door In 2022, PostNL launched its first Dutch crypto stamp featuring the bull, followed by the lion and safe-themed crypto stamps in 2023. The latest addition, the NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon, will be released on 1 October 2024. Like its predecessors, this new crypto stamp carries the denomination ‘R’ for registered mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands. Each physical crypto stamp is linked to a digital twin on the blockchain. The price of the new dragon-themed crypto stamp is €10.80 each.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
The release of the new crypto stamps results from collaboration between the national postal services of the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, and Belgium. As part of this partnership, PostNL, Österreichische Post, POST Luxembourg, and bpost will each release their own crypto stamps based on the same design concept and featuring the dragon symbol. However, the graphic design varies, and the denomination and country designation differ. The Austrian, Luxembourgish, and Belgian dragon crypto stamps will be released on 21 October 2024, three weeks after the Dutch version.
CRYPTO STAMPS
In 2019, Österreichische Post issued the world’s first crypto stamp. Following Austria, other postal organisations, including PostNL in 2022 with the NL Crypto Stamp – Bull, have released similar products. The 2024 release also includes participation from POST Luxembourg and bpost, making it a four-country collaboration. Like the other crypto stamps, the dragon-themed stamps are linked to a digital twin in the blockchain. Blockchain is a technology that uses distributed databases to secure ownership of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets like crypto art and crypto stamps. These digital items are known as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and can be viewed on a computer or smartphone. They can also be stored in a digital collection or sold using a digital wallet.
OPERATION
Check authenticity
Activate the NFC function on your smartphone. Hold your phone near the NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon to verify its authenticity.
Discover the colour
Each NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon has a digital twin in a specific colour on the blockchain. There are five different colours, with some being rarer than others. To discover the colour of your digital twin, scan the QR code on the back or enter code [1] and code [A] on NLcryptostamp.nl. The total issue of the NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon is 15,000 pieces with the following colour distribution: black 7,845, green 4,005, blue 1,995, yellow 1,005, and red 150.
Transfer the digital twin to a wallet
To store, trade, or sell the digital twin, you first need a wallet, a virtual (crypto) wallet. Various wallets are available. You don’t need cryptocurrency to keep your collection in your wallet, but it is required if you wish to transfer or sell a crypto stamp to other users. For this, you will also need the ‘secret word list’ behind the security foil of code [2] on the back, which you can scan or enter on NLcryptostamp.nl. The digital twin is exchanged via Polygon (MATIC), a cryptocurrency operating on the Ethereum network.
DESIGN
Like previous crypto stamps, the NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon is the size of a credit card, made of extra sturdy paper. The physical stamp is located in the centre of the front of the stamp sheet and can be detached along the perforation edges. The design of the NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon was created by Lisa Filzi of Frau Filzi – Kreativstudio in Aigen, Austria. Lisa Filzi also designed the NL Crypto Stamp – Safe in 2023. The new stamp features a dragon’s head at its centre. The stamp and the border of the sheet have a shiny foil layer, highlighting the dragon’s scales. On the back of each NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon, all the numerical and QR codes needed by the owner are printed. The dark background features wisps of smoke in lilac, orange, and blue, which are also found in the dragon’s head. Simultaneously, Filzi designed the crypto stamps for Austria, Luxembourg, and Belgium, each featuring different dragon heads in varying colour combinations. The smoke wisps in the background of the four crypto stamps form a complete image when placed together in a specific order.
TYPOGRAPHY
For the typography, OCR-A was used, a font designed in 1968 by American Type Founders (Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA). OCR-A is one of the first fonts created specifically for computer reading.
DESIGNER
The dragon-themed crypto stamps were designed by Austrian graphic designer Lisa Filzi. She previously designed the crypto stamps featuring the safe, released in 2023 in the Netherlands, Austria, and Luxembourg. For the new dragon-themed crypto stamps, she designed four versions, as the Belgian postal company joined the collaboration this year.
Mythical creature focus
The task was to design four different crypto stamps, explains Filzi. “There were a few conditions. Firstly, an animal had to be central to the new crypto stamps. Secondly, the design had to align with the visual language used for crypto stamps so far. That was basically it. I first studied the crypto stamps released so far and compiled a list of possible animals. From this, I chose four to present to the involved postal organisations. Besides the dragon, there were the dinosaur, the fox, and the god Anubis. Like the dragon, the dinosaur is an impressive creature, but one that really existed. The fox was an obvious choice because these animals are an important symbol in the crypto world. The last option was Anubis, an Egyptian god with the body of a human and the head of a jackal. The four postal organisations unanimously chose the dragon. To be honest, the dragon was also my favourite, alongside the dinosaur. And coincidentally, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, which is perfect.”
Mythical beast
The dragon is a mythical creature, a legendary being that never really existed. This was one of the reasons why the postal organisations chose the dragon. After all, the unicorn, featured on the back of the very first crypto stamp, is also a mythical creature. Filzi: “Moreover, as a designer, you have the advantage that you are not limited by reality when creating it. The dragon is a fantasy beast, and as an illustrator, you can fully unleash your creativity. I immersed myself in all the details, from the wings and horns to the tail and colours.”
