Swiss Post has announced that it will launch a new Swiss “Crypto Stamp” on November 25, 2021, with an ambitious goal to “bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds in philately (stamp collecting).”
The Crypto Stamps will consist of two parts; a physical postage stamp with a value of 8,90 Swiss francs, and a digital component, which is one of 13 images that can be stored in a blockchain and traded online. Buyers will have no idea which image is linked to the stamp they have purchased until after they have bought the stamp and scanned the corresponding QR code.
At face value, the stamp appears to be very similar to the existing Swiss postal stamps and can be used to send letters and packages just like any other postage mark.
Swiss Post have said that the launch of the stamp will “bridge the gap between the physical world of stamps and the digital crypto-universe.” Since the Crypto Stamps can be traded online, it is an extra feature that philatelists, or stamp collection enthusiasts, can enjoy.
A total of 175.000 of the new stamps will be produced, with more than 65.000 copies of the most common digital design going into circulation but less than 50 of the rarest, making those rare designs a real tough (and potentially valuable) find!