New Issue: Children's Welfare Stamps (Netherlands)

Children's Welfare stamps in the Netherlands are charity stamps sold with a surcharge to fund projects for the Stichting Kinderpostzegels (Children's Welfare Stamps Foundation), which supports "developmental opportunities" for children in the Netherlands and abroad. They have been created annually for many, many years and are called Kind postzegels in Dutch. They first appeared in 1924 and have been issued every year since apart from the war years. They have a specific design and theme each year, and are often designed by a well-known artist. Kind postzegels can be bought from Post Offices but they are also sold door-to-door by primary school pupils.

The 2025 issue was released on 6th October and was designed by Jan van Haasteren who is a famous illustrator of jigsaw puzzles. This year's theme is "Together against loneliness" .

Design Quality - There is a comic book style to these but it's a good idea for children's welfare stamps. The five different stamps fit together to create a picture, which works really well. 7/10

Theme and subject choice - Themes vary every year but they are always connected to children. This year's theme, tackling loneliness together, is a very good one. 8/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - There's obviously a lot of historical and cultural relevance to these stamps and there is a century-old tradition behind them. Mr van Haasteren's jigsaws are very well known in the Netherlands as is his distinctive style of artwork. 8/10

Innovation and Creativity - These have been created in Mr van Haasteren's famous style. 6/10

Collectability - A lot of people collect these. They are very popular both in the Netherlands and around the world. 10/10 Personal appeal - I think these are really good stamps. I like the illustrative style. But even more than that I like the tradition of an annual charity stamp and the fact that children take them around their towns and villages to sell. 10/10 Overall score: 49/60