[from PostNL material] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
100 Years of Disney

• Date of issue: 7 September 2023
• Format: sheet of five personalised stamps in five different designs; one personalised stamp with 24-carat gold denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with destinations within the Netherlands
• Item number: 830062 (five stamps) and 830047 (stamp with 24-carat gold)
• Illustrations and design: The Walt Disney Company – Benelux

PostNL will release the 100 Years of Disney personalised stamps on 7 September 2023 to mark Disney’s 100th anniversary. The sheet of five stamps stars the Disney characters Snow White, Dumbo, Princess Elsa, Simba and Mickey Mouse. The denomination on these stamps is ‘1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g with destinations in the Netherlands. The stamps were designed by The Walt Disney Company’s Benelux creative team. A sheet of ten stamps costs €5.05.

In addition, PostNL will release a Mickey Mouse stamp with 24-carat gold (shown on the right), in an edition of 1,000 stamps. PostNL will deliver the gold stamp along with a special storage box (shown below; click here) with a certificate of authenticity. The retail price is €50.00.

The special anniversary will be celebrated by Disney in various ways, including new films, festive events, exclusive Disney 100 products and special activities in the theme parks. Brothers Walt and Roy Disney founded The Disney Brothers Studio on 16 October 1923. The company name was later changed, first to Walt Disney Productions and then to The Walt Disney Company. The media group focuses on films, music, media channels, theme parks and consumer products.

The Walt Disney Company’s foundation is the production and distribution of successful content, including classic animated films like Snow White, Bambi, The Lion King and – more recently – Frozen, Encanto and Lightyear. The company operates six theme parks worldwide (in California, Florida, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai) as well as a cruise line (Disney Cruise Line). The group includes TV channels such as ABC and Disney Channel, streaming channel Disney+, sports channel ESPN and 10 regional TV channels and 71 local radio stations in the US. A separate division deals with consumer products, merchandising and licensing, including for children’s books and comics.

The Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to Jim Henson’s Muppets in 2004. It acquired Pixar Animation Studios (known for Toy Story and Finding Nemo, among others) in 2006 and Marvel Entertainment (known for Spider-Man, X-Men and The Incredible Hulk, among others) in 2009, followed by Lucasfilm.

The 100 Years of Disney stamps feature five popular Disney characters. Each stamp features the 100 Years of Disney anniversary logo. The main characters on the stamps are from several of Disney’s classic animated films and comics. From left to right are Snow White (from the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Dumbo (from the film Dumbo), Princess Elsa (from the film Frozen), Simba (from the film The Lion King) and Mickey Mouse (from numerous animated films and comics).

The top sheet edge features a collage of the same images in a pattern composed of triangles, representing the facets of a diamond. The sheet edges of the stamp sheet are platinum in colour, with the typography in white. The stamps with 24-carat gold feature the same drawing of Mickey Mouse against a gold background.

“We’re celebrating our 100th birthday together with our fans,” says Roos van der Wijk, Disney’s Senior Manager Brand Partnerships & XLOB Promotions for Benelux. “There are new films coming out, concerts and all sorts of other events. All sorts of things are also happening in the theme parks, including together with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. We are also launching all kinds of exclusive products as part of 100 Years of Disney. Temporarily and in limited editions.”

Van der Wijk says everyone has a connection to Disney. “The unique storytelling, the imagination and creativity, the magic and wonder — all of this makes us have that strong connection with audiences of all ages. Whether it’s a product with a Disney character on it or a fond memory of a specific film or character, we all grew up with it.”

She says at first, just using Mickey Mouse on the stamps was considered, but instead, the five characters were chosen. “These are Disney icons, the classics that everyone knows. Timeless and with something for everyone, young and old,” Van der Wijk says. “Dumbo and Simba appeal mainly to children, while Snow White and Elsa are real power women. And Mickey Mouse is, of course, everyone’s favourite.”

