[from the PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Typically Dutch – Cheese Markets

Date of issue: 15 May 2023
Appearance: sheet of six stamps in six identical designs
Item number: 430662
Design: Adam Lane and Edwin van Praet, Total Design, Amsterdam

This issue is the fourth in the Typically Dutch series this year. The multi-annual series started in 2020 and, in 2023, will be dedicated to a variety of sights and attractions that are significant for and typical of the Netherlands. A sheet of ten stamps costs €6.06.

The Typically Dutch – Cheese Markets issue was designed by senior graphic designer Adam Lane and creative director Edwin van Praet from Total Design in Amsterdam. As part of this stamp series, stamps featuring museums (2 January), mills (13 February) and flower fields (20 March 2023) were published earlier this year. After the stamps about cheese markets, the last stamp sheet in this series – with as subject the Wadden mudflats – will follow later this year (14 August).

Cows, milk and cheese – a trinity that is inextricably linked to the Netherlands. The figures are impressive: our country produces 650 million kilos of cheese every year, two-thirds of which is sold abroad. This makes the Netherlands the world’s largest cheese exporter, with Gouda and Edam the most popular cheeses among foreign buyers.

The relationship between the Netherlands and cheese goes way back. Archaeological findings show that cheese was being made in our country even before the Common Era. In the Middle Ages, cheese production and trade conquered their central place in Dutch life. Cheese markets flourished and towns with weighing rights set up weigh houses to determine the weight of the cheeses.

Five cheese markets still operate in our country, all with roots in a distant past. They are in Alkmaar, Edam, Hoorn, Gouda and Woerden. In Gouda and Woerden, you will still find real trade; the other cheese markets are tourist attractions.

The fact that these markets are mainly situated in the western part of our country is due to the damp soil, which is most suitable for grazing and rearing cows and therefore for milk production and cheese making. Each cheese market has its own history and customs. Alkmaar, for instance, is best known for its cheese carriers, who carry cheeses on their characteristic barrows, and Edam was granted the permanent right to operate a cheese weighing house by Prince William I of Orange in 1573. The cheese market in Hoorn concentrates on the medieval Roode Steen square, where horse-drawn wagons take the cheeses and pick them up. In Gouda, the cheese market has been held at the Gouda Cheese Market, right in front of De Waag, for centuries, and in Woerden it has been held every Saturday morning since 1885, with traditional handjeklap (bartering by slapping hands) negotiations between the region’s cheese farmers and the market master.

Festivals like the cheese markets had been suggested in 2021 for earlier in the Typically Dutch series, but the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down nearly all such activities at that time.

The Design
The Typically Dutch – Cheese Markets stamp sheet features illustrations of large cheeses shaped like wagon wheels. Each stamp features four cheeses lying down and one cheese standing up. The cheeses fill the stamp up to the perforation edges. At the bottom of each stamp is the sorting hook, the year 2023, the country (Nederland) and the denomination (1), which covers items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands.

‘We looked for iconic shapes that best matched the sights we wanted to showcase. For cheese markets, it was logical to choose the iconic wagon wheels,’ said senior graphic designer Adam Lane of Total Design. ‘We tested other shapes too, including cheese balls and pieces of cheese, either flat or triangular. But the wagon wheel best suited the rectangular shape of the stamps.’

For Lane, the cheese market subject is his favourite in the Typically Dutch series this year. ‘I love cheese, you can never eat too much cheese,’ he said.

He admits the high stacks of cheese in the sheet margins [the right side is shown here] are a little exaggerated. ‘Of course, I realise that at real cheese markets they never stack them that high,” he said. ‘But at the market, I noticed that at the beginning of the day, the stacks are still neat, but at the end of the day, they’re a lot untidier — just like on the sheet edge.’

