“By God, I think the devil shits Dutchmen!” This famous remark was made by Sir William Batten during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667. The Dutch fleet had broken through the defensive chain across the Thames, sailed up the river without any English resistance of note, and managed to attack and torch most of the large English naval ships. On their return to sea, the Dutch towed away the Royal Charles, flagship of the English navy, as a war trophy.
The “Raid on the Medway” is still considered by many the greatest Dutch naval victory in history and the most humiliating English naval defeat. However, the Treaty of Breda which followed the war, was rather favourable to the English; admittedly, they lost Surinam to the Dutch, but were allowed to keep New Amsterdam in North America, which had already been taken from the Dutch and renamed New York, after the then Duke of York, the future King James II, a formidable naval commander in his own right.
In charge during the Raid on the Medway was one of the most famous Dutch naval heroes of all time, Admiral Michiel Adriaenszoon De Ruyter (1607-1676). This year marks the 400th anniversary of his birth but rather unexpectedly, despite his lasting fame, the Dutch TNT has not honoured the man with a proper stamp issue. However, in a number of other ways the anniversary has been marked by them.
First of all there is a generic sheetlet of ten personal stamps, similar to the British Smilers© sheets. The sheetlet, printed in lithography by Joh. Enschedé & Sons, includes two designs, one stamp depicting De Ruyter himself (from a portrait by Ferdinand Bol) and the other stamp his flagship De Zeven Provinciën. It is the first sheet of a long series (a total of in all 50 sheets is ‘promised’!) named “The Canon of the Netherlands”, depicting famous Dutch personalities.
This issue is a mirror image of the 1957 issue, which marked the 350th anniversary of De Ruyter’s birth. That set was designed by Lou Strik (10c) and E. Thorn Leeson (30c). In those days, recess-printing would sometimes still be used by the Dutch and the set, printed by Enschedé, is a fine example of what can be achieved with that process. This holds especially true for the 30c value depicting the flagship. The detail on that stamp is very fine.
That same flagship was also included in a set of charity stamps issued in 1973. This set, designed by Sjoerd de Vries and Ab Gratama, is based on a shipping theme and has no further links to De Ruyter.
If we just stick to the watery theme for a little bit longer, we should also include the 5c of the 1944 Dutch definitives. The set has become known as the “London” set, as it was ordered by the Dutch government in exile in London. The stamps are recess-printed in England by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd. The 5c depicts the cruiser De Ruyter, obviously named after the Dutch naval hero. The stamp is designed by J.B. Romein and engraved by A. B. Hill.
The second commemorative item is the official FDC logo for this year. Very cleverly, the designs for the official Dutch FDCs, produced by the NVPH, the Dutch Association of Stamp Dealers, are based upon a central theme. Thus, in 2005, when Queen Beatrix celebrated her Silver Jubilee, all designs took the shape of her silhouette, and in 2006, when the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth was commemorated, the designs were in the shape of paint brush strokes. This year, to mark De Ruyter’s 400th birth anniversary, the official FDCs are based on a ship and even include a banner marking the event.
The last in the row of this year’s De Ruyter anniversary products is the issue of postage paid stamps, produced by the Dutch TNT in association with www.marktplaats.nl. This issue is part of an ongoing cooperation between the Dutch postal authorities and the Dutch equivalent of eBay. The set of three stamps includes the obligatory portrait and maritime scenes but also a design incorporating the De Ruyter statue.
This cast iron statue, overlooking the sea, can be found in Vlissingen (Flushing), the town where Michiel de Ruyter was born in 1607. It is no coincidence that the statue can also be found on the Vlissingen sheetlet of the “Mooi Nederland” series, issued earlier this year.
This miniature sheet is part of an ongoing series portraying scenic towns of the Netherlands. Another sheet from that series, based on The Hague, also has a deliberate reference to De Ruyter’s birth anniversary by incorporating the street sign “De Ruyterstraat”.