The characters on the stamps span Disney’s 100-year history. The oldest is Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney came up with him in 1928 for the animated film Plane Crazy. Mickey appears in numerous cartoons, animated films and TV shows and has become a true ambassador of the Disney brand.

[The box and certificate for the gold stamp is shown on the right.]

Snow White is also from an animated Disney film titled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The story in the 1937 film is based on the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale of the same name.

The little elephant Dumbo is from the 1941 animated film of the same name. The story is taken from Dumbo, the Flying Elephant by Helen Aberson. In this 1939 children’s book, a baby elephant learns to fly in the circus.

The lion Simba, son of lion king Mufasa, is the star of the 1994 animated film The Lion King. The great success of this film, set on the African savannah, led to several sequels and a musical, among other things.

Finally, Princess Elsa is one of the main characters from the 2013 animated film Frozen. The film builds on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen. Frozen shows how Elsa, who possesses magical powers she cannot control, overcomes all kinds of adversities together with her sister Anna.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 30 x 40mm (WxH)
Sheet size: 170 x 122 mm (WxH)
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Glue: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black and PMS gold
Print run: 5,000 sheets (sheet with five stamps)
1,000 stamps (stamp with 24-carat gold)
Format: sheet of five personalised stamps in five different designs; one personalised stamp with gold
Denomination: denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with destinations within the Netherlands
Illustrations and design: The Walt Disney Company – Benelux
Item number: 830062 (sheet with five stamps)
830047 (stamp with 24-carat gold)

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.

[press release]
Forests and Fens with Ever-Changing Views on Ever-Changing Stamps

The Oisterwijkse Bossen en Vennen [“Forests and Fens”] are loved by nature lovers thanks to the wooded area with atmospheric fens, hidden heaths and the stream valleys of the Rosep, the Reusel and the Achterstestroom. In the series ‘Experience nature’, PostNL is today issuing a new stamp sheetlet that focuses on the flora and fauna of this varied area.

Most fens in the nature reserve date from after the last ice age. The names of some still recall their former use. This is how beer brewers cleaned their vats in the Brouwkuip. The Brandven owes its name to the extinguishing water that used to be extracted here.

Portraits of Nature
The following 10 inhabitants of this nature reserve are depicted on the stamps ‘Oisterwijkse Bossen en Vennen’: royal fern, kingfisher, water purslane, small newt, coral damselfly, black woodpecker, common frog, tufted duck, long-tailed tit and wild gale. On the sheet, the plants and animals, which are portrayed in their natural environment, each received their own stamp.

Lovely Places
It is a special area that is depicted on the stamps. Irma de Potter, forester Communication & Experience at owner Natuurmonumenten agrees. “Precisely because of the combination of forests, fens, streams and heaths. The variety is great, you always come across a different view. It is beautiful to see a forest reflected in a fen. There are lovely spots, such as along the Rosep stream, which regained its natural course 10 years ago. You have everything here for which people like to come to nature.”

Quiet Autumn Days
The stamp sheet ‘Experience nature – Oisterwijkse Bossen en Vennen’ is a design by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. He chose photos that were mostly taken on a nice quiet autumn day, towards nightfall. Janse: “Then the sun is low, which can create all kinds of shades that you would otherwise never see. Just look at the color palette of the brown frog, there is little brown about it. The choice of color also took into account previous issues in the series ‘Experience nature’. Each stamp sheet in this series must be unique, also in the use of colour.”

In or Near the Water
Most animals and plants on the stamp sheet can be found in or near the water, in the fens, but also on the banks of the streams in the nature reserve. “You can spot the kingfisher there, for example, because it prefers running water,” says Janse. “Of course the forests have not been forgotten. For example, the stamp sheet shows the black woodpecker carving a nest in trees. And the royal fern that grows beneath it.”

Availability
The stamp sheet ‘Experience nature – Oisterwijkse Bossen en Vennen’ has 10 stamps in 10 different 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 10 stamps is € 10.10.

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.

[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.