Large, mighty and dangerous
After the dragon was chosen, Filzi developed the mood boards used in the presentation into actual illustrations. “First, I made sketches with pen on paper,” says Filzi. “Later, I worked on the approved proposals on the computer until they became the dragons that now feature on the crypto stamps. During my research into these mythical creatures, I discovered different types of dragons, with the Chinese dragon and the European dragon being the main variants. The Chinese dragon is a friendly creature with striking colours and characteristic whiskers. This dragon plays an important role in Chinese culture. The European dragon, which is much less friendly, is known from fairy tales and films and TV series. The European dragon is often brown, grey, or dark-coloured and, unlike the Chinese dragon, has wings. For the crypto stamps, I created my own dragons using all this input: large, powerful, dangerous, and colourful mythical creatures.”
Hundreds of illustrations
Filzi created hundreds of dragon illustrations during the development of her ideas until she was truly satisfied. “The result is four different dragons. Each one looks slightly different, with different colours, and each head is positioned differently on the stamp. I emphasised the creature’s size by having the dragon’s head extend beyond the edges of the crypto stamp. This worked well because a dragon’s head has many protrusions. I wanted each individual dragon stamp to present a powerful image but also to work well together when all four are placed side by side.”
Vibrant colours
All four dragons received their own colours. Filzi: “Choosing the colour palette was the most challenging part. Initially, I worked with the brown and grey tones we know from illustrations of European dragons. But that certainly didn’t fit the visual language of the crypto world. When I started working with more vibrant colours, things immediately improved. I tried many colours, shades, and tones, hence the hundreds of variations. Each dragon thus acquired its own character.”
Scale pattern
The four postal organisations were enthusiastic about the result. “I only had to make minor adjustments,” says Filzi. “But that’s hardly worth mentioning. I’m thrilled with the result myself. The collaboration with the printer Variuscard went exceptionally well. They suggested adding a scale pattern in the foil layer to emphasise the dragon’s character. Naturally, I created that with great pleasure.”
About the designer
Lisa Filzi (1990, Mödling, Austria) is an Austrian graphic designer who has run her own studio, Frau Filzi – Kreativstudio, in Aigen, a town near Vienna, for several years. Filzi studied graphic design and multimedia design at the New Design University in St. Pölten, Austria, graduating in 2013. After graduating, she worked for several years at larger design studios before starting her own business. Her work focuses primarily on branding and illustrations. Filzi works for startups, small businesses, and larger companies such as IKEA and Österreichische Post.
SALES/VALIDITY
The new Dutch crypto stamps will be available from 1 October 2024, 10:00 AM, via the PostNL webshop and the onchainshop on Österreichische Post’s website, while stocks last. The validity period is indefinite. More information about crypto stamps can be found at NLcryptostamp.nl.
Onchainshop
You can also purchase the digital twin of the new Dutch crypto stamps directly via the blockchain through the onchainshop at crypto.post.com using a browser with a cryptocurrency wallet. First, add the cryptocurrency Polygon (MATIC) to your wallet, which can be purchased with a credit card on crypto.post.com. Then use the Polygon in your wallet to buy the Dutch crypto stamps on crypto.post.com. The digital twin will be stored in your wallet. You can also request the corresponding physical stamp. This can be done on the same website, crypto.post.com. You have five years after purchase to request your physical stamp.
VALUE
The NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon bears the denomination ‘R’, intended for registered mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands. The price is €10.80 each.
LUXEMBOURG
The Luxembourg crypto stamp featuring the dragon will be available from 21 October 2024 at all Luxembourg post offices and via the webshop at www.postphilately.lu. More information about the Luxembourg crypto stamps can be found on the Post Luxembourg Philately website. This crypto stamp has the Luxembourg denomination of €9.00 for parcels up to 10 kg within Luxembourg.
AUSTRIA
The Austrian crypto stamp featuring the dragon will be available from 21 October 2024 at Österreichische Post locations (excluding Post Partners) online and via the onchainshop at crypto.post.com. They can also be ordered from Österreichische Post’s Sammler-Service at +4357767/95095 or via sammler-service@post.at. More information about the Austrian crypto stamps can be found at crypto.post.com. This crypto stamp bears the Austrian denomination of €9.90 for letterbox parcels within Europe.
BELGIUM
The Belgian crypto stamp featuring the dragon will be available for pre-sale from 16 October 2024 in the bpost eShop. More information about the Belgian crypto stamp can be found on the bpost website. This crypto stamp bears the Belgian denomination of ‘3 World’ for mail up to 100 grams with international destinations. The price is €9.00 each.
TECHNICAL DATA
Stamp size: 43 x 53 mm
Stamp sheet size: 53.98 x 85.60 x 0.79 mm (+/- 0.05 mm)
Paper: Invercote Creato matte 240 g/m²
Special features: PET film for NFC chip, silver metallic foil, and varnish
NFC chip: 384 bytes AES-SUN NDEF security
Gumming: Gummed
Printing technique: Offset and screen printing
Print colours: Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
Print run: 15,000 stamps
Format: Stamp sheet with 1 stamp
Design: Frau Filzi – Kreativstudio Aigen, Austria
Printed by: Variuscard GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Item number: 840062
SUMMARY
Issue: NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon
Issue date: 1 October 2024
Format: Stamp sheet with 1 crypto stamp, denomination ‘R’ for registered mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands
Item number: 840062
Design: Lisa Filzi, Frau Filzi – Kreativstudio, Aigen, Austria
Collaboration: This dragon crypto stamp is a joint issue by PostNL, Österreichische Post, POST Luxembourg, and bpost
COPYRIGHT
© 2024 Koninklijke PostNL BV
