On 14 October 2026, PostNL issues the kaderpostzegelvel (framed stamp sheet) Siervogels, kleurrijk en elegant (Ornamental Birds – Colourful and Elegant), containing 10 different stamps. The release marks the annual Dag van de Postzegel (Day of the Stamp), an international event for stamp enthusiasts worldwide.
The sheet carries value indication 1 — valid for letters up to 20 grams within the Netherlands — in a print run of just 6,000 sheets. It was designed by Sandra Smulders of studio Vormgoed in Gouda and printed in offset by Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé BV in Haarlem.
The Subject: Ornamental Birds
Siervogels are birds kept and bred by hobbyists for their beautiful plumage and shapes. Most belong to the Galliformes — ground-dwelling birds that do not fly far or high, which makes them well suited to parks and gardens. The category also includes various waterbirds, pheasants, pigeons, cranes and finches; fancy finches and pigeons are typically kept in aviaries.
The sheet features ten different ornamental birds, ranging from a peacock to a vulturine guineafowl — light and dark, plain and richly coloured, each with its own background tone and viewing direction.
Stamp 1 — the peacock (pauw) from the Siervogels sheet
Stamp 2 — the vulturine guineafowl (gierparelhoen)
Design and Designer
The sheet was designed by Sandra Smulders (Vormgoed, Gouda). "I first researched which birds count as ornamental birds," she explains. "Then I searched for the very most beautiful ones, while the selection also had to suit each other on the sheet and the variation had to stay as large as possible. Light, dark and richly coloured birds I alternated as much as possible; they also have different background colours and different viewing directions."
"Some birds are placed so they look at each other on the sheet, and others not — I kept puzzling with all those variables until the sheet became a lively whole in which everything fits together and the individual birds still stand out strongly."
To unify the sheet, Smulders added four gently curling horizontal lines drawn digitally with varying thickness, with a transparent white gradient above or below creating calm on the stamps and space for text on the sheet margins. The background colours were taken from the birds' photographs and graduate softly from the corners. Above the top row and below the bottom row, enlarged details of each bird appear, showing just how beautiful their plumage is up close. For the lettering she chose the elegant Another Dreams typeface by Typoraith Co., whose curly character and two versions of the capitals match the lines on the sheet.
Why This Issue Matters
With a print run of only 6,000 sheets, the Siervogels sheet is a compact, affordable issue that will likely be snapped up quickly by Dutch stamp collectors, bird and nature themed philately collectors, and fans of PostNL Collect Club releases. Issued on the Day of the Stamp, it also makes a fitting souvenir of philately's own international celebration.
Technical Specifications
| Title | Siervogels, kleurrijk en elegant |
| Issue Date | 14 October 2026 |
| Issuing Authority | PostNL |
| Format | Stamp sheet with 10 different stamps (kaderpostzegelvel) |
| Country of Issue | Netherlands |
| Face Value | 1 — for post up to 20 g within the Netherlands |
| Print Run | 6,000 sheets |
| Stamp Size | 30 × 40 mm |
| Sheet Size | 170 × 122 mm |
| Design | Sandra Smulders / Vormgoed, Gouda |
| Colours | Cyan, magenta, yellow and black |
| Paper | Normal with phosphor print |
| Gumming | Gummed |
| Printer | Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé BV, Haarlem |
| Printing Technique | Offset |
| Article Number | 860047 |