[press release]
Architecture highlighted on Multilaterale Hertogpost stamp sheetletThe Hague, 25 August 2017 – PostNL and Post Luxembourg are to issue the Multilaterale Hertogpost stamp sheetlet today. The stamp sheetlet features illustrations of iconic buildings and towers in Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland. These countries are taking part in the international Multilaterale Hertogpost stamp exhibition in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Deputy Major of ‘s-Hertogenbosch Jan Hoskam, and King’s Commissioner Wim van de Donk of North Brabant, today received the first stamp sheetlet during the official opening of the exhibition.

Designer Linda Bos received the commission from PostNL and Post Luxembourg to highlight the seven countries participating in the Multilaterale Hertogpost exhibition. “Architecture makes it eminently possible to establish a relationship between countries that at first glance don’t appear to have a great deal in common with each other. The strength of this stamp sheetlet is that the whole composition is in balance, but the individual relationships between the buildings don’t always correspond,” says Bos.Special role for ’s-Hertogenbosch
The municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch is responsible for a large part of the Dutch contribution to the iconic buildings depicted on the stamp sheetlet. Deputy Major Jan Hoskam is proud that his municipality is so visible among the illustrations from all of the participating countries. “Our Sint-Janskathedraal (St John’s Cathedral) dating back to 1380, and the statue of Zoete Lieve Gerritje from 1958 will have a new appeal. They are depicted among icons such as the Berlin Brandenburger Tor and the Luxembourg monument, Gëlle, commemorating the 20th century victims of war.”

Global attention
Multilaterale Hertogpost is an international exhibition for stamp dealers, auction houses and postal services. Interested parties from all over the world will meet in ‘s-Hertogenbosch from 25 to 27 August. The Multilaterale Hertogpost was organised for the first time in the Netherlands 12 years ago.

Availability
The Multilaterale Hertogpost stamp sheetlet has two stamps. One stamp is marked ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for mail items up to 20g in weight destined for mail within the Netherlands. The other stamp is marked ‘Internationaal 1’, and is intended for mail items weighing up to 20g with worldwide destinations. These stamps will be available to purchase at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl from 25 August. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Orange Lionesses’ championship victory eternalised on silver postage stamp
The Hague, 7 August 2017 – PostNL is celebrating the Orange Lionesses’ championship victory with a pure silver postage stamp. This special issue portrays the amazing success of our untamed football ladies. PostNL has only issued silver postage stamps to commemorate a very select number of special events.

Women’s football victory on postage stamp
Stephan van den Eijnden, Mail Netherlands Commercial Director, on the new stamp: “Over the past few weeks, the Netherlands’ love for our untameable lionesses has grown ever stronger. That is due in part to their amazing success, of course, but also to the drive and enthusiasm that the Dutch European Championships women’s team has constantly displayed. We have enjoyed watching them play, and this pure silver postage stamp is a symbol of our pride in their achievement.”

Availability
PostNL has commissioned the Royal Dutch Mint to manufacture the postage stamp, which is made from pure silver. The stamp, in a deluxe storage box, is available for €25 via www.postnl.nl/Kampioen. The stamp will be produced in a limited run of 2,300 copies. The postage stamp has the ‘Registered Mail’ designation, and may be therefore be used to send letters as registered mail. The stamps are valid for an unlimited period.

[press release]
Museum Voorlinden artworks collected on stamp sheetlet

The Hague, 17 July 2017 – A new stamp sheetlet about Museum Voorlinden features eight works of art from the museum’s collection as well as two nature photos. On the stamp sheetlet, designer Gerard Hadders shows the role that daylight has in the relationship between the indoor and outdoor world of Museum Voorlinden.

First of all, the special roof filters the light, allowing visitors to always view the museum’s artworks under optimal conditions. Hadders also used this aspect of light on the stamp sheetlet. “The relationship between inside and outside is highlighted on several stamps, including Tuinen by landscape architect Piet Oudolf and the building by Kraaijvanger Architects. On those, you see how beautifully the light from outside falls inside,” Hadders explains.