The Typically Dutch – Cheese Markets stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and through the webshop. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 40 x 30mm:
Sheet size: 122 x 170mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black
Print run: 75,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Design: Adam Lane and Edwin van Praet, Total Design, Amsterdam
Printer: Cartor Security Printers, Meaucé-La Loupe, France
Item number: 430662

[from a PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
De Hollandsche Molen’s 100th Anniversary

Date of issue: 15 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: 830044
Design: Bart de Haas, The Hague

In 2023, Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen [English: ‘The Dutch Windmill Association’] will celebrate its 100th anniversary by drawing attention to the multifaceted significance of windmills in the Netherlands. The ten stamps depict various types of windmills from across the Netherlands, focussing on both construction and technology.

The stamps were designed by Bart de Haas from the Hague. A sheet of ten stamps costs €10.10.

‘De Hollandsche Molen, vereniging tot behoud van molens in Nederland’ [English: ‘The Dutch Windmill, association for the preservation of windmills in the Netherlands’] was founded on 15 May 1923 in Amsterdam. Initially, the association focused on preserving windmills in their economic function. After the World War II, the windmill lost its role as a means of production and the focus shifted to its scenic and historical value.

Thanks to the efforts of De Hollandsche Molen, hundreds of windmills have been preserved and, in many cases, set in motion again. The association advises windmill owners, monitors the proper design of the windmill environment, raises awareness for the windmill and windmill preservation in society, promotes windmill ownership and mediates financial support for restoration and maintenance.

Some 10,000 mills were still in operation in the Netherlands in the 19th century. Of these, 1,200 remain, including polder windmills that can drain excess water from low-lying land (called “polders”) and industrial mills that can grind grain into flour, saw wood into planks and press oil from seeds. These stamps feature examples of the following types of windmill: the octagonal internal turning mill, the octagonal scaffolding mill, the paltrok mill, the watermill (lower beam and middle/upper beam), the post mill, the wip mill, the round stone ground sailor, the round stone tower mill and the round stone scaffolding mill.

The names of the ten windmills featured on the stamp sheet are:

• De Sluismolen, 1575 (Alkmaar-Koedijk, Noord-Holland)
• De Wetsinger, 1872 (Wetsinge, Groningen)
• De Held Jozua, 1719 (Zaandam, Noord-Holland)
• De Noordmolen, 1347 (Ambt Delden, Overijssel)
• De Lelie, 1836 (Puttershoek, Zuid-Holland)
• Tot Voordeel en Genoegen, 1798 (Alphen aan de Maas, Gelderland)
• De Middelmolen, 1655 (Molenaarsgraaf, Zuid-Holland)
• Coppensmolen, 1883 (Zeeland, Noord-Brabant)
• De Hoop, 1808 (Wolphaartsdijk, Zeeland)
• Bovenste Plasmolen, 1725 (Plasmolen, Limburg)

The De Hollandsche Molen’s 100th anniversary stamps feature cut-outs from photos of ten special windmill parts: five inner parts (inner cross wheel, edge runner stones, track wheel with pinion, sack hoist and a couple of mill stones) and five outer parts (self-turning sail, outer cross wheel, stage and tail beam, scoop wheel and water wheel). The tab next to each stamp [an example is shown on the left here] shows the mill in its entirety, with a colour gradient on the left from blue to green and on the right from blueish green to greyish green. A similar colour gradient is visible on the upper and lower sheet edges.

On the stamps, a geometric frame is placed over each detailed picture, referring to the shape of the windmill in question (octagonal, rectangular or round). Each stamp image was given a layer of colour with a relationship to the windmill’s function, for example yellow for a corn mill and blue for a water mill. The photo area outside of the frame is blurred to make the windmill part inside the frame stand out. Each stamp shows the name and function of the windmill, construction year and name of the windmill component. The tabs specify the windmill type and the province in which it is located.

Windmills are a favourite subject for Dutch stamps. Previously published stamps featuring windmills include the graphic photos on the 1963 Summer Stamps, for example (designed by Cor van Weele) and colourful illustrations on the 2013 Dutch Windmills stamp sheet (designed by Joost Veerkamp). Another stamp sheet in the Typically Dutch series was published last February, featuring an iconic illustration inspired by the Kinderdijk windmills (designed by Total Design).