The first time the Flushing statue was depicted on a stamp was in 1976. A single stamp was issued to mark the 300th anniversary of his death. The design by Walter Nikkels very successfully conveys the overpowering impression De Ruyter had on others by showing the statue from below.
One of De Ruyter’s earliest naval feats was to try and regain Dutch territory from the English in the 1660s. After the First Anglo-Dutch War, further conflicts of interest between the two maritime powers were battled out in North America. In 1664, the English had conquered Dutch territories, including Curaçao and New Amsterdam. Michiel de Ruyter, who was to work his way up from sailor to Lieutenant-Admiral-General (a rank created specially for him), was sent to the area to fight them. In 1666, he captured various English vessels and delivered supplies to the Dutch colony at St Eustatius. The conflict would later spill over into the Second Anglo-Dutch War, which, as mentioned in the beginning, would end with the Treaty of Breda, with various territories changing hands.
A stamp issued in 1966 by the Netherlands Antilles marks De Ruyter’s stay at the colony at St Eustatius in 1666,
and the obelisk erected in memory of De Ruyter features on a number of values of the Disberg definitives (so named after its designer) that were issued in the Netherlands Antilles between 1958 and 1977.
In Surinam, a set of stamps was issued in 1967 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Breda. The set depicts the castle where the treaty was negotiated and signed, as well as the territories involved in the exchange.
All the Anglo-Dutch Wars and the Boer War centuries later could well have had a detrimental effect on how the Dutch regarded the English and this was a notion the Germans eagerly tried to exploit when occupying the Netherlands during World War II. In 1943 they ordered the issue of a set of definitives in the Netherlands, depicting various Dutch naval heroes who had fought against the English, thereby hoping to stir up any anti-British sentiment. However, it completely backfired, for all it did was evoke stronger patriotic feelings among the Dutch! Michiel de Ruyter was, of course, also included in that definitive set. That particular stamp, the 7½c, was designed and engraved by the well-known Dutch stamp designer Sem Hartz. It is printed in photogravure by Enschedé. There are two versions of the stamp. Type I has thick value and letters, with the word “NEDERLAND” touching the outer side frames of the design.
Type II has thinner lettering and the word “NEDERLAND” no longer touches the frame.
There are a number of small plate flaws to collect, which mainly consist of extra dots on various parts of the design, e.g. just above the first “R” of “DE RUYTER”.
Michiel de Ruyter made his philatelic debut one century ago, in 1907. A set of three low values was issued on 23 March 1907 to mark the 300th anniversary of his birth.
The design depicts De Ruyter and a naval fleet in action. The stamps, designed by W.A. Mouton and engraved by J. Walter, were printed in typography by Enschedé. This was only the second commemorative set issued in the Netherlands. The first set, issued a year before in 1906, was a TB charity set.
Inadvertently, the portrait of Queen Wilhelmina was not incorporated in the design for that TB set. As laid down by law, all Dutch stamps with a value of three cents or higher had to bear the monarch’s portrait, and the set was made up of a 1c, 3c, and 5c! As no time was left to come up with new designs, a special Royal Decree had to be prepared to allow the issue to go ahead. In 1907, the Dutch postal authorities did not want to make the same mistake again and made sure that the De Ruyter set was made up of low values only. Consequently, the stamps were only valid for inland use.
A number of constant varieties exist on each value. On the ½c a white line through the second D of NEDERLAND can be found. The 1c has a dent in the bottom left frame line and that value may also come with an extra cannonball, just below one of the larger flags.
On the 2½c a little line can be found between the two frame lines below the M. A second variety on that value is a white spot at the left end of the scroll bearing the word 1907.
The issue becomes even more complicated when we take a look at the postage dues. The normal postage stamps were on sale and valid for use during a limited period only, from 23 March to 31 May 1907. The rather large quantities of all three values that were left after this period were overprinted with the word PORTZEGEL (postage due stamp) and a new value.
