door PostNL will issue the stamp sheet Amsterdam 750 years on 2 January 2025. This release is part of the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the Dutch capital. Amsterdam will officially turn 750 years old on 27 October 2025, with festivities spanning the entire year, having begun on 27 October 2024. The stamp sheet Amsterdam 750 years was designed by graphic designer Michiel Schuurman from Amsterdam. The stamps carry a value of 1 for mail weighing up to 20 grams destined within the Netherlands. The price for a sheet of 5 stamps is €6.05.
SUBJECT
The earliest document mentioning the name “Amsterdam” dates back to 27 October 1275. In this 750-year-old charter, Count Floris V of Holland granted toll exemption to several hundred residents of ‘Amestelledamme’. The name Amsterdam is derived from the dam constructed in the 13th century on the River Amstel, at what is now the Dam Square. Shortly after 1300, Amsterdam was granted city rights. The city grew into Holland’s most important trading hub during the 15th century, due to its port and trade with the Baltic Sea. With the fall of Antwerp in 1585, Amsterdam entered a period of great prosperity as many merchants moved north, making Amsterdam the centre of global trade. Throughout the 17th century, its population continued to grow, and the city expanded, notably with the construction of its world-famous canal ring.
By 1860, Amsterdam had become a major industrial city. Around the city centre, a large, modern city arose with 19th-century working-class neighbourhoods like De Pijp, Kinkerbuurt, and the upscale Vondelpark district. Later, expansions followed, including Plan Zuid (1917), Nieuw-West (after 1945), Buitenveldert (after 1958), and the Bijlmermeer (after 1966). In the 1960s, Amsterdam became a focal point for the cultural revolution. The youth successfully opposed municipal plans to demolish old neighbourhoods, build highways through the city, and construct high-rise buildings. In the 1970s and 1980s, urban renewal often coincided with squatter riots. In subsequent decades, urban development focused on the city’s edges, including projects like the Eastern Docklands, IJburg, Nieuw Sloten, and the Zuidas business district.
The 750th anniversary of the capital will be celebrated for a full year, from 27 October 2024 to 27 October 2025. The celebration includes hundreds of events and special occasions, such as the opening concert at the Ziggo Dome, the Amsterdam-themed musical Onze Jordaan, the largest street football tournament in Amsterdam, exhibitions in Amsterdam museums, The Great Amsterdam Quiz, The Future Ten Days, special programmes and activities in all districts, and a grand party on the A10 ring road, which will be completely car-free on 21 June 2025. The anniversary year will culminate in a spectacular celebration on 27 October 2025, Amsterdam’s official 750th birthday.
DESIGN
The Amsterdam 750 years stamp sheet contains 5 stamps in 5 different designs. Each stamp prominently features the number 750 in the same full-frame design. The number takes the form of a winding, continuous ribbon with alternating views of its front and back. The three crosses of Amsterdam’s coat of arms appear at the start of the ribbon, which ends in a serpentine shape. Each stamp has a unique colour scheme, and the ribbon alternates between 3, 5, and 6 colour bands. The number 750 includes the country name, “Netherlands,” the denomination “1,” and the year 2025. The sorting hook is placed between the 5 and the 0. The perforations of the self-adhesive stamps follow the contours of the number 750. Only the vertical stripes from the coat of arms of Amsterdam extend onto the sheet margin. On the sheet margin, there are 9 illustrations of serpentine forms in colours derived from the stamps. Four of these serpentine shapes have perforated edges and can be detached as self-adhesive stickers. At the top left of the sheet is the so-called 750-garland used by the city of Amsterdam to decorate all festivities surrounding the special anniversary.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typography uses the Antique Olive font, designed by Roger Excoffon (1962–1966, Fonderie Olive/URW Type Foundry).
DESIGNER
The Amsterdam 750 years stamp sheet was designed by Michiel Schuurman, a graphic designer from Amsterdam. Schuurman not only lives and works in the capital but was also born and raised there. “I was born at the Burgerziekenhuis in Amsterdam East, on Linnaeusstraat. I’ve lived all over the city, explored all the neighbourhoods, and often lived as a property guardian. Nowadays, I’ve been living in East again for years – it suits me best.”
Big subject
Schuurman describes the topic of Amsterdam 750 Years as vast, in every sense. “Big and grand. Both the city itself and its history and culture. That’s why I first started sketching the subject by creating images based on all kinds of associations. From the Jordaan to the underworld, from Waterlooplein to the squatting culture. But everything I showed said more about what wasn’t included than what was. How do you summarise 750 years of city life? You’d need at least an entire book. Fifty years ago, the designers of the stamp commemorating the 700th anniversary of the city chose a photo of a group of Amsterdammers crossing the street. A good choice for a fragment, a snapshot.”
