Personalized stamps in the Netherlands
1998 first steps - May 2003 the start
Already in 1998 the Dutch Post (then still PTT) offered the possibility to use personalized stamps. In that year, sheets containing 5 self-adhesive stamps were sold with a standard print on the edges and a blank (white) center part on which the user could give free rein to his own creativity. For this purpose stickers with texts and images were included on the rest of the sheet, but of course this blank part could also be used in a different way following your own imagination.
The 5 stamps in the sheet differed in the colors of the border and the positioning of the text.
Of course there were already people who liked to put a motorized two-wheeler on the stamps:
The complete sheet
In 2005 TPG Mail again issued a similar issue in the context of the weeks of the postcard. This time it was a gummed sheet with 3 differently colored stamps, with a white cloud in the middle, like a speech bubble in a comic strip. The intention was to write your own text there, but of course this was also used to print motorized two-wheelers.
The complete sheet
Although these 2 issues already gave the possibility to make a stamp at home following your own preference, it became more serious from 20 May 2003. Then TPG introduced two different sheets, each with 10 differently colored stamps with tabs, with the option of having the tabs printed by the post with your own image. Although the actual stamps were not personalized, the stamp-tab combinations were still "officially" supplied by TPG.
The complete sheet
In december 2003 an extra variant appeared with the reduced postal rate for Christmas cards.
At the end of the year, the postal service issued a stamp sheet with "the 10 most beautiful from the Netherlands". For these 10 stamps a selection was made from the images that had been used for the personal tabs up to and including July 1st 2003. This were no personalized stamps, but official TPG Stamps that were normally available at the post office. Interesting for MFN members, because on 1 of these 10 road racer "Fast Wim" Theunissen was depicted on his Yamaha R1.
In the following years other base sheets were used, both for the regular and the Christmas stamps.
In addition during several years there was the option of having self-adhesive stamps made with an attached personalized tab. Because this was mainly intended for companies, these stamps were supplied in sheets of 50 pieces.
Since May 1st 2006 it is possible to order personalized stamps printed by the Dutch Post (then TNT Post, from May 2011 on PostNL). The stamp image of these personal stamps consists of a standard frame with the text "NEDERLAND" and an indication of the postage value. Within this frame is a blank area, on which the personal image is printed. In fact the same as with the stamps introduced in 1998, with the only difference that now the post prints the surface instead of the user at home. This principle has been maintained until today.
Over the years different frames have been used, of course with different postage values. In the following overview, the frames used are listed as complete as possible, including the period during which each frame was available. The date or year of introduction is in most cases easy to determine, because the Post itself has issued a (generally available) variant of most new frames as an "introduction stamp". The end date until when a frame was available is less easy to determine, and therefore not entirely certain for all variants.
May 2006 - December 2006
Portrait orientated stamp with purple striped frame, with the postage value of € 0,39 in large letters on the top, followed by the country designation in small dark letters. Only available in gummed sheets.
January 2007 - December 2007
The same frame, but with an increased postage value of € 0,44. Also available as self-adhesive stamps from September on.
January 2008 - June 2010
Completely white stamp with the country name and value indication 44 EUROCENT on 2 of the edges in gray letters. Available as gummed sheets, from March 2009 on also as self-adhesive stamps.
January 2008 - August 2010
Completely white stamp with the country name and value indication 44 eurocent on 2 edges in orange letters. Available as gummed sheets, from March 2009 on also as self-adhesive stamps.
November & December 2008 -2009
Completely white stamp with on 2 of the edges in bright red / pink letters with green areas in between the country name and value indication 34 EUROCENT, the reduced rate for Christmas mail. Only available as self-adhesive stamps.
October 2009 - December 2010
Completely white square stamp with the country name and value indication 44 eurocent on 2 of the edges in blue letters. Available as gummed sheets, from January 2010 on also as self-adhesive stamps.
These stamps were only used for own issues of PostNL and the special Hallmark stamps, which were for sale in combination with Hallmark cards. So it has never been possible to make personal stamps with this frame.
During the year 2010 PostNL switched from a value indication in €/eurocent to category indications. From then on, the rate "1" was used for normal (letter) mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands, for Christmas mail "December". The personalized stamp frames were adjusted for this, but not all on the same date.
July 2010 - April 2018
Completely white stamp with the country name and value indication 1 on two of the edges in gray letters, preceded by a stripe pattern to fill the remaining empty space because the deletion of the word "eurocent". Available as gummed sheets, from 2011 also as self-adhesive stamps in rolls of 100 pieces.
