Look, but do not touch!

Many stamp traders and collectors combine their work or interests with their hobby. Stamp Passion ’08 presents a selection from the private collections of various traders and collectors. To start off, though, let’s focus on our youngest stamp enthusiasts. Will they also become collectors one day or remain collectors?

Entries from young collectors
The following collections were compiled by members of youth clubs associated with NetherlandsYouthPhilately (JeugdFilatelieNederland).

Box number 1
My favourite stamp.

Box number 2
The efforts of three youth club members, created at club meetings in Sittard. Emma Bakker has collected stamps with a butterfly theme since 2005, Willemijn Limborgh has specialised in ‘farm animals’ since 2006 and Gaby Smeets has also been collecting stamps with butterflies and other favourite themes since 2006.

Box numbers 3 and 4
Welcome to the zoo. Joan Groeneveld from Purmerend belongs to a youth club in Amsterdam. She also loves Artis zoo, and put together a special collection themed around zoo animals.

Box number 5
Bears sweet and strong. Elise van Es is a member of internet collectors’ club Stampkids and has already taken part in several exhibitions.

Box numbers 6 through 8
Streets and Sheets. The title of a somewhat puzzling collection. Jeffrey Hertogs from The Hague can certainly solve this mystery! Check out his modern depiction of the postage system.

Box numbers 9 and 10
Goal, the story behind the football match. Amy Groeneveld is Joan’s big sister. As we all know, the ladies are also interested in the beautiful game. There’s even an official competition. Amy shows us her football knowledge

Box number 11
The Orange royal family tree. Anouska de Lange from Boskoop knows all about our Royal Family. She has been collecting everything related to the Dutch royals since 2002.

Box number 12
Philamarathon. No explanations…. You’ll just have to come take a look yourself to find out what it all means.

Box number 13
One fell swoop. This has to be about birds, and spectacular ones at that! Vera van Wijngaarden takes us on a guided tour of the world of birds of prey, a subject she has been exploring since 2002.

Box number 14
Where do fairytales come from? The members of a Bergen op Zoom youth club have already found the answer. Christel van Meir, Jim Bernaars, Jacco Snepvangers, Koen Verwijveren, Hillary Hoppenbrouwers and Britt Hulzebosch are proud to take you on a journey of discovery.

Box numbers 15 and 16
The Romans. Yes, their empire also included Sittard. Bas de Coninck takes a trip into history, almost 2,000 years back. In addition to the Roman era, Bas is also interested in ancient times as a whole. His other interests include minerals and music.

Box numbers 17 through 20
Once upon a wild horse. No, it’s not a fairytale, but a well-documented story about horses. In addition to drawing buggies and carts, horses also play a role in sports, wars, and as trusted workers on the farm. Kimberly de Lange has known everything there is to know about horses since she first took an interest in the animals in 2002. She also loves dragons, but there are much less stamps on the subject.

Box numbers 21 through 23
André Buizin’s aviary. Jence Mulder has made a wonderful study of a long-running series of Belgian stamps themed around birds. He has been seeking out these stamps and any background information he can find since 2001.

Box number 24
Philamarathon. See Box number 12. Figured it out yet?

Box numbers 25 through 27
Swimming. Children have to learn how to swim from an early age. Not just to survive if they fall in the water, but for fun or as a sport. Does Stephanie Kuipers enjoy swimming herself? Her collection certainly gives that impression!

Box number 28
De Postduif magazine. Almost every association has its own magazine, and the Wijk bij Duurstede Youth Club is no exception. They’ve got plenty of information for the local youth, but the kids also get to have their say.

Box number 29 and 30
Birds of prey. The title immediately gives away the theme of this collection. But Joery Noels from Belgium has plenty of stories on the subject, a lot of which you won’t have heard before.

Box number 31
The Royal Family. Matthijs Welter (IJssel and Lekstreek) provides us with an in-depth look at our Royal Family.

Box number 32
Philamarathon. See Box numbers 12 and 24. The word shouldn’t hold any more surprises by now…

Box numbers 33 and 34
Dracula can’t be killed. Enjoy a bit of a thrill-ride? You’ve come to the right place, as Patrick Peschke from the Hague shows you his extensive knowledge of the Transylvanian Count. You won’t have to bring along any garlic or holy water to protect yourself from a bite in the neck. Patrick has been putting together collections for exhibitions for over ten years now.