Collage of different angles
Hadders, PostNL and Museum Voorlinden worked together to make a selection from the thousands of artworks. “We have a set of permanent works in our collection that deserved a spot on the stamp sheetlet. One of those is Ron Mueck’s Couple under an Umbrella, partly due to the important role the changing seasons play in our museum. You also see the seasons changing clockwise on the stamp sheetlet: starting at the top left with the summer beach image, going via autumn with the autumn leaves, winter with the snowflakes and spring with the bumblebee,” says Director of Voorlinden Suzanne Swarts.

Availability
The ‘Museum Voorlinden’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 17 July at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Stamps for the Red Cross depict 150 years of caring for people The Hague, 22 May 2017 – PostNL is issuing a new stamp sheetlet commemorating 150 years of the Red Cross. The various stamps refer to the aid organisation’s seven fundamental principles. The black and white photographs show situations in which the Red Cross provides emergency aid and show what the fundamental principles stand for.

Gijs de Vries, Director of the Red Cross, is very pleased with how well the daily work of the relief workers of the organisation celebrating its anniversary is depicted. “The Red Cross has based its work on the same seven fundamental principles for 150 years, like voluntariness, independence, impartiality, and humanity. In addition, we have always been in motion as an organisation. I love how photographs and text depict our fundamental principles on one stamp sheetlet, but that at the same time the movement is directly visible in the numbers of our anniversary and in the Red Cross.”

Warmth and personal connection
PostNL Marketing Director Ludo Voorn underlines that the designers Anne Schaufeli and Huub de Lang of studio026 have created a stamp sheetlet that very clearly depicts the Red Cross’s daily mission. “The photos on the stamp sheetlet illustrate the warmth and personal connection between the relief workers and those they help. In the stamp sheetlet, perceptive viewers will thus really discover how the Red Cross wants to prevent human suffering, protect lives and health and ensure respect for people.”

Availability
The ‘150 Years of the Red Cross in the Netherlands’ stamp sheetlet consists of six stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 22 May at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Exploring five streams and rivers with stamp series

The Hague, 22 May 2017 – This year’s Beautiful Netherlands – PostNL’s annual stamp series – focuses on stream and river valleys. New stamp sheetlets will come out today on the Dommel (North Brabant) and the Geul (Southern Limburg), as well as the collection sheet from this stamp series. This collection sheet also features the previously issued stream and river valleys: the Drentsche Aa (Drenthe), the Reest (Overijssel) and the Linge (Gelderland).

Since 2005, PostNL has brought out new stamps in this series covering the local history, cultural wealth and natural beauty of the Netherlands. In recent years, stamps have featured fortified towns, ceramics, folk costumes, historic country estates and fishing villages.

Based on characteristic elements
On each stamp sheetlet of this Beautiful Netherlands series, designers Sonja Haller and Pascal Brun opted to focus on the meandering course of streams and river valleys, the cultural and historical landscape, along with a striking national monument. The stamps on the Dommel and the Geul, which came out today, feature the centuries-old Ferryhouse ’t Vaantje in Sint-Michielsgestel and a characteristic timbered house along the Geul valley.

The Netherlands at its best
“For this Beautiful Netherlands series, we wanted to make sure we had the five streams and rivers as a line on the stamps from start to finish, including on the collection sheet. That allows the twists and turns of the waters, which seem to have a mind of their own, to largely determine the look and feel of the stamp sheetlet. We also show how interesting the areas are: lots of nature, at times flat and desolate, at times forested and hilly and always with a gorgeous striking national monument. Hopefully, it will make people want to go to these stream and river valleys,” Sonja Haller says.

Availability
The five ‘Beautiful Netherlands: Stream and River Valleys’ stamps are marked ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for mail within the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 22 May 2017 at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. As of today, the stamp sheetlets on the Dommel and the Geul are also for sale in their respective local areas. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Stamps depicting the life of fifty-year-old King Willem-Alexander

The Hague, 24 April 2017 – PostNL is issuing a special stamp sheetlet honouring King Willem-Alexander’s fiftieth birthday. The ten pictures show the various periods in the life of the king. The images are featured on six stamps and on four tabs to the left and right of the stamps.

