Crypto stamps have attracted younger people to look at stamp collecting from a completely different angle and the popularity of these items has seen more countries being involved with issuing crypto stamps. Above is the first Crypto stamp. Österreichische Post AG issued the world’s first blockchain stamp on 11 June 2019.
On the 180th anniversary of the issue of the first postage stamp, the “Penny Black”, Croatia issued its first crypto stamp.
Thailand Post is the first postal service in Southeast Asia to produce Crypto stamps.
And above is one design from a set of 10 crypto stamps produced by Swiss Post in 2022.
The Netherlands and Austria co-operated with this 2022 crypto issue, using different background designs.
Then we have three stamp sheets from Spain depicting a satirical and humorous journey through the history of Spain through the stamps and drawings designed by the graphic humorists José Gallego and Julio Rey.
From Atapuerca Neanderthals to the Swabians, Vandals and Alans; from the Visigoths to the Catholic Monarchs and from Columbus to Philip III, the idea behind these wonderfully illustrated stamps was to teach schoolchildren how postal messaging works.
Belgian chocolate is world-famous, 1999 saw the above stamp issue from Belgium. Same year the 50th anniversary of the death of Belgian expressionist and surrealist artist James Ensor was commemorated with stamps featuring three of his artworks.
We have also recently acquired a great amount of stamps from the Arab States. A few examples of which follow.
The Scientific Center of Kuwait, inaugurated in April 2000, was considered the first of its kind in the Middle East Region. The Center is dedicated to the advancement of the sciences and cultural heritage of Kuwait, promoting public awareness and knowledge of the wildlife and ecosystems of the Arabian Gulf Region and, consequently, committed to the care and preservation of these ecosystems. The 12-stamp sheet above features the Center and fauna from the region.
In 2012 Kuwait produced the above to celebrate 50 years membership of UNESCO (1960-2010).
Al Marash, Oud oil, Agar wood and Al Moghass – four perfumes dear to Qatari people – were shown on the stamp sheet “Traditional Perfume”, issued by Q-Post in 2008. And below an issue to celebrate Qatar’s capital Doha being 2010’s Capital of Arab Culture.
Opel is one of Europe’s largest automakers. It was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, Germany. In the beginning, Opel just produced sewing machines in a cowshed in Rüsselsheim. Encouraged by success, Adam Opel launched a new product in 1886. He began to sell high front-wheel bicycles, also known as penny-farthings. Opel died in 1895 and four years after the death of her husband – after listening to the advice of her sons Carl, Wilhelm and Friedrich – his widow Sophie Opel decided to start producing cars in 1899. Thus Opel joined the ranks of the automotive pioneers of the late 19th century that included Daimler, Benz and Peugeot. In the spring of 1899, the first of 65 hand-made Opel Patentmotorwagen “System Lutzmann” was built in Rüsselsheim. The two souvenir sheets, issued in 2012 by Burundi, commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Adam Opel AG (Opel) automobile company. That on the left has a portrait of the founder with a sewing machine, his son Fritz (Friedrich) on a later bicycle model, the first vehicle (1899) and an Opel Olympia from 1935. The second sheet includes images of contemporary Opel models at the time of the stamp issue, including the 2011 Opel Ampera, the 2008 Opel Insignia, and the 2012 Opel Mokka. The stamp includes an image of the 2011 Opel RAK e Concept car.
PostBeeld currently has this rare mint never-hinged definitive set from Ethiopia, produced in 1994, depicting the Simien fox, also known as the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
And how about 100 beautifully illustrated overprints from North Korea, dating from the 1970s?
