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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 318 pieces. All tiles can be found on this website. Estimated 80 tiles are issued by associated organizations.
My collection consists of 392 tiles and 8 tile tableaus. The items in this collection have been acquired through website and exhibition purchases, through auctions and gifts.
Update November 1, 2026:
From 1960 till 1972 I served as cabine steward with Holland America Line. In 2003, my wife Frieda and I took an Alaska cruise aboard the ms Oosterdam. In remembrance of this trip we received a tile, which formed the basis for the hobby with which I informed you via this website for many years. In the meantime, I reached the appropriate moment to relinguish my collection. The tiles and tableaus will be returned to the place where I started my work: Holland America Line. My collection will be transferred; however, the website will remain online.
As soon as it is known what Holland America Line plans to do with the collection, I will inform you.
Three tiles from the “anchor” series are featured on the homepage this time. They serve as a link to my latest acquisition, the 7th tile in this series depicting the Veendam II (1923-1953). Please see the News menu for more details.
In this update, both the Modelships and Pottery menus have been updated.
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: December 1, 2026.
