Crypto Stamps for Germany

Royal Joh Enschedé, an Authentix company, has unveiled its first crypto stamp produced for Deutsche Post, the postal organisation of Germany.

Royal Joh Enschedé is the first secure postage stamp printer to offer both physical and digital stamps in Germany. The crypto stamp, which is in the form of a booklet, consists of two elements: 1) a physical stamp with a unique number, which can be used to post mail or as a collection item; 2) the possibility to obtain a non-fungible token (NFT) – or digital image – of the physical stamp.

The ‘NFT stamp’ is stored as a piece of data on a blockchain – a digital ledger – and proves that the stamp is unique and not interchangeable. This digital ‘twin’ can be viewed, collected, sold or traded via the blockchain, which provides proof of ownership and a record of the price paid for the stamp.

Anyone can create a crypto stamp, ‘mint’ it to the digital ledger and offer it for sale. However, postal authorities around the world are now beginning to utilise blockchain technology to issue crypto stamps.

Austrian Post was the first authority in the world to issue a crypto stamp, in 2019. It has since issued three more series, all of which reportedly sold out online within minutes.

Other postal authorities to have joined the crypto stamp market include Switzerland, United Nations, Croatia, Gibraltar, United States, and United Arab Emirates. As a result of the overwhelming interest in these digital stamps, a reseller market has emerged, with the stamps selling for 10 to 100 times their original value. Prices range from £4 to £50 but have quickly risen to £40 to £1,000 and in some cases more, reported allaboutstamps.co.uk, in 2022.