‘Windmills are typically Dutch, just like clogs, tulips and dykes. You can’t get more Dutch than that,’ says graphic designer Bart de Haas from The Hague, who was responsible for designing the De Hollandsche Molen’s 100th anniversary stamps. ‘We all know what a windmill looks like – the silhouettes in the landscape are imprinted in our collective memory. But we’re much less knowledgeable about the ingenious operation behind the various types of windmill. These latest windmill stamps therefore focus on the technology, featuring photos of the typical parts of a windmill. I also wanted to show a wide variety of windmill types, with as little overlap as possible. The proportions on the stamp sheet more or less match reality. For example, there are many more windmills than water mills in the Netherlands and more corn mills than polder mills.’

Of the ten parts, five come from inside the windmill and five come from the outside. The indoor and outdoor shots are staggered diagonally across the stamp sheet from top to bottom. Some of the parts were an obvious choice, such as the mill stones at De Hoop corn mill, the water wheel at De Bovenste Plasmolen and the edge runner stones at oil mill De Noordmolen.

The photos used were taken by no less than twelve different photographers. ‘They’re all passionate windmill enthusiasts,’ says De Haas. He edited all of the pictures to make the more suitable for the stamps.

The stamps are available while stocks last at www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels [in Dutch]. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite. The denomination on the stamp is ‘Nederland 1’, for standard letters weighing up to 20g sent to an address within the Netherlands.

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
Appearance: Sheet containing 10 personal stamps in 10 different designs
Denomination: Denomination 1 for post weighing up to 20g with destinations within the Netherlands
Design: Bart de Haas, The Hague
Photography: William Bouter, Martin E. van Doornik, Piet Glasbergen, Matthieu Hoogduin, Tony Hop, Bernd Käding, Frank Moerland, Marcel van Nies, Harmannus Noot, Dirk Prince, Martijn Scholtens, Jesse in ’t Veld, J. Vingerhoed, Pieter Zuijkerbuijk
Item number: 830044

[from a PostNL press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Peace, The Highest Value Of Humanity

Date of issue: 9 May 2023

A sheet of six stamps in six identical designs marked with ‘Internationaal 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery outside of the Netherlands.

The cooperating postal companies in Europe have been issuing stamps with a common theme for over 65 years, under the auspices of PostEurop, the organisation to which all of the European national postal operators belong. Originally the theme for the 2023 common European stamp issue by all postal services was ‘underwater world’. Because of the war in Ukraine, PostEurop made a different choice for 2022. The underwater topic was moved to 2024 and the new theme became ‘Peace – the Highest Value Of Humanity.’

The Dutch stamps are marked ‘Internationaal 1′, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for delivery outside of the Netherlands. A sheet of six stamps costs €9.90.

Just as in 2016, PostEurop decided to prescribe a common design motif for the 2023 issue. This means there are two competitions attached to this year’s stamp issue. The first, for the design motif, took place in 2022. The second is the EUROPA Stamp Best Design Competition for all stamps that incorporate this design motif.

PostNL’s stamps feature Post Luxembourg’s winning design motif: colourful infinity knots linked together in a double heart shape. The knots end in stylised intertwined hands. The colour palette used symbolises all the nations of the world. According to PostEurop’s jury report, the motif is a visual metaphor for a peaceful society in which cooperation with respect for each other’s culture takes centre stage. Post Luxembourg’s winning entry was created by Linda Bos and Runa Egilsdottir of A Designers Collective.

The design of the Dutch version of the Peace, the Highest Value Of Humanity stamp sheet was created by Bart de Haas from the Hague. He incorporated Post Luxembourg’s design motif into the Dutch stamps and gave it his own twist with, among other things, the typography and the design of the sheet edge.

