Postex 2010 - a retrospective view

While I am typing this text the first snow of this winter season is falling down. Not very attractive to ride out on a motorcycle. Quite a difference with 1 month ago.
After a week with very nice autumn weather, the Postex was on the programme on October 15th. The MFN wanted to get more attention for motorcycle philately and the Dutch Motorcycle Philatelists by means of its own booth during the Postex weekend.

The almost empty MFN booth under construction

The weeks before the Postex the members who will man the MFN booth receive an invitation with the time that they are expected. The collections and promotion materials are gathered and flyers are made. Fully loaded I am driving my shiny polished motorcycle in the direction of Apeldoorn. Just before the first raindrops begin to fall I am riding my motorcycle inside.

The BMW F800 has just been delivered by Simako-BDM

Soon Gerard van der Linden and his wife Astrid arrive. And someone from Simako-BDM who comes to deliver a BMW to cheer up our booth. Later committee member Paul Essens tells us this is a special model (see the article of Hans de Kloet). We start to decorate the booth. The exhibition frames are filled with various collections and promotional materials.

Gerard busy to fill the exhibition frames

At that moment Eric Mulder appears. Nico has organized enough passepartouts, which makes that it is no problem to guide all assistants into the building. Everybody works hard to finish the booth before the exposition opens. The table is covered with table-centres, newsletters, catalogues, flyers, and a standard with philatelic material. Eye-catcher are the new MFN stamps: a general promotion stamp and a special Postex stamp. Both with the value imprint 1.

The new MFN promotion stamp and the special Postex stamp

All together the results look very good. At the end the peppermints are put on the table. For now everything is ready, and we get us some coffee. With Nico's treacle waffles the MFN crew enjoys a short moment of rest. But soon after the first visitors enter the building, the MFN booth is visited.

Everything is ready to receive the visitors

Although the club already exists more than 20 years, there are still a lot of people surprised that there is a club of motorcycle stamp collectors. Next from looking to the various exposition frames, there is a lot of talking about motorcycles. Especially older collectors, who rode a motorcycle just before or after World War II, tell us nice stories. About motorcycles which names we do not know anymore. About the bad conditions in which they had to ride in those days.
Some interested people take a flyer and a newsletter. What sells well are the personalised stamps. The general promotion stamp is available for all visitors. Loose stamps or a whole sheet of 10. The special Postex stamps are only available for members.

One of the first MFN members that we may welcome is André Sierink. Always busy to expand his collection. To hearten the booth crew, he treats us with sweets to our coffee. Soon more club members follow, and before we notice it is already time for lunch. The Postex organisation supplies the booth crews with a packed lunch. Good service! What a pity, Hans, just missed. The chairman had to work first, and arrives just after lunch to enhance the crew. This gives us the opportunity to look around to the expositions and the traders.

The fully furnished booth

I also make a tour through the hall and see at the TNT booth a nice frame filled with Barbie dolls and.... personalised stamps of Barbie and Ken with a Harley-Davidson. The owner of this handicraft is, except from TNT employee, a passionate Barbie collector. Her collection is now exposed in the toy museum in Deventer. The stamps have not been made through the website, but printed in the TNT exhibition booth. Those sheets can be recognized because they lack a serial number. Apart from the TNT booth, this can also be done on a few larger post offices.

The frame devoted to Barbie; in the middle Barbie and Ken with the HD

The day passes quickly, and before we notice it is announced that the exposition is about to close, and that everyone is requested to leave the building. Because my motorcycle stays on the exhibition, I drive back home with Hans.

The next day we return to Apeldoorn. We are just at the booth when the telephone rings. Peter Fidder, who is joining the team today, is waiting for the door. When we return to the booth together, the first interested visitors are already in discussion with Hans. Just like Friday there is a lot of attention for our booth, and a lot of visitors want to know something about motorcycle (philately) or want to buy our personalised stamps. Also committee member Paul Essens drops by, together with his wife. He can tell us more about the special BMW.

When I see that it is quiet in the TNT booth I go there to see if I can buy a few Barbie stamps. With my most charmingly smile I achieve that she is willing to sell me one sheet of the first, and even two sheets of the other stamp. Perhaps it helps that I tell that they are intended for the members of the Dutch Motorcycle Philatelists. Back in the MFN booth I tear the sheets apart and sell some loose stamps to the club members. Next weekend is the club's autumn meeting and there I can sell stamps that are eventually left.

Peter also feels comfortable behind the booth's table. Sometimes all 3 of us are in conversation with visitors. Today also the organisation supplies us a lunch. Because we are with a larger crew everybody can take some time to look at the traders or other specialised clubs. Amazing how fast also this Saturday passes by. 'Time flies when you are having fun'. On our way back home Hans and I look back on this very nice day.

Sunday we are again on time present in the America hall. Today Leendert Grootveld and Jan van der Haar come to assist us. On our arrival Leendert is already waiting, and while he goes to the booth together with Hans, I am getting us some coffee. Unfortunately the number of visitors is a little disappointing this day. But on the other hand this gives us all the opportunity to expand our collection or look at the exposition frames. Also the number of MFN members was clearly lower than during the 2 other days. All together it were tiring days, but it was a nice experience to see a large exhibition from the other side. And whether this brings us new members? Time will tell. See you at the exhibition in Loosdrecht.

Nico Helling

Overview over the Postex 2010

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