[from PostNL materials] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]

Date of issue: 13 November 2023
Appearance: sheet of 20 December stamps in 10 different designs, with a special December rate for destinations in the Netherlands
Item number: 431461
Illustrations and design: Linde Faas, Tromsø (Norway)

The Netherlands doesn’t issue “Christmas” or “Holiday” stamps, but rather “December” stamps. The illustrations for the 2023 December stamps were created by illustrator Linde Faas from Tromsø, Norway.

Each year, PostNL issues new December stamps, which can be used by consumers and companies to send each other Christmas and New Year cards at a reduced rate. The special December rate of €0.96 per stamp is valid from 13 November 2023 until 6 January 2024. This year, a sheet of 20 December stamps costs € 19.20. (€0.96 is approximately US$1.02.)

When purchasing two sheets of December stamps at the store, each customer will receive a free gift: a Christmas ornament especially designed for PostNL by Vondels. This year’s ornament is in the shape of a dog with a letter in its mouth, derived from one of the illustrations on the December stamps.

The stories on this year’s December stamps are set in the far north. Dutch illustrator Linde Faas lives and works in Norway and draws a world full of magic and wonder. The special colours of the northern lights and the grandeur of the landscape create winter scenes full of atmosphere. People and animals enjoying new memories together and the happiness found in little things. Everywhere you discover surprising details, such as the vapour above the tea glass, next to the owl on the branch, around the bear in the forest and by the envelope with December mail.

The subjects are

• a festively set table with magical scenes in a steaming Christmas drink,
• people and animals watching falling stars together,
• a house under the northern lights with footsteps in the snow,
• a cat and a dog with a letter behind the window,
• a tree branch with an owl with birds and presents,
• a rabbit with an envelope with magical contents,
• people and animals decorating a Christmas tree together,
• a hedgehog in the snowstorm with a tall pile of presents,
• a bear surrounded by Christmas trees with birds as Christmas decorations, and,
• an animal parade with lights.

All typography on the December stamps and on the sheet edge was handwritten by Faas. The back of the December stamp sheet [right] features a description of what Linde wants to achieve with her illustrations. It also explains how to use the December stamps. Near the text area on the back is an illustration of a snowy winter forest. The headline “Boom versieren, kaarten versturen” translates as “decorate the tree, send cards.”

Faas didn’t have to think long when PostNL approached her about designing this year’s stamps. “Of course I wanted to!” she said. She follows on Instagram two designers responsible for prior years’ December stamps, Geertje Aalders and Miriam Bos. “I love their work. Back then, I was secretly thinking how great it would be if I could get to do this myself.

“During the first conversation with PostNL, all sorts of images immediately came to mind, typically northern scenes in typically northern light. I then wrote down a list of possible topics. Little stories, with the occasional sketch added in pencil.”

Adds Faas, “the beginning is always the hardest” but once the choices of subjects are made, “I get totally absorbed in making the image. So it really feels like I’m in the middle of the world of the illustration I’m currently working on.”

She has lived in Norway since 2017.

“I think the month of December is a beautiful time, full of magic and wonder,” she says. “There is always snow here then. Also unusual is the fact that the sun doesn’t rise for months. Because of this the colours are very different, very special. Together with the winter landscape, everything I dreamed of as a child comes together. I was already completely happy when even a thin layer of snow fell in the Netherlands. Then I fantasized that I could disappear into a vast forest. In Norway, my dream came true, including a small cottage in the middle of the woods.”

Elements of her life are reflected in these stamp designs. “Our cottage has just such a window through which the cat and the dog are looking out on one of the December stamps [left]. I like to do that myself too, with my nose against the window, hoping for moose to pass by. The bear among the trees also looks like me. I love walking through the forest by myself when there is a thick blanket of snow and the branches of the trees are bending down towards the ground.

“And the shooting stars? As a child, I could spend hours peering at the night sky in the hope of seeing a shooting star.”

Each December stamp features a little story, a snapshot in a larger winter narrative. “The storytelling has to excite,” says Faas. “This is how I hope to make people curious, making them pay extra attention to the stamps. The rabbit, for example, opens an envelope that emits the colourful magic [right]. Who could the envelope be from and what might it contain? That’s always a surprise.”

