The mourning stamp bears no indication of the face value.

A postal stationery item is a pre-franked postal item (such as a postcard or an airmail sheet [aerogram]), on which the postage, usually in the form of a printed stamp or text, is already present at the time of purchase. The sender therefore does not need to affix a separate stamp to it. No postage value indication has been applied to the accompanying mourning stamp.

Particularly thoughtful letter with mourning stamp
Recently, I came across a pre-stamped window envelope containing a PostNL A4 sheet with the specialized subject line “A funeral card is on its way to you”. The text indicates that the delivery of the card has been delayed. In consultation with the sender, the postal service has decided, with this letter of apology, to inform the addressee in advance about the funeral.

No postage indication is stated on the pre-franked stamp. To the right of the stamp, in a square frame, is the informative text “Postage paid PostNL”, which indicates the reason for this peculiarity.

Issue of the first mourning stamp
On January 2, 1998, the first 80-cent mourning stamp for mourning letters was issued in our country. The designer, Rutger Fuchs, gave the square stamp a neutral blue-gray color with a diagonal color gradient. The color gradient can be associated with a horizon, a beginning, an end, or a light (or a lightning bolt [if one wishes] at the end of the journey of life).

Designer Fuchs took a number of aspects into account during the design: “The mourning stamp should be sober, neutral, stylish, and fitting for that special occasion. The use of colors such as red, purple, and black is undesirable due to various religious beliefs, as are persons and symbols.”

The '80 ct' and 'Netherlands' face value form a unified whole with the background because the color gradient in the typography is reversed. The year is omitted to give the stamp a more timeless character.

Hidden message
The grieving process following the death of a loved one is irregular and inconsistent for surviving relatives. A little of this is reflected in this abstractly executed typographic stamp. The four-line text 'NEDER…LAND……….80…C' splits into two parts. A line has been forgotten, so to speak.

This depicts not only the irregular, but also the loss or absence of someone. The alternation of light and dark in letters and numbers and the grey-blue image naturally also indicate the change in the emotional state of a surviving relative.

Six mourning stamps
Over the years, with short and long intervals in between, six different mourning stamps with varied face value denominations and figures have been issued: 80 C (1994/2000), euro 0,39/85C (2001), euro 0,39 (2002), euro 0,44 (2006), 1 (2010), 2 (2020). The abstract image has remained unchanged.

With the 2010 and 2020 issues, the white border around the slightly enlarged stamp image is less dominant. As far as I know and can recall, no attention was paid to the accompanying postal item without a face value indication.

In the reasonably near future, you can expect a supplementary informational article from me regarding other postage-paid stamps. The corresponding stamps are sometimes only applied to a postal item in printed form, but sometimes they are also issued in physical form.

Preliminary information regarding this under-reported philatelic subject in the philatelic press can be found on pages 272/73 of the 2026 Special Catalogue.