North Sea shells

On July 14, 2026, PostNL issued the North Sea Shells frame stamp sheet, featuring 10 different stamps depicting 10 common North Sea shells. In 2017, 'Life in the North Sea' was issued. Which sheet do you consider the most beautiful? Or does it not matter, since they are both drawings?

North Sea shells are the hard calcareous skeletons of mollusks. They often wash ashore on beaches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. For most children, searching for shells along the high tide line is an essential part of a day at the beach, just like building sandcastles. This is particularly because they often look beautiful, have unique colors, and feel very different to the touch. For adult beach walkers, too, they constitute one of the most interesting finds along the coast. Since 2021, an annual shell counting day has even been held. On Saturday, March 21, 2026, hundreds of volunteers took to the Dutch beaches for the fifth time to count shells. More than 108.000 shells were recorded. On the Dutch coast, the truncated surf clam and the oval surf clam are the most common. On the beaches of Zeeland and the Wadden Islands, it is the cockle. The razor clam was mainly found in Zeeland, and most razor clams washed ashore in North Holland.

Maartje Bodt provided both the illustrations and the design for the North Sea Shells stamp sheet. “I draw and paint a lot of shells, but usually tropical shells, with many special colors and patterns. North Sea shells are a new subject for me, though. It was a tremendously honorable commission, and I was lucky enough to do it while working in Mallorca, in an inspiring setting, surrounded by sea and beaches.” 

“It was quite a nice challenge to illustrate typical North Sea shells, as they are generally much less pronounced in color than tropical shells. I am not a biologist, so I first did extensive research into the most common shells. From that, I subsequently made a selection and chose shells that are interesting in terms of color and shape. Naturally, they had to look beautiful on the stamps and subsequently form a certain unity on the stamp sheet, so that it would become a beautiful, harmonious whole. Ultimately, the result was a varied and balanced image with a visually pleasing rhythm.”  

For the edges of the stamp sheet, Bodt created an illustration of a wave that, as it were, lifts the sheet with the 10 stamps and carries it along. “The sheet had to look summery and sunny. And evoke a seaside resort feeling. Hence the pastel shades used, which suit the Dutch summer. This is generally less exuberant than, for example, a Spanish summer, which is more colorful and contrasting. That is also why the sky in the background of the sheet is not very blue, but a bit blue/grey. I found it a delightful commission to work on, and I hope these shell stamps give many people a sunny feeling.”   

Life in the North Sea (2017)

The Life in the North Sea stamp sheet features drawings of plants and animals found in the North Sea region. The drawings were created by four scientific illustrators from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. The Life in the North Sea stamp sheet highlights the work of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden. Mergers of Naturalis with the Zoological Museum Amsterdam, the National Herbarium of the Netherlands, and the National Natural History Museum Naturalis created an institution of world renown. Naturalis now manages over 42 million natural history objects. This collection continues to grow and is digitally accessible to scientists worldwide. As such, the collection forms a rich source for research, enabling us to describe, understand, and explain life on Earth and in the sea ever more effectively. This knowledge contributes to a healthier living environment and provides important insights into societal issues such as climate, food, and medicine. In the museum, Naturalis shares its fascination with and knowledge of nature with a broad audience. The educational programs, both inside and outside the museum, offer a source of inspiration for countless curious children.

Belgium issued a sheet of stamps featuring North Sea shells in 2005.

Please note: A number of stamps shown in this article are 'frame stamps' or 'personal stamps'. These stamps are valid for postage but are not included in a catalogue or album.