Cyclotracteur 1918, designed by the author of this article: Paul Essens
September 2010 - April 2012 (end date not 100% sure)
Completely white stamp with the country name and value indication 1 on two of the edges in orange letters, preceded by a series of orange diamonds to fill the remaining empty space because the deletion of the word "eurocent". Available as gummed sheets.
November & December 2010-2017
Completely white stamp with on two of the edges in bright red/pink letters with green intermediate fields the country name and value indication December for the reduced postage for Christmas mail. Available as gummed sheets and as self-adhesive stamps.
January 2011 - December 2012
Completely white square stamp with on two of the edges in blue letters the country name and value indication 1, preceded by a stripe pattern to fill the remaining empty space because the deletion of the word "eurocent". Available as gummed sheets.
January 2012 - June 2014 (end date not 100% sure)
Completely white stamp with on two of the edges in gray letters the country name and value indication "Europa 1", for sending (letter) mail to other countries within Europe. Available as gummed sheets of 5, with a tab with the blue priority logo attached to the stamp.
January 2012 - June 2014 (end date not 100% sure)
Completely white stamp with on two of the edges in gray letters the country name and value indication "WERELD 1", for sending (letter) mail to countries outside Europe. Available as gummed sheets of 5, with a tab with the blue priority logo attached to the stamp.
January 2013 - April 2018 (end date not 100% sure)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in blue letters the country name, 1x normal and below that in lighter color up side down. Below that on the right side the value indication 1. Available as gummed sheets.
July 2014 - March 2018 (end date not 100% sure)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in dark purple letters the country name, 1x normal and below that in lighter color up side down. Below that on the right side the value indication "INTERNATIONAAL 1", for sending (letter) mail to countries outside the Netherlands (no difference anymore between inside/outside Europe). Available as gummed sheets, but now of 10 and without priority tabs.
April 2018 - now (September 2020)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in gray letters the country name, and below on the left side the value indication 1 in blue. Available as gummed sheets and as self-adhesive stamps in rolls of 100.
April 2018 - now (September 2020)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in gray letters the value indication "INTERNATIONAAL", and on the left side on top the country name in gray letters, and on the bottom a 1 in orange. Available as gummed sheets of 5, with below the stamps a tab with the blue priority logo.
August 2018 - now (September 2020)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in gold letters the country name, and below on the left side the value indication 1 in gold. Available as gummed sheets of 5.
November & December 2018 - now (2020)
Completely white portrait stamp with on the bottom side in red letters the value indication December for the reduced postage for Christmas mail, and on the left side below the country name in gray letters. Available as gummed sheets.
Next to this there are a few exotics, such as complete silver stamps, but because they have no philatelic significance, they have been left out of consideration here.
Author: Paul Essens
References/External links:
This article was originally published in the newsletter no. 132 of The Dutch Motorcycle Philatelists Club MFN (Motor Filatelisten Nederland) in June 2020: Persoonlijke postzegels in Nederland (1) - and continued in newsletter no. 133 in September 2020: Persoonlijke postzegels in Nederland (2). For the article above the motorcycle pictures were replaced by corresponding bicycle pictures.
Personalized stamps in exhibits:
Dutch personalized stamps that have been issued after the first issue in 2003 and have been generally available or at least could be ordered through the Philatelic Service may be shown in exhibits:
Further allowed are personalized stamps that have been included in so-called "Prestige Booklets":
... or have been issued on the initiative of e.g. a philatelists club:
For more details see article "New rules for exposition of Personalized Stamps" written by Nico Helling and published in the newsletter no. 93 of The Dutch Motorcycle Philatelists Club MFN (Motor Filatelisten Nederland) in September 2009.
In the CATALOG of this website you find these stamps in the category "stamps, personalized":
To view all cataloged items ask per email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for free registration and thereafter you could login and will have full access.
Items lovelessly produced on the production line (only to pull the money out of our pockets) are marked in the online catalog with a red "X":
To protect you from these issues, they are deliberately shown in the online catalog, but are marked accordingly. Other websites like Paleophilatelie exclude these Ucollect issues totally from their websites/catalogs.
Private individuals are also active in this sector of mass production:
With the decreasing demand from collectors they have ceased production in the meantime.
Until around 2016/2017 companies were allowed to advertise themselves on personalized stamps. Their stamps were actually used to send letters – to 99 %?. This underlines that personalized stamps are definitely worth collecting even if they are not taken into account by the wellknown catalog publishers.