Crypto Stamp

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A series of stamps from Österreichische Post AG , which went on sale on June 11, 2019, is called the Crypto Stamp . It is the first crypto postage stamp in the world. Each stamp in this series, which is limited to 150,000 pieces, contains a digital image in the blockchain and each stamp is assigned a unique token.

General

From June 11, 2019, the brand could be acquired at a price of 6.90 euros. The price corresponds to the nominal value printed on the stamp, i.e. the equivalent of the postage costs that can be paid with the stamp. The stamp can be separated in the middle, the left half can be used for sending letters and parcels.

At the time the stamp was issued, the face value corresponded to 6.90 euros for the international mail tariff, EU and rest of Europe L (max. Format L 353 mm × W 250 mm × H 30 mm, weight up to 2 kg).

The other part of the brand block contains the access data to an Ethereum paper wallet. The access data are covered by scratch-off surfaces. This wallet corresponds to a "purse", which is based on the independent online trading platform Ethereum with the crypto currency Ether. The unicorn shown corresponds to the heraldic animal of the Ethereum community.

The postage stamp is not made from thin paper like conventional postage stamps, but is similar in texture and size to a conventional check card.

The brand was sold out a few days after the start of sales - at least for the time being.

The brand was designed by Julia Obermüller, an Austrian industrial designer who u. a. also designed the sub auspiciis Praesidentis ring of honor awarded by the Federal President.

Colours

The 150,000 stamps are physically identical and hardly differ visually. To increase their collector's value, each digital twin has been assigned a (virtual) color that is only visible through an online query, for example by scanning the QR code . Alternatively, the printed ID can be entered manually online.

The division of the colors:
colour number Percentage ownership %
black 78,500 52.3%
green 40,000 26.7%
blue 20,000 13.3%
yellow 10,000 6.7%
red 1,500 1%
total 150,000 100%

Ethereum paper wallet

Each brand has a printed Ethereum paper wallet with a public key and a private key. On the Ethereum wallet there is a small amount of ether and a CS1 (Crypto Stamp Edition 1) token. The ether credit is available so that the CS1 token can be sent and the transaction fees can be paid at least once. The CS1 tokens are based on the Ethereum platform and were created as ERC721 tokens.

Criticism and reception

The red stamps were traded among collectors for several hundred to 10,000 euros at the end of June 2019. Helmut Kogler, President of the Association of Austrian Philatelic Associations , does not consider these high prices to be justified. In an article from Heise online, Tom Sperlich described the brand as a “far-reaching PR campaign” by Austrian Post. Michael Leitner wrote for Futurezone that the concept was very reminiscent of Panini stickers and trading card games , because when you buy something you don't see which color you get.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Tom Sperlich: Austria: First Blockchain Postage Stamp in the World. Heise Online, June 13, 2019, accessed on July 13, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b Armin Forker: Austria News from June 2019 - Crypto Stamp . Ed .: Michel Rundschau. 6/2019 edition. Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH, Germering 2019, ISBN 978-3-95402-600-5 , p. 25 .
  3. ↑ Post tariffs. (pdf, 5.6 MB) Post AG, October 2018, p. 17 , accessed on July 13, 2019 .
  4. ↑ News about the "Crypto stamp". In: Briefmarken.de . June 28, 2019, accessed July 13, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Sarah Ignor: Crypto Stamp: Austria issues blockchain stamps. In: www.computerbild.de. Computer Bild, June 12, 2019, accessed July 13, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b c d e Michael Leitner: Crypto Stamp: Up to 10,000 euros for blockchain postage stamps from Swiss Post. In: www.futurezone.at. Futurezone, June 25, 2019, accessed July 13, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Crypto stamp Edition 1 (CS1) Token Tracker. In: Etherscan. Retrieved June 28, 2016 .