A total of thirteen different postage due values were thus produced, ranging from ½c to 1g. The stamps were issued on 1 November 1907.
The five ½c values come in two types. Type I has the fraction placed 1mm away from the main value figure, whereas on Type II the fraction is placed closer to the main figure (½ mm). The 1½c, 2½c, 6½c and 12½c values were printed in whole sheets of either Type I or II. These are therefore relatively common and don’t come at much of a premium. The 7½c value, however, was printed only in sheets of Type I, with on every sheet one copy of a Type II stamp. This Type II stamp is therefore much rarer and is ideally collected as a pair with the normal Type I stamp. The same goes for the 12½c Type II. Although whole sheets of Type I and Type II exist, as noted before, the Type I sheets are similar to the 7½c value sheets, i.e. one Type II stamp can be found on the Type I sheets. So again, a pair of 12½c stamps with Types I and II is very collectable.
It comes as no surprise that the various plate flaws of the ordinary set may also be found on the postage due stamps. The only plate flaw listed in the Dutch NVPH special catalogue, however, is the “white line through second D of NEDERLAND”, to be found on seven values.
The flaw on the 2½c (the extra little line below the M) exists on the postage due versions as well, and that may well be the case for the other flaws too.
There is also a constant variety of the overprint, consisting of a colon between the E and N of CENT on the 5c and 25c values. The postage due set was replaced in 1912 by a new set of specially designed postage due stamps.
And with this set we’ve “battled through” a century of Michiel de Ruyter issues. With such a variety of stamps to be had, it is clear that there are many ways to set up a nice collection, from collecting the cheap and cheerful modern issues, easy to get and great to look at, to the more traditional way of collecting the 1907 issue, with the more challenging items to hunt down!© 2007, AKPhilately
An edited version of this article was published in Stamp Magazine of December 2007.
And while you're at it, 
I try to update one of them daily with at least a paragraph and a picture, so if you come back every once in a while, you'll find new stuff to enjoy (well, hopefully anyway).
And this is a close-up of one of the stamps. 
I like the overall design of the sheets, it's very nice and bubbly and springlike, just like the weather!
And here's a close-up of one of them, the little wren, one of my favourites. 
He's already beavering away in our garden wall, probably looking for places for his nests. Did you know that he first makes several nests and then he invites a/his female around for her to make the final choice! How gallant!
The stamps depict the Alder (alnus glutinosa) and the White Willow (salix alba). Previous stamps in the series tended to concentrate on details like bark or leaf, but what I like about these is that they show the tree as a whole and leave the detail for the tabs. The willow, especially, is a very atmospheric stamp. Could almost have been a Christmas stamp!
:-)
But as this is a philatelic blog rather than just a family affair, let me add that they may well have seen this stamp on some of their mail that day, as it was part of the then current commemorative set.
It's a charity set with proceeds going to the Wilhelmina Cancer Fund. However, it is more likely that 99% of all envelopes would have had this stamp on, 10c being the inland letter rate at the time.
Anyway, have a nice day (hopefully a little drier than over here) and speak soon!
(detail)
Later, in 1927/8, there appeared to be a demand for horizontal coils as well (rather than just vertical), so Enschedé improved on its idea and introduced interrupted perfs on all four sides, so horizontal or vertical coils could be made from the same sheets.
And it was not just the Wilhelmina definitives that were given this treatment, the "Carrier Pigeon" low value definitives, too, were made available for coil stamp dispensing machines. And even certain commemoratives, notedly the child welfare stamps, were produced thusly.
The horizontal coils were not a success, however, and were soon discontinued. A new type of vertical coil perf interruption was then introduced but soon after, the normal sheet perforations were changed in such a way that the strips were strong enough to be used as coils so the interrupted perfs were discontinued altogether, but they're still a nice field to collect with strips and blocks coming at a premium.
