective of this scheme is to promote active citizenship through the exchange of experiences and good practices, and to create conditions society in general to volunteer in the European Union and to increase the visibility of voluntary activities in the EU. In the European Union, almost 100 million citizens contribute to their communities by volunteering.
The Alliance for the European Year of Volunteering 2011 launched an international competition for the design of a campaign logo and a slogan. The winning logo is based on the design by Ivan Gamal, from Ukraine (right image). The winning slogan, 'Volunteer! Make the difference!', is by Silvia-Roxana Patru, from Romania. |
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The 'Ano Europeu do Voluntariado 2011' ATMs could be obtained from vending machines from April 14th 2011, although very few machines used them on that day. Most of the Correios post offices received the new rolls some days later, and the change was gradual over the next 2 weeks.
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The design of the new labels is by António Magalhães, with the usual composition of extreme simplicity. It includes the campaign logo on the left, PORTUGAL and CORREIOS in the upper right corner, and the usual black optical scanning bars on the right edge. |
The rolls of self-adhesive labels were printed by offset and manufactured by the Portuguese company Litho Formas Portuguesa. As usual, the rolls of self-adhesive labels were manufactured in 2 different sizes, - 55 x 30 mm., on waxed paper of 60 mm. width, to be used in Amiel, SMD and NewVision Epost vending machines, and 80 x 30 mm., on waxed paper of 85 mm. width, for the Crouzet distributors. The logo printed on these labels is slightly larger. Each label has a preprinted positional number on the back of the waxed paper.
At the date of writing this article, it was possible to obtain this issue, normally, with up to 7 different printing varieties, corresponding to the 4 types of ATM distributors in service. Those fitted with black ink cartridges, and 3 specials using purple-violet ink cartridges.
With no change in basic postal rates after the last ATM issue, the 7 values programmed into the majority of Amiel, SMD and NewVision machines, on the date of issue, were: 0.32, 0.53, 0.57, 0.68 and 0.80 EUR, and CORREIO AZUL 0.47 and 1.85 EUR.
There are ATMs issued by Amiel and SMD distributors with other values, because of a programming error, or due to a button with another postal rate (for example, the rate of domestic shipments up to 100 g.). There are also NewVision ATMs with yet other values, coming from programming errors in E-Post 2000 machines, or from the large list of possible values available from E-Post 2000 M distributors.
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ATMs with the first values of Correio Normal (Normal - priority mail) and Correio Azul (Express post) issued by the AMIEL vending machines, using black printing. |
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ATMs issued by the AMIEL vending machine, special purple printing. |
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ATMs with the basic values of Correio Normal and Correio Azul issued by the NEWVISION vending machine, black printing. |
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ATMs issued by the NEWVISION vending machine, special purple printing. |
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ATMs with the basic values of Correio Normal and Correio Azul issued by the SMD vending machine, black printing. |
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ATMs issued by the SMD vending machine, special purple printing. |
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In the few remaining Crouzet distributors, still in service in Portugal, it is only possible to purchase the lowest basic values for domestic normal (0.32 EUR) and express mail (CORREIO AZUL 0.47 EUR, for this issue). The remaining values, starting from a programmed minimum value, can be obtained by keying in the amount, or by using the scales and indicating the destination and type of shipment. However, it is possible to obtain ATMs with any face value starting from EUR 0.01, when the distributor does not have the right coins for change. In this case, the machine offers the user a stamp.
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| Correio Normal and Correio Azul ATMs sold by a CROUZET distributor, impression in black |
If required, the machine can issue a receipt, printed on another ATM style self-adhesive label. The images below show an interesting CORREIO AZUL ATM (0.47 EUR) with a partial test imprint (TEST IMPRIMANTE) in the centre, issued just after a maintenance operation, and its corresponding receipt.
For this issue the philatelic service prepared illustrated first day covers and commemorative postmarks for Lisbon and Porto.
Right picture, Official first day cover (1º dia de Circulação), with the 4-values set of Correio Normal issued by a Crouzet vending machine - black imprint, and Lisboa commemorative postmark.
Below, detail of the Lisboa first day postmark. |
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| In recent months, Correios de Portugal has continued changing the number of ATM vending machines, which in practice means the removal of many distributors around the country. In some cases, the machines are removed by taking advantage of modernization and renovation of post offices, with the new Correios logo and graphical image. In other cases, the equipment is kept after the refurbishment, such as SMD distributor installed in the Vila Nova de Famalicão post office (right image). |
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A third option is to replace older distributors for a new NewVision E-Post 2000 machine. This is the case, for example, of the Évora - Rossio post office (images below), where after refurbishment of the post office in February 2011, the Crouzet distributor was replaced. By the way, this was the very last Crouzet distributor using the normal purple ink impression.
As a reference, not as statistical data, of the 66 ATM distributors visited during a journey around the centre and north of the country in April 2011, 24 machines had been removed since our previous visit, and 5 had been replaced by NewVision machines. Of those still in place, half were out of service or had major malfunction problems.
| Postal rates programmed in the ATM vending machines Amiel, NewVision and SMD (EUR) |
| , |
Correio normal |
Correio Azul |
| Change of postal rates |
Domestic,
up to 20 g.
normalized |
Domestic,
up to
100 g. |
Spain,
up to 20 g. |
Europe,
except Spain,
up to 20 g. |
Rest of the world,
up to 20 g. |
Domestic,
up to 20 g.
normalized |
International
up to 20 g. |
| 1.1.2002 |
0.27 |
0.45 |
0.46 |
0.54 |
0.70 |
0.43 |
1.75 |
| 1.1.2003 |
0.30 |
0.46 |
0.47 |
0.55 |
0.70 |
0.43 |
1.75 |
| |
Domestic,
up to 20 g.
normalized |
Domestic,
from 20 to 50 g.
normalized |
Domestic,
up to
100 g. * |
Spain,
up to 20 g. |
Europe,
except Spain,
up to 20 g. |
Rest of the world,
up to 20 g. |
Domestic,
up to 20 g.
normalized |
International
up to 20 g. |
| 1.1.2004 |
0.30 |
0.45 |
0.48 |
0.48 |
0.56 |
0.72 |
0.45 |
1.75 |
| 1.1.2005 |
0.30 |
0.46 |
0.49 |
0.48 |
0.57 |
0.74 |
0.45 |
1.75 |
| 1.5.2006 |
0.30 |
0.48 |
0.50 |
0.52 |
0.60 |
0.75 |
0.45 |
1.80 |
| 1.1.2007 |
0.30 |
0.50 |
0.55 |
0.52 |
0.61 |
0.75 |
0.45 |
1.85 |
| 1.8.2008 |
0.31 |
0.55 |
0.60 |
0.57 |
0.67 |
0.80 |
0.47 |
1.85 |
| 1.1.2009 |
0.32 |
0.54 |
0.60 |
0.57 |
0.68 |
0.80 |
0.47 |
1.85 |
| 1.6.2010 |
0,32 |
0,53 |
0,60 |
0,57 |
0,68 |
0,80 |
0,47 |
1,85 |
| * This value appears from 2005 programmed in some of the Amiel, NewVision and SMD ATM vending machines, instead of the value of Domestic Correio normal (inland normal mail) between 20 and 50 g. |
ATM Web - Spain and Latin American Postal Services: http://www.ateeme.net
© J. Jove - M. Sans. ATEEME. Variable value stamps study group. All rights reserved
This page was created in June 2011 and last updated:
19.12.11
. English edition rewritten by S. Goodman (01.07.2011)
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