Using the work of other designers was not difficult in the case of this motif, de Haas explains. ‘On behalf of PostNL, I had also submitted a proposal for the design motif. Our entry and Post Luxembourg’s were actually very similar. They both had a predominantly graphic character, with the same principles of interconnection, colourfulness and universal values. There were also similarities in the form, such as the diagonal orientation with infinite knots, hands and heart shapes. Even the colour palette was almost identical.’

After various experiments, de Haas decided to let thin lines that are based on the infinite knots return at the bottom and the top of the sheet border [below right]. De Haas: ‘I divided the sheet border into vertical strips by extending the perforations with gradient colour bands. In these bands, diagonal hairlines transition into circular shapes. The light blue, orange and green of the bands are based on the shades of the colours on the stamps. They are also graduated to create more three-dimensionality. The light blue bands run down the sides to nicely blend in with the dark blue of the Priority logo. The light blue also has a colour gradient on the stamps and on the tabs, but on the stamps it is horizontal and on the tabs it is vertical. This creates a lattice, just like the infinity knot on the stamps.’

The Peace, the Highest Value of Humanity stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and at shop.postnl.nl/webshop/postzegels [in Dutch]. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:
Stamp size: 36 x 25mm:
Sheet size: 108 x 150mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, black and orange
Edition: 60,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of stamps in 6 equal designs

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
10 years King Willem-Alexander: Jubilee Stamps in Bright Orange

The Hague, 28 April 2023 – In 2013, King Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as head of state of the Netherlands. To celebrate his 10th anniversary as king, PostNL is today issuing the stamp sheet ’10 years of King Willem-Alexander’. The stamps feature photographs that are characteristic of the king’s unifying, encouraging and representative role.

On April 30, 2023, it will be 10 years since Crown Prince Willem-Alexander succeeded his mother Queen Beatrix and became King of the Netherlands. The photos on the jubilee stamps clearly illustrate how the king has fulfilled his public role ever since.

Monochrome orange
The stamp sheet contains photos of the King’s Games in 2019, working visits to the Netherlands Institute of Ecology in Wageningen in 2022 and to Sint Maarten in 2013, the state visit to Indonesia in 2020 and the Speech from the Throne in 2022. All photos were originally in color and are transformed into fresh and vibrant orange to draw the images of the different photographers together.

Quotes and keywords
The original color photos have been edited and printed in orange. On the bright orange sheet edge is a large Dutch royal crown that is made up of quotes from speeches by King Willem-Alexander, including his much-discussed and acclaimed speech on Dam Square on May 4, 2020. The quotes continue on to the stamps and follow on from the keywords of King Willem-Alexander’s reign: binding, encouraging and representative.

King of flesh and blood
The design of 10 years of King Willem-Alexander was made by Huub de Lang and Anne Schaufeli of studio026 from Velp. For these jubilee stamps they came up with a design concept that does justice to the monarchy and the personality of the king. “King Willem-Alexander is approachable, open to people and likes to make contact easily,” says Schaufeli. “He is a king of flesh and blood. You can see that in the way he carries out his duties.”

Active and involved
The designers used the keywords unifying, encouraging and representative as criteria for the image selection of characteristic moments from the past 10 years. They chose images with the king as he always shows himself: active and involved. Schaufeli: “It is not a representative chronological overview of 10 years of kingship, but an ode to how King Willem-Alexander gave substance to this. And still does.”

Embossing
The keywords are placed in a layered letter with ‘drop shadow’ over the photos on the stamps. Embossing has been applied in the background on the sheet edge, a printing technique in which parts of the design stand out by means of relief. “All this together strengthens the concept,” says Schaufeli. “It gives the design stature and a chic look, while at the same time giving it a modern interpretation. Classic on the one hand, contemporary on the other. In fact, just like the king.”

Availability
The stamp sheet ’10 years King Willem-Alexander’ has 5 stamps in 5 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 April 28, 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 5 stamps is € 5.05.

