[press release; translated by Google] [we couldn’t find a translation for “droste”]
Bicycle Stamps with Droste Effect

The Hague, 17 August 2020 – The bicycle is the national means of transport in our country. For over 200 years, the “steel steed” has served to take us cyclists everywhere. With 6 new stamps, PostNL pays tribute to the two-wheeler, in particular to its parts.

The Bicycle Stamps published today show fragments of bicycle parts in real size. It concerns a reflector, a bicycle frame, a handle, a bicycle bell, a tire and an inner tube. All photos are placed at an angle of 6 degrees on the stamps, within a frame that has the same perforation as that of classic stamps.

Netherlands cycling country
The figures show that the Netherlands is a cycling country. Our country has 22.8 million bicycles, 2.1 million of which are electric. We cover about 17.4 billion kilometers every year with all those bicycles. Even our speed is known, namely an average of 15.6 kilometers per hour. Intensive bicycle use also influences how the public space is designed, with separate bicycle traffic lights, public parking facilities and some 37,000 kilometers of cycle paths. Local drivers from all over the world come to look at our cycling infrastructure, especially now that the bicycle is increasingly seen as a fast and healthy alternative to cars and public transport.

Sawn stamps
The Bicycle Stamps are designed by Sander Plug from Amsterdam. In his design he answers the question of how it is possible to get a bicycle of 1.5 x 1 meter on a stamp of 36 x 25 millimeters. Plug did this by literally sawing stamps from bicycle parts. “What you see on the stamps is almost identical to the sawn-out fragments. Some colors have been lightly edited to enhance the contrast, but that’s it. The recognisability had to be as great as possible.”

Perforations everywhere
Each fragment has been photographed full size and placed in a genuine 36 x 25 millimeter stamp. In this way, a fragment of a bicycle ends up on a bicycle stamp. “The entire stamp sheet also has the appearance of a stamp thanks to the perforation all around,” says Plug.

Availability
The stamp sheet “Bicycle stamps” consists of 6 different stamps with value indication Netherlands 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from August 17 at Bruna stores and through the website (direct link here). The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.