Box numbers 35 and 36
Afraid to go in the water. Visited the last collection? Check out this new offering by the same Patrick Peschke. Or is it too much to handle?

Box numbers 37 through 40
The water of life. Water touches on every part of our existence. We need it to live, but it can also pose a threat. What role does water play in our day-to-day lives? This major collection by Toon Goris highlights water’s many facets.

Box numbers 41 through 44
Tales about turtles, terrapins and tortoises. Sebastiaan Breukel is gradually moving towards the adult collections, and will be presenting this theme across the border. The collection is in English, to make sure people in other countries don’t have any difficulty understanding the world of the tortoise and its family. We’re sure you won’t have any problems either.

Box numbers 45 through 48
Children grow up. Mieke Goris from Turnhout has themed her collection around child development. She too is growing up, and will be moving on to the adult collections soon. Mieke has learned a great deal in her time at the youth club, and will have no problems switching to the adult club.

Box numbers: 50 through 53
Bert de Vaan: The world of Boudewijn Büch
Bert de Vaan has been a fervent stamp collector since his childhood, specialising in British colonies and small islands in the Pacific. In the mid nineteen eighties, he was a great fan of the television programme “The World of Boudewijn Büch". When Sotheby’s auctioned off Büch’s possessions to collectors and other interested parties after his death, De Vaan was thrilled by the thought of owning the writer/presenter’s stamp collection. He was lucky enough to get his hands on two suitcases of stamps and envelopes. From this collection, he created four themes based around Büch’s personal areas of interest. He also collected other Büch-related paraphernalia. The showcase contains a number of books from the writer’s oeuvre, and some of the foreign banknotes he brought back and saved for his next trips. Unfortunately, Büch never had the opportunity to spend them. The writer died in Amsterdam on 23 November 2002.

Box numbers 54 through 60
Peter Stobbelaar: School’s out…
Education is his passion. He has translated his professional life into a collection of stamps and postage items related to the education sector. His collection is fittingly titled: School’s out. Peter Stobbelaar is currently chairman of the Netherlands Youth Philately Association. Here too, he uses his experience as a teach to help children on their way to becoming collectors and philatelists.

Box numbers 61 through 67
Henk van Lokven: the Danish West Indies
Van Lokven owns a stamp auction and a store in Roermond where he offers his many customers tips and advice. Henk’s expert knowledge is reflected in a collection of stamps and postal items from the Danish West Indies, the result of years of hunting. His efforts have not been in vain, as evidenced by the study he made of the area. The islands of the Danish West Indies were later renamed the Virgin Islands, and were sold to the United States on 12 December 1916 by the Danish government.

Box number 68
Alex Nuijten: Rare stamps from the Netherlands, 1852 issue
Once a young collector, Alex has moved on the seniors. Alex first became addicted to philately in 1991. Over the past 16 years, he has become a true philately junkie. His collection already won awards during his time as a young collector. In 2002, he decided to focus on his collection from the Netherlands, specialising on rare stamp varieties from the 1852 issue. Little research had been carried out into rare stamps from this issue. The collection in this theme was compiled over the last 10 years and offers clear evidence that “misprints” slipped through the net, despite stringent monitoring.

Box numbers 69 through 76
Cees Heemskerk: First edition: The Netherlands
For years, Heemskerk worked for a renowned stamp auction, selling many hundreds of thousands of euros worth of stamps to collectors and traders around the world. Cees has always been empassioned about collecting Dutch stamps issued in 1852. Not so much for the stamps themselves, but out of an interest in postmarks from small towns. The idea is of a deceptive simplicity; his collection has received international accolades.

Box numbers 77 through 86
Wim Hooglugt: The Netherlands in blocks of four
In de Passage, a stamp dealer in Breda is famous amongst collectors. Wim Hooglugt offers old and new stamps as well stamp collecting equipment. In addition to trading, he is also a collector himself. It all started when he purchased a collection of Dutch semi-perforated stamps containing several attractive blocks of four. He sold the collection but managed to acquire it again later. It was then that he decided to begin a collection of Dutch blocks of four, used and preferably still on the envelope! No easy task, but he certainly succeeded in building up an impressive collection as you can see here.

