[from PostNL press material] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
On Safari in the Netherlands
Release dates: 26 March, 25 June, 1 October and 19 November 2024
Appearance: Sheet of 5 personalised stamps in 5 different designs, each with a value of 1 for mail weighing up to 20 grams sent within the Netherlands
Design: studio026, Velp
Photography: Saxifraga Foundation, Berkel-Enschot | Zoogdiervereniging, Nijmegen
Item number: 840029: Deer: released 26 March 2024
Item number: 840030: Rodents & Hares: released 26 March 2024
Item number: 840031: Cats & Dogs: released 25 June 2024
Item number: 840032: Owls: released 25 June 2024
Item number: 840033: Martens: released 1 October 2024
Item number: 840034: Waterfowl: released 1 October 2024
Item number: 840035: Hoofed Animals: released 19 November 2024
Item number: 840036: Birds of Prey: released 19 November 2024
Item number: 840037: Big Five (gift for subscribers): released 26 March 2024
Every year PostNL releases a series of personalised stamps in addition to the official release programme. This is a flexible programme, although each release is based on a fixed format with a fixed number of personalised stamps. The stamps are exclusively available from the online store and customer service of Collect Club on 088 – 868 99 00 [telephone number].
In 2024, PostNL will release a series of 8 personalised stamp sheets called On Safari in the Netherlands. The first 2 stamp sheets will be released on 26 March 2024 (featuring deer, rodents and hares). The other release dates this year are 25 June (cats and dogs, owls), 1 October (martens, waterfowl) and 19 November (hoofed animals, birds of prey). All stamp sheets are available for sale separately or as a subscription.
PostNL will publish a ninth sheet, with a release date of 26 March, about the Big Five on the Dutch natural landscape. This stamp sheet is exclusively intended for subscribers to the complete series. They will receive this gift at the same time as their first order.
All stamps have a value of 1 for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps are designed by studio026 from Velp. The price for a sheet of 5 stamps is €5.45 (currently US$5.91). A subscription for the complete series costs €43.60 (US$47.30), including the stamp sheet about the Big Five.
Originally, the term ‘safari’ referred to a hunting expedition. The word comes from Swahili and literally means ‘long journey’. In Dutch and English, ‘safari’ mainly refers to tours in African wildlife parks, where tourists take pictures of big game. In the Netherlands, it is also possible to admire wildlife in their natural environment, for example in nature parks or in protected nature reserves accompanied by forest rangers or nature guides.
The stamp sheets in the On Safari in the Netherlands series feature the wild animals found in our country through a set of binoculars. The view from the binoculars contains a zoomed-in photograph of a wild animal in its natural habitat. On the edge of the sheet you can an enlarged version of one of the photographs from the stamps. Outside the binocular view, there is an additional graphic layer in the background along the edge of the sheet featuring an interpretation of the animal’s camouflaged habitat.
The series On Safari in the Netherlands is designed by Anne Schaufeli and Huub de Lang from studio026 in Velp. In preparing the design, they received help from specialists from Saxifraga (a network of European nature photographers) and the Zoogdiervereniging (an organisation for the study and protection of all wild mammals). “The photos we used are also from them,” says Anne Schaufeli. “The subject of this release is familiar to us. It’s practically inevitable as we live on the edge of the Veluwe which is a real paradise for wildlife in the Netherlands. We see everything from deer to boar and Konik ponies. Our village was once even visited by a wolf, so you don’t have to travel far to go on safari. There’s so much to see in the Netherlands.”
“The obvious animals – red deer, wild boar, beaver and wolf, for example – were quick. But the other animals took a bit longer. They had to go well together and fit the safari theme,” she says.
And the binoculars?
“Binoculars are essential when you go on safari if you want to be able to see the animal in its camouflaged habitat,” Schaufeli says “As a human, you get an insight into their habitat when camouflaged and immersed in their environment.”
“No matter how good the quality of the photos, we always edited them. Correcting the colours enabled us to achieve more unity by bringing the backgrounds of the photos together.”
The proportions between the animals are depicted as realistically as possible. “But it was not always possible. For example, with the red deer (right), we had to zoom out more to get the antlers right. Birds require a different cropping approach because of their elongated bodies.”
Technical Data:
Stamp size: 40 x 30 mm (W x H)
Sheet size: 122 x 170 mm (W x H)
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gumming: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Print run: 5,000 sheets per release
Appearance: sheet of 5 personalised stamps in 5 different designs
Value: each with a value of 1 for mail up to 20 grams with a : destination within the Netherlands
Design: studio026, Velp
Photography: Saxifraga Foundation, Berkel-Enschot | Zoogdiervereniging, : Nijmegen
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.
Collectors may also wish to contact the U.S. firm Bombay Stamps, which can also obtain first day covers upon request, with lower shipping fees. The email is sales@bombaystamps.com Again, The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.