Nine of the photos on the stamp sheetlet were taken by photo journalist Vincent Mentzel. The tenth photo was taken by Prince Claus of a young Willem-Alexander with a football in the garden of Drakensteyn Castle. Mentzel sees this photo as an homage to his father. Together with designer Irma Boom, he opted to use black and white photos for the informal moments of the king’s life. The colour images show the more formal moments of King Willem-Alexander.

Journalistic photos of a Head of State
For this stamp sheetlet, Mentzel and Boom made a selection of historic photos from the photography book Koninklijke Foto’s [Royal Photos] – Vincent Mentzel. “The photos in this book show Willem-Alexander’s personality and his tastes. It’s perhaps most clearly shown in the photo taken in Rotterdam. It has it all: the smile, the flag, the water, the boat, the Willemsbrug. The other photos feature more active aspects, like the one of him walking down the street on a state visit to China, or of his time in the navy. They’re not glamour photos; they’re photo journalism. You see a boy who will go on to become Head of State. And you see the man he is now,” Mentzel says.

Availability
Each ‘Willem-Alexander 50’ stamp sheetlet consists of six stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 24 April at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Botanical gardens bloom on new stamp sheetlet

The Hague, 25 April 2017 – PostNL is issuing a new stamp sheetlet to mark the occasion of the Year of the Botanical Gardens in 2017. The stamps feature ten special plants and trees. These crown jewels are all from botanical gardens in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands has more than thirty botanical gardens, twenty-four of which are members of The Dutch Foundation of Botanical Gardens (NVBT). The Foundation has dedicated 2017 to highlighting the most unique, unusual and threatened species of plants and trees. The gardens are home to 47,000 types of plants and trees from all over the world.

Individual character visible on stamp
From a selection of around one hundred possible plants and trees, designer Robbert Zweegman choose ten ‘crown jewels’ for the new stamp sheetlet. He had nature photographer Edwin Giesbers photograph all of them individually. “This makes visible the individual character of the plant or tree, as a symbol for the botanical garden. You also avoid the distraction of the environment; you have no context and no other plants nearby,” says Zweegman, explaining the choice of the images.

Renowned botanical gardens on stamp sheetlet
The stamps feature well-known plants and trees. These include the deadly nightshade (Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam), black false hellebore (Holland Open Air Museum Arnhem), the yellow pitcher plant (Kerkrade Botanical Garden), the purple coneflower (Hortus Alkmaar) and the orange trumpet vine (Utrecht Botanical Gardens). Zweegman also chose to include the Latin name of each plant or tree in the design. In doing so, he is referring to the Swedish plant expert Carl Linnaeus, who classified plants and trees into logical categories in the 18th century and assigned them a two-part Latin name.

Availability
The ‘Botanical Gardens in the Netherlands’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 24 April at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
Silver stamp for football icon Johan Cruijff

PostNL honours Johan Cruijff by issuing a pure silver stamp. This special stamp comes exactly one year after the death of the Dutch football legend, and marks the fifth time that PostNL has issued a silver postage stamp.

Support the Johan Cruyff Foundation
PostNL marketing director Ludo Voorn reflects on the death of Johan Cruijff a year ago. “Everyone loved Johan Cruijff. Besides his widely respected great skill on the football field, he was always committed to bringing children together through sports. The Cruyff Foundation has built on this notion for years. We are proud to support their work by donating part of the proceeds from sales of this silver stamp.”
Niels Meijer, director of the Cruyff Foundation, feels it’s very special that PostNL is issuing such a valuable stamp in honour of the footballer. “Johan always filled a social role. We continue to do that. We will certainly be investing the proceeds from the stamp sales in a project such as Schoolyard 14. This will challenge students both during and after school to play and exercise together.”

