The Personal Stamp was born in Kollum, Friesland.

In the northeast of Friesland lies a village of fewer than 6.000 inhabitants: Kollum. It is small enough not to stand out on the world stage. Yet, in 1999, it experienced a genuine world first thanks to the issuance of the first real Personal Stamp. Alongside his employment at the Banda printing company, Siep Henstra founded his own regional mail delivery business in 1993. Under the name Regio Post Noord-Oost Friesland, he delivered mail for institutions, businesses, and private individuals in some 55 villages daily from his home at Gerrit Bleekerstraat 28 in Kollum, initially only in the evenings. Advertisements in local free newspapers (including De Feanster) indicated where these mail items could be dropped off. The company's own Regio stamps were also available here. Soon, his son Sjouke-Siep and son-in-law Dirk Pilat, who lived in Buitenpost, joined the business to process the ever-growing piles of mail. The fact that business was booming was mainly due to rates that were highly competitive with the PTT and the good service. Consequently, the stamp sheets, always featuring a regional character, flew off the shelves. On February 12, 1999, Sjouke-Siep tied the knot with his bride, Judith van der Werf. Afterwards, some 75 guests received a thank-you card. As a surprise, Mr. Henstra affixed a stamp featuring a photo of the newlywed couple to the envelope. It wasn't long before the company's phone was ringing off the hook with philatelists from all over the country wanting a stamp like it. Regio Post also received requests from prospective bridal couples to issue wedding stamps featuring them as well. The Personal Stamp was born. Father Henstra, still overwhelmed by the sudden success of his intended one-off campaign, announced through various newspapers (Nieuwsblad van het Noorden and Algemeen Dagblad of March 18, and the Leeuwarder Courant of March 19) that he was happy to fulfill all requests. In the years that followed, it was not only marriages that were immortalized on stamps by Regio Post. Anniversaries, too, such as when Mr. Schat celebrated 35 years at the Kon. Julianaschool in Kollum in 2000, were recorded for posterity on the small pieces of perforated paper. Furthermore, companies and institutions could submit their own designs, giving rise to the Business Stamp. Father Henstra's successes did not go unnoticed by fellow municipal services in the area. For instance, Benne Sietsema of Streekpost 't Hogeland in Uithuizen (Gr.) issued two beautiful portrait stamps on September 6, 1999 (with a red and a yellow border). Pictured is the locally well-known politician Jaap Nienhuis, who has been the figurehead of Gemeentebelangen Eemsmond for 10 years. Various personal and business stamps followed at 't Hogeland as well. Meanwhile, things remain quiet at the big brother, the PTT. Dead silent. Until successor TPG begins to realize in 2003 that it is missing out on a part of its market here. Now that the giant has awakened, and customers are given the opportunity to design their own stamps through TPG, both Regio Post and 't Hogeland decide to stop issuing such stamps. But the issuance of other beautiful city stamps, featuring various novelties, will fortunately continue here for years to come. The fact that the concept of the Personal Stamp is still a huge success is evident from the large number of orders at PostNL’s Collect Club. Over the past decades, thousands of different stamps have forever captured just as many historical facts or funny moments. And due to the limited print run, they remain financially valuable items for the collector. It is no wonder that the idea has now crossed our national borders. For in Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, Japan, and the United States, you can also order stamps according to your own preferences. But that very first Personal Stamp was actually born in Kollum, Friesland…