Box numbers 87 through 96
Oscar van der Vliet: Revenues of South African Colonies
Do revenue stamps also belong in the domain of philately? Oscar van der Vliet has a strong opinion on the subject which is supported by the world umbrella organisation, the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie, or FIP for short. Oscar is secretary of the Dutch Association of Fiscal Philately.
Since its establishment by 12 collectors in 1994, the association has blossomed. There are now over 60 members from various countries, both within Europe and beyond. The association’s magazine “ ’t Cleyn Segel” is published four times a year in both a Dutch and English edition. Efforts are also underway to create an extensive catalogue of revenue stamps from the Netherlands and its various territories. This exhibition of revenue stamps from the former colonies of South Africa is intended to demonstrate just how multifaceted this area of collection can be. The idea is to show the various uses of general purpose revenue stamps, some of which have been stamped over to take on a different purpose.

Box numbers 97 through 102
Bouwe Brandsma: The Arms of the Kingdom 1869-1871
Low stamp values were introduced along with the special rates for printed matter. Low value stamps featuring the likeness of King Willem III were ‘not done’. Designer J. Vürtheim was thus requested to create a neutral stamp. He designed the Arms of the Kingdom, a wreath of oak and laurel leaves. Bouwe Brandsma – who’s name is typical of the Northern regions of the Netherlands – lives in Belgium, just over the border. His collection demonstrates how these stamps were used on mail items to domestic and foreign destinations. In addition to what is known as single franking, the stamps were also used in mixed franking – in combination with stamps from other issues. The end results could certainly be colourful!

Box numbers 103 through 108
Jan Kluft: The Netherlands and the Netherlands Indies until approx. 1927
Many collectors own pre-printed albums. Their preference naturally goes out to the Netherlands, with the former colonies in second place. This collections consists of pre-printed sheets made up of various stamps and new sheets with (combined) edge types, stamp types and perfins. Jan Kluft compiled the collection to demonstrate that normal pre-printed albums can also feature stamps without having to go to the effort of creating album leaves.

Box numbers 109 through 110
Cees van der Wel: A laugh and a tear
Collecting stamps? It’s a hobby I was brought up on. C.D van der Wel Sr ran a stamp dealerership on the Nieuwstraat 16-18 in Delft since 1949. It was there that he taught me to love both the profession and the hobby. As a child, I collected the common themes and countries such as the Netherlands, the Olympics, animals and so on. Later on, I decided to specialise in stamps themed around the circus and – more specifically – clowns. A great theme: a laugh and a tear. Me and my wife Conny now own our own store, not in Delft, but in Den Helder: the Helderse Postzegelhandel.

Box numbers 111 through 114
Gerard van Welie: Telegram stamps, the Netherlands
It takes quite a lot of leafing through the Special Catalogue or pre-printed stamp album of the Netherlands to find any Dutch telegram stamps. A mere 12 stamps in all, making up a single page in the album. These are no ordinary stamps; they served to account for the costs of sending a telegram. The stamps were in use from 1 January 1877 up until 31 December 1920. However, Gerard needed far more than a single album page, as his collection – a regular feature at exhibitions – proves. Although only part of that collection is on display at the Joh. Enschedé Security Printing stand, it’s certainly worth a look!

Theme numbers: 115 trough 117
Corrie Weeber-Kortekaas: Cultures in the Tropic of Emerald
Corrie Weeber from Delft is living proof that not all stamp collectors are men. Her husband is a veteran of the Dutch East Indies campaign Delft. When the couple travelled Indonesia to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, Corrie was extremely impressed by the ancient cultures and traditions she saw around her. A great deal of these traditions are reflected in the country’s stamps. However, her collection is not limited to stamps alone; amongst the many attributes on display is a beautiful batik cloth.

Box numbers: 118 through 123
Rob and Jennie van Lingen: Orchids of the World
Collecting flowers on stamps is one of the most attractive forms of thematic philately. That's the opinion of Rob of Jennie, who have specialised themselves in the broad field of thematic collection. But flowers itself is also very broad theme and so they have further narrowed their specialisation to orchids. While commonly associated with exotic locations, this plant species also occurs in the Netherlands. The album pages of this collection were made by computer. The drawings that were used came from old and new books about orchids. A wonderful example of how to beautify a collection in your own personal manner.

