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Simular to the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines complimentary gift of small ceramic replicas of historical houses, Holland America Line hands out ceramic Delft Blue tiles in various forms and shapes, as part of their Mariner Society Rewards Program.
Since there is no accurate administration, it was not exactly known how many different tiles have been produced on behalf of Holland America Line. For the last 60 years the majority of the ceramic tiles have been manufactured by Royal Goedenwaagen-Gouda in Nieuw-Buinen, The Netherlands. On a global basis a search has been initiated by collectors to make an inventory of all tile editions from Royal Goedewaagen-Gouda. That inventory has been completed. The number of issued HAL official tile editions is set at 339 pieces. All tiles can be found on this website. Estimated 80 tiles are issued by associated organizations.
My collection consists of 417 tiles and 8 tile tableaus. The items in this collection have been acquired through website and exhibition purchases, through auctions and gifts.
Update September 1, 2025:
Some time ago I was in contact with Albert Vanderheide – publisher of the Windmill Herald and Hollandia News since 1969 – who published the twelve-part series Emigrant Ships. This series from 2000 (at the time available in his bookstore) is a re-issue of the tiles released in 1978, which depict an anchor. The logos of the two newspapers are incorporated into this anchor. Albert also sent me the two tiles depicting a departure scene from the Wilhelminakade in Rotterdam (see menu Emigrant Ships). Contact with Albert has led to me being able to add two new acquisitions in the series of anchor tiles to my collection (see the News menu).
The other series Emigrant Ships, shown here above, was offered in 1983 to buyers of Albert VanderMey’s book “To All Our Children: the Story of the Postwar Dutch Immigration to Canada”. This series can be found in the menu Earlier Tiles.
It has now been announced that a new, four-piece series of Mariner Collection tiles will be released from the ceramic yard. This 2025-2027 series was also produced at Royal Goedewaagen in Nieuw Buinen. The tiles feature four unique designs, each representing a class of ship and inspired by an iconic nautical element: compass, sextant, anchor, and bell. The tile with the anchor has now gone into production (see the News menu). Once the other tiles are received, you can see them on my website. So, stay tuned!
Some special tiles from my collection can also be found on the Holland America Line website: https://www.hollandamerica.com/150th-anniversary/en/category/artifacts/
Next update: once the other three tiles in the 2025-2027 series are received.