The validity period for these stamps is indefinite, but the December stamps can only be used on their own from 13 November 2023 through 6 January 2024. One stamp will cover postage for mail within the Netherlands during this period. Two December stamps are enough for mail weighing up to 50g (1.76 ounces) destined for delivery to addresses outside the Netherlands.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 26.5 x 29 mm
Sheet size: 144 x 151 mm
Paper: normal with red phosphor print
Glue: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black
Print run: 3,250,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 20 stamps with 10 different designs
Illustrations and design: Linde Faas, Tromsø (Norway)
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 431461
Note: PostNL does not sell directly to collectors in North America. Its website refers to a company called Nordfirm, which says it sells Dutch new issues at face value. The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.

[from PostNL press material] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Child Welfare Stamps 2023

Date of issue: 9 October 2023
Appearance: sheet of five special stamps in five different designs, marked with the denomination ‘1’ for post up to 20 g in weight destined for delivery within the Netherlands, with a €0.50 surcharge per stamp
Item number: 431260
Illustrations and design: The LEGO Group

On 9 October 2023, PostNL will issue a new sheet of Child Welfare Stamps marked with the denomination ‘1’ for destinations within the Netherlands. The design of this year’s five stamps revolves around LEGO toys.

Since 1924, PostNL has been issuing Child Welfare Stamps to raise money for projects aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable children. To this end, a €0.50 surcharge is added to each stamp. The proceeds from all surcharges will be used for projects developed by the Child Welfare Stamps Foundation (Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland). This independent foundation is committed to giving children in the Netherlands and other countries equal development opportunities.

The Charity
This year, more than 130,000 pupils from the last two years of primary schools will be taking orders for the Child Welfare Stamps from 27 September through 4 October. PostNL will deliver all orders starting on 11 October. The proceeds from the 2022 campaign amounted to €9.6 million (USD $10.2 million).

The theme of the 2023 campaign is ‘Let every child participate’, with the focus being on children facing social and societal exclusion. More and more children are falling behind at school. They have such big problems at home that they are unable to develop to their full potential, thus being unable to get the best out of themselves. Child Welfare Stamps helps these children with projects that make them feel more confident and broaden their horizons. This way these children can be guided towards positive development, at school and beyond.

‘We see more and more children falling behind and not getting the same opportunities to develop to their full potential,’ says Sofie Vriends, director of Child Welfare Stamps. ‘For example, one in 12 children now grow up in poverty. One in six children has a parent with a mental health or addiction problem. And a lot of children feel lonely on a regular basis. They do not get to learn enough and are isolated, at school and beyond. We believe in the resilience of these children and do all we can to give them the opportunities they deserve.’

About Legos
The LEGO Group is the Danish manufacturer of the well-known plastic building block and figurine toys. The founder of the 1916 family business is Ole Kirk Christiansen, who first made furniture and later wooden toys. The first building blocks appeared on the market in 1947: plastic blocks that you could click together to make structures. The first minifigures appeared in the 1970s, later followed by themed products such as city, medieval, engineering, space, science fiction, pirates and robots. The name LEGO comes from Danish and is an abbreviation of the words ‘leg godt’, which essentially means ‘play well’. The LEGO Group is still a family business, headed by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the founder’s grandson.

‘When we were asked whether the LEGO Group wanted to participate, we quickly said yes, of course!’ Marloes Zwagerman, Brand Relations Manager at the LEGO Group in Antwerp, Belgium, says. ‘It was really fun to be able to do this. And for such a great cause.

‘As far as I know, this is the first time LEGO elements have appeared on Dutch stamps. Stamps with LEGO did come out in Austria and Switzerland last year, but those were single issues. This is a complete sheet, with a huge print run. I also used to sell Child Welfare Stamps as a schoolgirl, in Hoogkarspel where I grew up. That made it extra special to be involved in this project.’

Design
The Child Welfare Stamps 2023 feature a winter scene set on the quay of a typical Dutch town, with typical Dutch fun on the ice of a frozen canal. In the background of the top row of stamps is a continuous row of canal houses. On the quay, children are playing: riding their bike, listening to music and riding a skateboard. The children on the ice are sledding and skating. Animals are depicted on the edges of the sheet: two cats, two birds and two squirrels. The middle stamp depicts a dog at the edge of the quay. The illustration continues across all sheet edges.

‘There are no Dutch nationals in our international design team, so I offered some suggestions on possible angles,’ says Zwagerman. ‘The popularity of cycling and skating, for example. And the typical Dutch setting with the row of canal houses. We deliberately avoided stereotypes like tulips and clogs. Other than that, the designers were allowed to tap into all their creativity.’

