[press release]
Seemingly Randomly Scattered Footprints on Waddenpostage Stamps

The last stamp sheet of this year was published 14 August in the series ‘Typisch Nederlands’. In 2024, PostNL will continue this popular series with even more typically Dutch subjects. This multi-year series started in 2020 and this year was devoted to various sights that are important and typical of the Netherlands. The Dutch Wadden Sea is central to the latest PostNL stamps.

In the Netherlands, we mainly know the Wadden Sea from the Wadden Sea, a nature reserve that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The name Waddenzee was first used in the early 20th century for the northern part of what was then still called the Zuiderzee.

Sole and Heel
Typical of the mudflats is that at low tide it is possible to walk on the seabed. As an organized form of exercise and relaxation, mudflat walking dates from after 1945. The ‘Typisch Nederlands – Wadden’ stamp sheet contains illustrations of iconic forms of footprints, constructed from the sole and heel of a shoe. Complete footprints are depicted on each stamp and footprints that continue on the other stamps and to the sheet edge.

Visible Evidence
The seemingly randomly scattered footprints are grouped in a fixed pattern across the stamps. The stamps for 2023 from the multi-year series ‘Typisch Nederlands’ were designed by Total Design from Amsterdam, just like the previous editions. All stamp sheets feature iconic shapes that would most closely match the landmarks. For the mudflats these have become footprints, the visible proof that mudflat walkers have passed by. A typical shell shape has also been added to the footprints.

Exciting Illustration
Senior graphic designer Adam Lane of Total Design came up with a somewhat chaotic pattern because the bottom of the mudflats actually looks like this when mudflat walkers have walked on it. The pattern continues on the sheet edge, only on the right side of the sheet the shell seems to be just out of place. “This is how we break the pattern to make an exciting illustration of the whole thing,” says Lane. “This is done more subtly than on the other stamp sheetlets in the series. The pattern of the footprints is already irregular enough.”

Rising Water
According to fellow designer Edwin van Praet at Total Design, it is not only the form that dominates on the stamp sheet, there is also a substantive aspect to the choice of this design concept with iconic shapes and patterns. “With these stamps you can see that the footsteps, despite the fact that they seem to run together, still go in the same direction. You have to, because one of the most important agreements when walking on the mudflats is that you stay together as a group. And follow the guide’s directions to avoid being surprised by the rising water.”

Availability
The stamp sheet ‘Typisch Nederlands – Wadden’ has 6 stamps in 6 equal designs, with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from August 14, 2023 at the Bruna stores and via the webshop. 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. The price per sheet with 6 stamps is € 6.06.

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.