Stamp Stories

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22507, 15 September 1938, Page 2 (Supplement)

Stamp Stories

HOLLAND

In referring recently to Czechoslovakia I mentioned a letter I had received regarding the wide interest in stamps among school children in that country. A young reader of “The Press Junior” informs me'that she has pen-friends in several countries, and she was interested in the reference to Czechoslovakia because just at

that time she had received a letter from a Dutch school boy who had remarked that “stamp collecting is the best loved SPORT for -school children” in his country. Whether it is justifiable to describe the collecting of postage stamps as a sport is doubtful, but probably what the Dutch boy meant was that philately is the most popular hobby among Dutch children. It should not be forgotten that Abel Tasman was a Dutchman, and that the name bf our Dominion provides a link with Holland, and for that reason we might be inclined to take more than an ordinary interest in the stamps of Holland. . Some of the issues, like our own, are complicated by the numerous perforation but if these are neglected, and only the different types are collected, a colourful display will result. The modern issues hi particular are appealing by reason of the subjects and of the methods of production used.

. When stamps were first issued in 1852, King William 111 had been the ruler for only three years. During ms reign there were few changes m the designs. Four sets contained h * s portrait; one set had the Arms of Holland, and the remaining set merely contained the numeral of value-within an ornamental frame. Wilhaimdied in 1890, and the pre-

(By R, J, G. Collins)

sent ruler. Queen Wilhelmina, succeeded at the age of 10, and the first stamps during her reign, therefore, depicted her as a young, girl. In 1906 the first charity set was provided, but in later years these have been issued yearly in the same way as our New Zealand Health stamps. In 1898 there was.an attempt to ensure peace among the nations and for that purpose a Peace Congress was held at The Hague. Though the irony of fate decreed that

people with Dutch blood should be embroiled in the South African war which broke out in the following year, Holland has continued to advocate the cause of peace and remained neutral from 1914 to 1918. Whether the country would be able to continue its Isolation if another conflict broke out in Europe is doubtful. It was consistent with Holland's attitude that in 1933 a special peace propaganda stamp was issued, the design of which contained the dove of peace.

In 1928 the Olympic Games were held at Antwerp, and eight stamps were provided, with designs depicting the following sports: sculling, fencing, running, horse riding, and boxing. In New Zealand, gorse is looked upon as a weed, but to the Dutch it is one of the emblems of spring, and was chosen to represent this season in an interesting set in 1932. The cornflower was selected as the representative of summer, the sunflower for autumn, and the Christmas rose for winter.

Though Wilhelmina became Queen In 1890, her formal accession did not take place until she • was 18 years of age. that is in 1898, so that the fortieth anniversary of her accession is now being commemorated. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the accession in 1923, commemorative stamps in' two designs appeared, and it is certain that the fortieth anniversary will be similarly honoured. There was much criticism of one of the designs of 1923. The Queen was shown seated on her throne, the figure and the shading in the background forming a triangle. Evidently the triangular perspective was popular among some artists in Holland at that time, and one of the charity issues of that

year had the figures ranged in a similar manner. The triangular motif was used to much • better effect in the . peace stamp of 1933, and in that year also a special stamp, triangular in shape, was issued for use on. airmail flights. This air stamp has an added interest for us because it was first used to frank the mail carried on the Dutch aeroplane which participated in the LondonMelbourne air race.

Readers should note our conditions that all fetamps sent in should be registered and should be accompanied by return registration fee and postage.