The first Cryptostamp: CS 1.0 The Unicorn

On 11 JUNE 2019, Austria Post wrote history when it issued the first blockchain stamp in the world. For the first time ever, an apparently truly traditional product – a stamp – succeeded in making use of blockchain technology. The Crypto stamp was the first stamp to also exist as a digital asset (NFT). It was an instant hit with both stamp collectors and crypto enthusiasts around the world, selling out in next to no time. The chosen design for the landscape-format stamp was the unicorn, its twin on the blockchain is available in five different colours. Successful start-ups valued at least one billion US dollars are called “unicorns” because they are just as rare as the mythical creatures. The unicorn is also considered the heraldic animal of the Ethereum community. A hidden area contains a series of twelve words (mnemonic) which enable access to the digital stamp as well as allowing it to be transferred to a new owner. This mnemonic was also printed as a QR code to make it easier to enter it into a computer. Scanning the QR code takes the owner to the wallet for the relevant digital image. Each wallet is connected to a unique token (NFT, non-fungible token). The technology ensures that all former owners of the stamp or its digital image are listed, without exception. Using the blockchain technology, the Crypto stamp can also be traded on. Given that the first Crypto stamp in the world sold out so quickly, the price of the stamp on the secondary market rose rapidly. Crypto stamp 1.0 and its digital twin in red were and still are highly sought after, as there were only 1,500 of these available in a complete issue totalling 150,000 stamps! Colour distribution: • Black: 52,3 % • Green: 26,7 % • Blue: 13,3 % • Yellow: 6,7 % • Red: 1 %