Box number 124
Bas Bulterman: The House of Romanov
No, not a villa in your neighbourhood, but the dynasty that ruled Russia for some 300 years. Despite its great wealth and power, the family had an unhappy history. With its male line dying out relatively early on, female successors continued the dynasty under the name Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp. In 1917, the Russian Revolution broke out, marking the start of the Soviet Union and the end of the Russian Empire with the death of Tsar Nicholas II who was murdered along with his family. Bas has recorded the history of this famous dynasty in his collection of stamps and other items.

Box numbers 125 and 126
Martijn Bulterman: Wells, Fargo & Co
Gold rush? Adventurers? Gunslingers? Just some of the associations to spring to mind upon hearing or seeing the name Wells, Fargo & Co. The gold rush in California – and other parts of the United States of America – saw so many head for the mines that the postal service was unable to deal with the amount of mail. A golden opportunity for several private companies who set up their own postal service. Many of these enterprises were short-lived, but Wells, Fargo & Co. was the most successful of all. Founded in 1852, the company – along with a number of other commercial postal services – covered the entire Pacific Coast, from British Columbia to Mexico. Martijn Bulterman was also gripped by the gold rush, but decided to stay home! He collected postal items transported by Wells, Fargo & Co. His adventurous quest was rewarded with a wonderful historical collection from an adventurous age.


On the wall

It’s always a joy to receive a beautiful picture postcard depicting something ‘familiar’. Picture postcards of town views, characteristic buildings or picturesque vistas have existed for over 100 years and are still a popular way of showing others where you have been, accompanied by a friendly greeting. Just look on the wall to find a large collection of such cards, themed around the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch and its surrounding area. For many of the city’s inhabitants, the sight of so many familiar places and buildings will certainly evoke plenty of memories. However, the picture side is not the only thing of interest here: there’s also the address, stamp and many other postal features on the reverse, not forgetting the sender’s special greetings. The collection was assembled to mark the visit of Mr Rob Hoogeboom, chairman of the “Hertog Jan” collectors working group of the ‘Friends of ‘s-Hertogenbosch Circle’ in October 2005. His visit coincided with the special exhibit marking the 75th anniversary of the ’s-Hertogenbosch Philatelists’ Association. It was here that his eyes were first opened to the fascinating world of philately. The end result was a joint project by the Friends of ‘s-Hertogenbosch Circle, the ’s-Hertogenbosch Philatelists’ Association and the Bossche Prentenmuseum. The picture postcards span the period between 1898 and 1960, and are far from exhaustive due to the broad nature of the subject.


Showcases

Bert de Vaan: From the world of Boudewijn Büch
Three showcases filled with objects collected by Boudewijn Büch over the course of his many journeys. The collection is just a small cross section of the many objects gathered by Büch.

Hans van den Eijnde: NVPH memorabilia and ties
A large variety of from previous NVPH jubilees and festivities. The collection also contains a number of gifts presented as memorabilia of these events. With many contacts in the Netherlands and abroad, Hans van den Eijnde has received quite a few ties as ‘business gifts’. A colourful collection, to say the least!

Cees van der Wel: Circus
No such thing as a circus without clowns. In addition to two dimensional stamps on this subject, there are also some three dimensional clowns on display. Plenty to laugh about? And what about the tears? The answer is in the stamp collection.

Van de Pol Stamp Traders: postal vehicles
Mr and Mrs Van de Pol’ Eindhoven store isn’t large enough for a collection of life-size postal vehicles. The two Brabant natives have wisely opted for miniature vehicles related to the transportation of mail. Their collection includes cars from various countries.

Parnassus Stamp Dealership: inkwells
A display case filled with inkwells and inkstands. An essential attribute for anyone writing with a crown or fountain pen. Iwan van Geelen, born in the founding year of the NVPH, stumbled across his first inkwell in an antiques store. He was ‘sold’ on the spot, and built up an impressive collection over the course of several decades. Part of his collection is on display in the stamp dealership in Amsterdam.

Stamp express & Philato: letter scales
Walk into the store in Deventer and the first thing you’ll see is a wealth of paraphernalia related to postage and stamps. For the occasion of Stamp Passion, Theo Bakker filled a special showcase with one object everyone needs in order to find out the weight of a postal item. Over the years, a great many instruments have been developed in order to weigh letters for accurate postage.