Ribbons and serpentines
Schuurman chose the celebration as the basis for his commemorative stamps. “The city is using an overarching logo for the hundreds of festivities. You can see the 750-garland at the top left of the sheet. The ribbon shape of this garland is the foundation of the design. You can see it in all the serpentine shapes and in the number 750, which consists of one long ribbon. That wasn’t my first concept, though. At first, I worked with the three crosses from Amsterdam’s coat of arms, trying to capture them in a layered design as if you were looking back in time through the crosses. It didn’t work; it was too much, too complex. As an alternative, the three crosses now appear in the context of Amsterdam’s colours, as a lead-in to the largest possible number 750 in ribbon form. That big number drives home the message that this is a jubilee year. The ribbon and the serpentines show it’s a celebration. In true Amsterdam fashion, the stamps are boldly large. They have that big-city attitude.”
Living it up with numbers
Once Schuurman changed his concept, the process picked up speed. “It really took off. In my work, you often discover along the way what a design needs to bring the subject to life. It was fantastic to let loose on the design of a few numbers. It’s a dream come true for a designer, something you don’t often get to do. The stamps had to be dynamic. The numbers reference both geometric letters and the curly lettering found on the windows of Amsterdam cafés. It’s a perfect balance between the two. I often create geometric patterns with undulating movements, but this was my first time doing it on this scale. It was exciting.”
Fixation
Michiel Schuurman regularly changes design styles, and he explores each new style in depth. “My current fixation is on the undulating shapes with race track elements, which you can see in the number 750. What fascinates me is the fluidity, curves, and complexity that this brings. For each assignment, the challenge is to unite my fixation with the subject—in this case, the celebration of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary. For me, this is also the only way to get good at something, by working through different assignments. Each project produces something unique that wouldn’t have come about otherwise. I thrive when someone says: ‘This is what I want; can you put your spin on it?’”
Decorative Elements
Colourful
The festive aspect of the design for the Amsterdam 750 years stamps is reflected in the colourful patterns, which are also used to soften the dominant red and black of the Amsterdam coat of arms. Schuurman: “When choosing the colours and their sequence, I wanted to avoid any resemblance to flags. Amsterdam is a city of over 170 nationalities at present. There is no single flag that represents that. So I created my own mix of primary and blended colours that either match or contrast. The colour combinations give each stamp its own mood. For example, the top stamp is hardcore Amsterdam, while the colours of the bottom stamp evoke the city as a magical centre in the 1960s.”
Decorative elements
Schuurman included more references in his design, such as the decorative elements of the Amsterdam School. “As someone who walks through the city a lot, you can’t help but stumble upon the sculptures by Hildo Krop, who decorated many of the city’s bridges. I share his fascination with the use of geometric shapes. In the design, you can also see a reference to tattoos, particularly the ribbons often seen in tattoos bearing the name of a loved one. It’s not about the tattoos themselves, I’m not into that, but about the form. The arrangement of the individual serpentines on the sheet margin also refers to this. The stamp sheet ends up looking like one of those tattoo parlour boards, showing options for customers to choose froe.”
Typography
For the typography, Schuurman chose Antique Olive, a typeface from the 1960s. “My preference for this font comes from Gerard Unger, one of my teachers at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. He was fond of this typeface. The Antique Olive is funky, cheerful, and stately in a quirky way, making it a perfect match. I even adjusted the number 1 from the typeface to make it more recognisable, adding a serif for a touch of Amsterdam flair.”
Designer
Michiel Schuurman (Amsterdam, 1974) studied graphic design from 1998 to 2000 at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, and from 2000 to 2002 at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Since graduating, he has worked as a freelance graphic designer, except for the years 2012-2016, when he was a designer for textile manufacturer Vlisco in Helmond. In recent years, Schuurman has worked on projects for Amsterdam Roots (festival organisation), Block C (gallery), Lush Netherlands (cosmetics), The New Institute (cultural centre), Nike (fashion), Vlisco (textiles), De Volkskrant (newspaper), and Ymere (housing corporation). In addition to his design work, Schuurman teaches at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. For PostNL, Schuurman previously designed the stamp sheet “Gewoontjes” (2019).
SALES/VALIDITY
The Amsterdam 750 years stamps are available while stocks last at post offices in Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. They can also be ordered by phone from the customer service of Collect Club at 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
VALUE
These stamps each bear a denomination of 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands. The price per sheet of 5 stamps is €6.05.
TECHNICAL DATA
Stamp size: 61.89 x 29.89 mm
Sheet size: 144 x 150 mm
Paper: normal with phosphor coating
Gumming: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print run: 115,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 5 stamps in 5 different designs
Denomination: 1 for mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands
Design: Michiel Schuurman, Amsterdam
Printing company: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 450161
SUMMARY
Issue: Amsterdam 750 Years
Issue date: 2 January 2025
Appearance: Sheet of 5 special stamps in 5 different designs, each with a denomination of 1 for mail up to 20 grams sent within the Netherlands
Item number: 450161
Design: Michiel Schuurman, Amsterdam
COPYRIGHT © 2025 Koninklijke PostNL BV