[in het Nederlands]
10 jaar koning Willem-Alexander: Jubileumpostzegels in feloranje

Den Haag, 28 april 2023 – In 2013 werd koning Willem-Alexander ingehuldigd als staatshoofd van Nederland. Om zijn 10-jarig jubileum als koning te vieren, geeft PostNL vandaag het postzegelvel ‘10 jaar koning Willem-Alexander’ uit. Op de postzegels staan foto’s die kenmerkend zijn voor de samenbindende, aanmoedigende en vertegenwoordigende rol van de koning.

Op 30 april 2023 is het 10 jaar geleden dat kroonprins Willem-Alexander zijn moeder koningin Beatrix opvolgde en Koning der Nederlanden werd. De foto’s op de jubileumpostzegels illustreren duidelijk hoe de koning sindsdien zijn publieke rol vervult.

Monochroom oranje
Op het postzegelvel staan foto’s van de Koningsspelen in 2019, werkbezoeken aan het Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie in Wageningen in 2022 en aan Sint-Maarten in 2013, het staatsbezoek aan Indonesië in 2020 en de Troonrede in 2022. Alle foto’s waren oorspronkelijk in kleur en zijn in fris en levendig oranje omgezet om de beelden van de verschillende fotografen naar elkaar toe te trekken.

Citaten en kernwoorden
De oorspronkelijke kleurenfoto’s zijn bewerkt en in oranje gedrukt. Op de feloranje velrand staat een grote Nederlandse koningskroon die is opgebouwd uit citaten uit toespraken door koning Willem-Alexander, onder meer uit zijn veel besproken en geprezen speech op de Dam op 4 mei 2020. De citaten lopen door naar de postzegels en sluiten aan op de kernwoorden van het koningschap van koning Willem-Alexander: samenbindend, aanmoedigend en vertegenwoordigend.

Koning van vlees en bloed
Het ontwerp van 10 jaar koning Willem-Alexander is gemaakt door Huub de Lang en Anne Schaufeli van studio026 uit Velp. Voor deze jubileumpostzegels bedachten zij een ontwerpconcept dat recht doet aan het koningschap en de persoonlijkheid van de koning. “Koning Willem-Alexander is benaderbaar, staat open voor mensen en legt graag en gemakkelijk contact”, zegt Schaufeli. “Hij is een koning van vlees en bloed. Dat zie je terug in de wijze waarop hij uitvoering geeft aan zijn taken.”

Actief en betrokken
De ontwerpers gebruikten de kernwoorden samenbindend, aanmoedigend en vertegenwoordigend als criteria voor de beeldselectie van karakteristieke momenten uit de afgelopen 10 jaar. Daarbij kozen ze voor beelden met de koning zoals hij zichzelf altijd laat zien: actief en betrokken. Schaufeli: “Het is geen representatief chronologisch overzicht van 10 jaar koningschap, maar een ode aan hoe koning Willem-Alexander daaraan invulling heeft gegeven. En nog steeds doet.”

Preegdruk
De kernwoorden zijn in een gelaagde letter met ‘dropshadow’ over de foto’s op de postzegels geplaatst. In de achtergrond op de velrand is preegdruk toegepast, een druktechniek waarbij delen van het ontwerp door middel van reliëf extra opvallen. “Dat alles samen versterkt het concept”, aldus Schaufeli. “Het geeft het ontwerp statuur en een chique uitstraling, terwijl het tegelijkertijd een moderne invulling kreeg. Enerzijds klassiek, anderzijds eigentijds. Eigenlijk net als de koning.”

Verkrijgbaarheid
Het postzegelvel ‘10 jaar koning Willem-Alexander’ telt 5 postzegels in 5 verschillende ontwerpen, met de waarde aanduiding Nederland 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een bestemming binnen Nederland. De postzegels zijn vanaf 28 april 2023 verkrijgbaar bij de Bruna-winkels en via de webshop. De postzegels zijn ook telefonisch te bestellen bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald. De prijs per vel met 5 postzegels is € 5,05.