It's a stamp from the 1937 Child Welfare set from Holland. The design is by Pijke Koch and it is based on a painting by Frans Hals. This is the original painting.
As you can see, the stamp design is not just a simple copy of the painting but the painting has been incorporated in the overall design. A beauty of a painting and a beauty of a stamp!
:-)
It's very similar to the Machin design: just a portrait of the monarch and a value. The only difference is that the Dutch were obliged to add the country name, which of course the British don't have to. And this profile design predates the Machin stamp by 14 years! Sorry about that, guys!
So there's another way to make your Juliana collection (what, haven't you got one?) a bit more interesting!
:-)
The 4c shows a tower mill. These are usually found within built-up areas. They therefore have to be high enough to still catch wind. Halfway, there is a gallery or balcony (where the railings are) from where the miller can operate the wings.
The 8c shows a polder draining mill. These mills were used to drain water from the polders.
The post-mill shown on the 12c is the oldest wooden type of windmill in the Low Countries. The top bit rests on a post and can turn to face the wind.
He was then also asked to make designs for a similar definitive set for the Dutch colonies. Again, his design was accepted and shown here is the key value of the first set of these stamps for the Netherlands Indies, issued from 1902 onwards. These stamps would also be issued in Curaçao and Surinam. The stamps are printed in letterpress by Enschedé of Holland.
Some ten years later, the design would be altered slightly to make the value stand out more clearly. The stamps were still printed by Enschedé.
Vürtheim's design would have a long life in the Dutch colonies, for in 1940 another version of the 5c stamp would appear, this time printed by the Topografische Dienst Batavia. This reprint was necessary due to the fact that stocks of the then current definitives (which were normally shipped from the Netherlands, being printed by Enschedé) could not be replenished because of the war.
The Amsterdam Society got one up on Rotterdam for their Society was to be represented on a set of postage stamps, a charity issue (though no mention is made of any surcharge on the actual stamps) issued in December 1906. This was the very first non-definitive issue from the Netherlands.
These stamps were only sold from the Amsterdam (sub) post offices. They were for sale for a very limited period, and the remainder was destroyed with the large circular cancel "AMSTERDAM 31 JAN 07, 10-12N". These stamps were bought by philatelic dealers so these are the ones you see most often.
However, don't be fooled into paying too much for them! A used set of three with this cancel is worth at the most some 5 pounds (say 7 euros). After all, some 2,220,000 stamps were cancelled this way! A properly (id est postally) used set would set you back some 50 pounds (70 euros)! Here I show you a stamp cancelled on the first day of issue, 21 December 1906.
The stamps could be ordered as well, which is why cancels from places other than Amsterdam are found, though relatively scarce.
The stamps were very popular at the time of issue too, for the design has been used for many advertising purposes. Like this one for the tea company Karel's Thee in Groningen.
This example here is a letterpress printed copy of the actual stamp (in larger format) with a fake cancellation, reading "KAREL'S THEE GRONINGEN". The whole set was reproduced in this way. They also produced a similar set with their company's name included in the design. I'll show you that some other day.
But even that met with a lot of criticism, more so because the cylinder numbers were placed in the top centre, exactly where half sheets were torn or where whole sheets were folded, so trying to get an unfolded cylinder pair was hard work!
Royal Mail, take heed!
But now we finally have another recess-printed stamp! Celebrating the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt, the Dutch PTT have issued a sheetlet with ten ordinary stamps, a prestige booklet which apparently is basically an advertisement for a Rembrandt musical and a miniature sheet with one €6.45 stamp (prepaying the registered letter rate), and that stamp is printed in a combination of recess and (I suppose) photogravure or litho.
It's a beauty of a stamp but it's a pity that you won't see it on your mail at all (unlike the 1979 stamp which prepaid the inland letter rate), but hey, as an ardent fan of recess-printed stamps I'm not complaining and this sheet will get pride of place in my Dutch collection!