Availability
PostNL has commissioned the Royal Dutch Mint to manufacture the postage stamp, which is made from pure silver. The stamp, in a deluxe storage box, is available for €25 via www.postnl.nl/cruijff. The stamp has a limited run of 1,400 copies. The postage stamp has the ‘Registered Mail’ designation, and may be therefore be used to send letters as registered mail. The stamps are valid for an unlimited period.

[Cruijff was a world-renowned and -beloved player and coached who died March 24, 2016, at the age of 68 from complications resulting from lung cancer. For more, see Wikipedia. —Virtual Stamp Club]

[press release]
Special moments featured on stamps

Many of life’s special moments deserve personal attention. For that reason, the ten stamps feature wishes including gefeliciteerd (Congratulations), liefs (Love), veel geluk (Lots of luck), sterkte (Feel better), succes (Good luck), hoera (Hooray), fijne dag (Have a nice day), proficiat (Well done), voor jou (For you) and beterschap (Get well soon). Every stamp features an emoticon; a face depicted by punctuation marks. The stamp sheetlet also contains seven stickers that can be used to decorate the envelope or card, also with an emoticon.

Special designs for special wishes
For this stamp sheetlet, Marenthe Otten designed both heart-shaped and square stamps. “The focus of each stamp is a wish appropriate to a special moment in the life of a loved one. The shape of a heart or flower emphasises the personal nature of the message. These wishes are in the form of colourful handwriting with cheery illustrations,” says the designer.

Availability
The ‘For Special Moments’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 27 March at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. From 10 April the stamp sheetlet will be available from all PostNL sales points. The stamps are valid until further notice.

[press release]
New stamps tell the story of the De Stijl art movement

On Monday 27 March, PostNL issues the De Stijl (“The Style”) Centennial stamp sheetlet, celebrating this influential 20th century Dutch art movement. The stamps feature iconic works by Theo van Doesburg, Piet Mondriaan, Cornelis van Eesteren, Gerrit Rietveld and J.J.P. Oud. As artist, designer or architect, all are important representatives of De Stijl. At the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, mayor Pauline Krikke received [in advance] the first issue of the De Stijl Centennial stamps from Herna Verhagen, CEO of PostNL [photo below].

The PostNL head office is currently also decorated in the De Stijl Centennial style, inspired by Piet Mondriaan’s Victory Boogie Woogie. [see video] In this way, PostNL supports the celebration of the national theme year ‘Mondriaan to Dutch Design’ in The Hague. [text continues after video]

Special introduction to De Stijl
Mayor Pauline Krikke is honoured that the first stamp sheetlet was issued in The Hague. “It’s extraordinary that, with these stamps and the decoration of the head office, PostNL is connecting itself with Mondriaan and his De Stijl contemporaries. Our city is also closely linked via the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. Only this museum has organised three large exhibitions, including The Discovery of Mondriaan featuring 300 art works by the internationally renowned artist. This stamp sheetlet will enable the Netherlands to become acquainted with the founders of this art movement in a whole new way.”

Contemporary character
CEO Herna Verhagen, about the new stamps: “It’s impressive to see how De Stijl artworks, each with its own individual surface distribution of horizontal and vertical black lines, also maintain a contemporary look in stamp format. The designers René Put and Brigitte Gootink have deliberately used black and white images in their design. With the addition of the distinctive red, yellow and blue colours in transparent areas, they give a unique twist to the illustrious collections in the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam.”

New inspiration
2017 marks one hundred years since the founding of the Dutch art movement De Stijl. Throughout the year, numerous events and exhibitions will be organised in the Netherlands. Artists who joined De Stijl at the time were looking for a totally ‘new art’ that also had to modernise society. Along with Rembrandt, Vermeer, Van Gogh and Escher, Piet Mondriaan is now globally recognised as one of the most celebrated Dutch artists.

Availability
Each ‘De Stijl Centennial’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, which can be used for items weighing up to 20g destined for mail in the Netherlands. These stamps will be available from 27 March at all Bruna shops and via Collectclub.nl. The stamps are valid until further notice.