[from PostNL handouts] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
75 Years of Solex Mopeds

Date of issue: 26 May 2023
Format: sheet of 10 personalised stamps in 10 different designs,
denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with destinations within the Netherlands
Item number: 830046
Design: Jan van Mechelen, ZEE [typo]graphic design, Rotterdam
Photography: Hans Tak, Rotterdam
Lithography: Marc Gijzen, Voorburg For the post-war generation, the iconic front-wheel-drive moped became synonymous with the reconstruction period. PostNL is commemorating this special anniversary by publishing 75 years of Solex Netherlands stamp sheet on 26 May 2023, designed by Rotterdam-based graphic designer Jan van Mechelen. The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g with destinations in the Netherlands. A sheet of ten stamps costs €10.10.

The Solex entered the Dutch market in 1948, at a time when the word ‘moped’ was not yet in common usage or in covered by regulations. The authorities still viewed the first models as motorbikes that required a driving licence, a rear-view mirror and a horn.

The black moped manufactured by French company VéloSoleX near Paris stood out for its typical gooseneck frame, front-wheel roller drive with two-stroke engine and a fuel consumption of 1 litre/100km (about 235 miles per gallon, if we’ve done the arithmetic correctly).

Over 8 million Solexes have been produced worldwide, and almost 700,000 of those in the Netherlands. Sales in the Netherlands were dealt with by R.S. Stokvis & Zonen, while production took place under French licence at the Nederlandsche Kroon Rijwielfabriek owned by the firm Van der Heem. The Dutch Solex is directly derived from the French models, but frame parts such as the chain guard, luggage carrier and saddle are their own designs. The Dutch models were manufactured until mid-1969. After that, only French Solexes were supplied, until the factory in France closed in 1988. (See the Wikipedia entry.)

The 75 Years Solex Netherlands stamps feature the following Solex models:

• model year 1948, engine number H1000-H2330, 45cc engine, Peperbus
• model year 1955, engine number 125861-206384, 49cc engine, Suikerpotje/Sleutelgat
• model year 1962, engine number 446412-491000, 49cc engine, OTO round frame
• model year 1969, engine number 4003301-5142999, 49cc engine, OTO square frame
• model year 1980, engine number unknown, 49cc engine, Westerterp

The Solex stamp sheet has 10 vertical stamps, presented in two rows of five. The upper row of stamps features black-and-white photos of 5 iconic Solex models, with a perspective shot at an angle from the front. In the background of each stamp, the model year is visible behind the Solex model, with large numbers covering the total image area of the stamp. Each year has a different colour with a gradient running from bottom to top. The lower row of stamps shows a close-up photograph of the handlebars and engine of the same models, taken from the side. The background of the lower row shows a similar colour gradient to the upper row of stamps, but this time from right to left.

Jan van Mechelen, the designer of the sheet, himself rides a motorbike, but he was introduced to the Solex at an early age. “The boy next door had one,” he says. “I was 10 or 11 at the time, so obviously far too young to ride it,” but he was taken for rides on the Solex. “We had a lot of fun adventures.”

To familiarize himself with the subject, van Mechelen went to the Solex Museum in Colijnsplaat. “It’s extremely interesting to step into a world where people are so passionate about Solex and know so much about it.”

The Solex came to the Netherlands in 1948 and was soon put into production here. The last Dutch Solex rolled off the conveyor belt in 1969. The stamp sheet features the 1948 model and three other models manufactured in the Netherlands, from 1952, 1962 and 1969. “The last model, from 1980, comes from France,” says Van Mechelen. “I knew that there was also an electric version, for example. But that just turned out to be too ugly to put on a stamp.”

The five Solexes were photographed at the museum. “To a layman, they may look similar, but to an enthusiast: of course they don’t,” says Van Mechelen. “Each Solex has been neatly polished, but the images have not been edited to disguise damage and other imperfections.”

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 30 x 40mm (wxh):
Sheet size: 170 x 122 mm (wxh)
Paper: Normal with phosphor print
Gum: Gummed
Printing technique: Offset
Printing colours: Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Edition: 5,000 sheets
Format: Sheet of 10 personal stamps in 10 different designs
Denomination: Denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with destinations within the Netherlands
Design: Jan van Mechelen, ZEE [typo]graphic design, Rotterdam
Photography: Hans Tak, Rotterdam
Lithography: Marc Gijzen, Voorburg
Item number: 830046

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.