By way of exception, this article devotes concise attention to three issues simultaneously. The reason? Three stamp sheets are being announced within a relatively short period of time.

1. Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland (SKN) is launching the 2024 children's stamp school campaign on September 25 as a 100-year-old Foundation with the publication of, among other things, the 2024 children's stamp sheet.
2. The 'Shaping the future together' emission will be released on September 30.
3. On October 3, Leiden celebrates the anniversary of its relief 350 years ago.

To maintain topicality in the 39th week of this year, Postzegelblog is obliged to give attention to all three series simultaneously, with images and brief background information, for its readers. The above was the intention, but an embargo applies to one issue! The article regarding the 'Shaping the future together' issue may only be published on the first day of issue. In other words, the article 'Shaping the future together' will be published on Monday morning, September 30.

2024 Children's stamps with a superpower in text, color, and novelty!

Children's stamps 2024 with superpower!

A week before the start of the 2024 children's stamp school campaign, SKN turned a blind eye (literally and figuratively) with a partially visible sheet of children's stamps hidden behind the SKN logo. In a surprisingly original way, you are thus alerted to the campaign and the arrival of the 2024 children's stamps with a large stamp featuring a question mark, which turns out to conceal a QR code allowing the recipient of a piece of mail franked with this superpower stamp to receive a video message. A SUPERPOWERFUL novelty! On Wednesday morning, September 25, 2024, the Kinderpostzegels 2024 stamp sheet was unveiled to the world, simultaneously with a set of picture postcards. The relationship between the images on the stamps and the cards is strong and uniform due to the encouraging superpower-based texts “You are super sweet” and “You are super fun”. More than a week after the public announcement of the children's stamp on September 25, Postzegelblog will provide further and more extensive information about the 2024 children's stamps on October 6, 2024.

450th anniversary of the Relief of Leiden of 1574

On Thursday, October 3, 2024, it will be exactly 450 years since Leiden was relieved by the Sea Beggars after a months-long siege by Spanish troops during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). Through this stamp sheet, PostNL pays tribute to the heroes of that time and stories surrounding the relief. Philatelic contributor to Postzegelblog, Willem van Hogendoorn, acting as a Leiden city guide, provided both designers with ample historical information about the city during a guided tour.

Relief of Leiden 450 years: issue date October 3, 2024

Issue details: graphic designers are Anne Schaufell and Huub de Lang of Studio 26 in Velp, print run of 80.000 stamp sheets with 6 stamps featuring 2 different designs, printer Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé BV, Haarlem.

Interpretation of stamp sheet

1. Both stamps feature a central arrangement surrounded by stylized flying carrier pigeons (they embrace the stamp image, as it were), which fly off the stamp sheet over the images.
2. On the tabs on either side of the stamps, the carrier pigeons fly out.
3. Stylized herrings are depicted over the perforations of stamps, tabs, and stamp sheet margins.
4. The colors blue and green have a historically significant relationship with the city: in the past, these colors had to be applied to bridges in Leiden according to regulations.

 

Interpretation of stamp with tab

Left stamp

1. The left stamp is dedicated to the siege by a starving population. Two starving women lie sleeping dazed under the blankets, while to their left, two people lie with their heads touching. One of them is being offered something to eat. In the foreground, a man and a woman are depicted vacantly.
2. Two stamp portraits: on the left stands Jan van Hout, City Secretary of Leiden. On the right stands Jan van der Does, commander during the siege and city commandant. Both portraits are positioned diagonally in a head-down position at the bottom of the stamp.
3. Two tab portraits: above stands Pieter van der Werf, mayor of Leiden during the first and second sieges. Below (head down) stands Dirk van Bronkhorst, military governor, appointed by William of Orange.
4. The bottom and top tab images show a map of Leiden surrounded by forts and redoubts. In the distance, the fleet is sailing towards the city.

  Right stamp  

1. The stamp on the right depicts the relief of the Sea Beggars, who are distributing herring and white bread to the population from their ships.
2. Two stamp portraits: on the left stands Louis de Boisot, Lieutenant Admiral and commander of the Geuzen fleet. On the right stands William of Orange, leader of the revolt against the Spanish rulers. Both portraits are positioned diagonally in a head-down position at the bottom of the stamp.
3. Two tab portraits: Magdalena Moons, lover of the Spanish army leader De Valdes, who possibly persuaded him to postpone the attack on Leiden. Below (headfirst): Willem Cornelisz van Duyvenbode, church organist who smuggled his pigeons out of the city for correspondence with William of Orange and the Geuzen.
4. The bottom and top tab images show the university's academy building, received as a gift from William of Orange after the resistance.