Technical Details:
Stamp size: four stamps measuring 36 x 25mm and one stamp measuring 36 x 50mm
Sheet format: 144 x 75 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: synthetic
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print run: 1,200,000 sheets
Format: sheet of five stamps in five different designs
Design/illustrations: the LEGO Group
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 431260

Note: PostNL does not sell directly to collectors in North America. Its website refers to a company called Nordfirm, which says it sells Dutch new issues at face value. The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.

[from PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Stamp Day 2023

“Dag van de Postzegel 2023”
Date of issue: 16 October 2023

Format: sheet with ten personal stamps in two different designs, with value 1 for post up to and including 20 grams for destinations within the Netherlands
Item number: 830063
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda

Stamp Day is an annual international event. In most countries, the day is celebrated on the first Sunday after 9 October: the founding date of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The UPU sets the rules for international postal traffic between member states.

The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for addresses within the Netherlands. The sheet of ten costs €10.10.

The sheet was designed by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda using the 1923 Artist Series stamps as inspiration. Those were the first modern stamps after architect Karel de Bazel’s 1913 Jubilee stamps. The 1923 Artist Series comprises four stamps in three designs, created by architect Michel de Klerk, typographer Sjoerd de Roos and graphic designer Nicolaas van de Vecht. Their designs were selected from the 90 entries to the Dutch Numerical Stamp Competition launched by the Staatsbedrijf der Posterijen en Telegrafie [‘Dutch State Post and Telegraph Company’] in 1920. All Dutch artists were allowed to enter the competition.

The idea behind the competition was that a competition involving many artists would produce a better result than if one designated artist designed the stamps. However, the philatelic press was not very receptive. Later, the stamps received greater appreciation. For example, art historian Paul Hefting wrote in an article in De Gids in 1993 that the design of the 1923 Artist Series is defined by a mixture of austere and ornate ornamental forms. The atmosphere expressed by these stamps is said to be of a “modern religious propriety” and of a “great seriousness that beauty then entailed”.

Each of the ten stamps featured on the Stamp Day 2023 sheet contains a half diamond: a triangle composed of 25 stacked rectangles with rounded corners. The image area of each half-diamond stamp joins the image area of the adjacent stamp where possible, separated by the fixed frame, to create the illusion of a complete diamond shape. The diamond motif is taken from the 4-cent stamp in the 1923 Artist Series. The numbers and letters in the title Stamp Day 2023 are placed in and against the rectangles on the new stamps. The background colour on the stamps and the selvage changes from green to blue, from top to bottom. Behind the diamond shape on the stamps is a line drawing of an apple and an apple tree changing from white to green. The drawing of the apple also returns in a different form on the left and right hand sides of the sheet edge.

Smulders has produced designs for Stamp Day since 2020. In preparation for this new assignment, she visited the National Archives in The Hague, which manages the largest, most important collection of postage values in the Netherlands. “At the time, it hadn’t been decided which historical stamps would inspire the new design,” Smulders says. “But I already knew that the 1923 Artist Series was a candidate. Seeing the original drawing for the 4-cent stamp from this series in the archives absolutely delighted me. It was a strong graphic design – especially for its era.”

Smulders says the original drawings for the 1923 stamps, which she was able to access, have much more detail than the stamps themselves, because printing technology then was fairly limited.

“When I was sketching, I noticed that the words ‘postzegel’ (stamp) and ‘Nederland’ (Netherlands) contain the same amount of letters,” she says. “This meant I could imitate the 1923 stamp by placing the letters of the new title in the diamond in the same way.”

“Graphically, I created two different designs, with a half diamond pointing up or down,” Smulders says. “But by applying slightly different gradients everywhere, I ensured that no two stamps are the same.”

The apple and apple tree designs come from the 1923 1- and 2-cent stamps, with elements from the 2½-cent issue.

In addition to the past three years’ Stamp Day stamps, Smulders also designed for PostNL the 2022 World Animal Day, the Back to the 20th Century and Trains & Journeys (2019) stamp series, the 2018 Children’s Welfare Stamps, the stamp series celebrating 50 years of the Daily Fable (2018) and the 25 years of Fokke & Sukke (2018) stamp series.

The validity period for these Stamp Day stamps is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 40 x 30mm (wxh)
Sheet size: 122 x 170mm (wxh)
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: gummed
Printing technique: Offset
Printing colours: Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Edition: 5,000 sheets
Format: Sheet containing 10 personalised stamps in 2 different : designs
Denomination: denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with : destinations within the Netherlands
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 830063

Note: PostNL does not sell directly to collectors in North America. Its website refers to a company called Nordfirm, which says it sells Dutch new issues at face value. The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.