Boîte de Timbres

06/03/2026

Country of Issue Austria (Österreich).

Year of Isssue 2019.

Subject / Theme
A stylized unicorn head, representing the "Crypto Stamp 1.0," the world's first blockchain-integrated postage stamp.

Printing Method
Offset lithography with holographic foil application and scratch-off security layers. The sharp edges of the pixelated text and the smooth solid black background are characteristic of high-quality modern offset printing.

Designer
David Gruber / Julia Obermüller (credited for the Austria Crypto Stamp series).

Printer
Variuscard (an Austrian security printing company known for manufacturing these specific crypto-stamps).

Catalogue References
Michel: AT 3492.

Condition Assessment
Overall Grade: Very Fine (VF).
Centring: Design is perfectly centred on the card substrate.
Perforations: Die-cut edges are clean and intact.

Overall Faults: None visible. Critically, the scratch-off panels [2] and [3] are completely intact, which is the most important condition factor for this issue.
Postmark Analysis

Mint / Uncancelled.

Market Value
For a 2019 Austria Crypto Stamp 1.0 "Green" variant in unscratched condition:

Mint (Unscratched): Approximately €150 – €250 ($160 – $270 USD).

Used / Scratched: If the scratch-offs are removed (revealing the private keys), the value drops significantly to near the physical stamp's face value or a small premium for the collectible card (approx. €10–€30), as the digital asset may have been transferred.

Note: The "Green" variant had a print run of 26,667 units, making it scarcer than the "Black" (150,000) but more common than the Blue, Yellow, or Red variants.

Varieties & Notes
This is the "Green" color variant of the 2019 Unicorn issue. The physical stamp functions as a standard postage stamp (6.90 Euro), but it also contains a digital "twin" stored on the Ethereum blockchain.

Security Features: The ID "2L6h58" is visible in the clear panel [1]. Panels [2] and [3] (currently unscratched) hide the Secret Token and the Private Key required to access and transfer the digital version of the stamp.
Variant Logic: While all physical stamps in the 1.0 series look similar, the color of the digital unicorn (and the holographic accents on the physical card) varies. The Green variant represents one of the five specific rarity tiers.
Historical Context
Issued on June 11, 2019, this stamp marked a significant milestone in philatelic history as the first "Crypto Stamp." It bridged the gap between traditional physical mail and digital blockchain technology. The project was so successful it spawned an annual series in Austria and inspired similar issues from Switzerland, Gibraltar, and the United Nations. The 2019 "Unicorn" remains the most sought-after set due to its status as the "Type 1" issue.

03/02/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17yY83sG7X/ The Philatelic Toolbox he as it's own page dedicated to the suite of philatelic and stamp collecting apps.

PhilaQuery, part of the www.philatelic-toolbox.com suite of apps, has left it's testing period and subscriptions introduced. DO NOT FEAR, all new user accounts are allocated 60 seconds AI time so that you can experience this encyclopedic philatelic stamp collectors companion! Subscription is €5 per 600 seconds. Complex queries can take up to 8 seconds but most are between 1 and 3 seconds. So you can do a lot of research with 600 seconds!

16/01/2026

The first phase of my new suite of software which includes Album PageMaker, PerfGuage, PhilaShade and PhilaQuery. The complete suite is available through PhilaKit: Https://www.philakit.com. The set of apps is designed for all stamp collectors and philatelists.

User Generated App

15/12/2025

Hi everyone, longtime since I have used Facebook mainly due to issues that Facebook don't need to know. However I just wanted to let you all know that I have republished, after 20+ years, Album PageMaker as a web App working on all platforms. You can find it at https://www.stamp-albums.com. Try it out for free.

09/08/2023

Perfins is the philatelic term for security perforations. It was once a common feature of stamps. To prevent employee theft, they gave stamps private perforations that have the company's initials, or a simple design. As larger companies introduced metered post, the need for such security slowly vanished.

Here is an example of a Great Britain QV 2d from 1880 with the perfin JTM on eBay.

Perfins is the philatelic term for security perforations. It was once a common feature of stamps. To prevent employee theft, they gave stamps private perforatio

04/08/2023

The stamp production process, particularly for engraved stamps, involves creating proofs at different stages. The above set is a colour proof set (none issued colours) from the French 1958 celebrities issue. Different designers engraved each value. We normally find proofs imperforate.

The stamp production process, particularly for engraved stamps, involves creating proofs at different stages. The above set is a colour proof set (none issued c

20/01/2023

a lovely idea executed with care....

https://www.itv.com/news/central/2023-01-14/letters-to-heaven-postbox-a-success-in-gedling?fbclid=IwAR2ftdiRhw3tMeonj8tY0KlpMt72ZpoKWY4a4eqTFCzGEl6saHjXZmCKxww

A special post box aimed at encouraging people in Gedling in Nottinghamshire to write letters to loved ones who have died has proved popular. | ITV News Central

11/09/2021

Seriously? An amazing uneducated statement demonstrating a fundamental lack of knowledge and understanding. In doing this he has undermined his own credibility and leaves any statements he makes with a large question mark hanging over them.

Stefan Ingves, the governor of Sweden’s central bank, has given Bitcoin the short shrift. Speaking at a banking conference in Stockholm, Ingves said that “private money usually collapses sooner or later”.

29/03/2020

:-)

Une idée pour ceux qui ne vont pas très bien en ce moment...

Non remboursé par l'Assurance Maladie, mais en vente libre, disponible sans ordonnance !

19/03/2020

Congratulations on making an early decision. It must have been hard to do but it is absolutely correct.

The London 2020 international stamp exhibition, which was set to be held in the capital in May, has been postponed for two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

10/02/2019

Congratulations on the Gold medal at Bangkok.

[Yvert & Tellier] On vous l'avait annoncé en décembre dernier : lors de l'exposition internationale de Bangkok • Thailand2018 •, le tome 1 France 2019 des éditions Yvert & Tellier avait été récompensé d'une médaille d'or (90 pts) en catégorie compétitive « Littérature ». Voici donc la superbe médaille que nous avons reçu en récompense 🙂 !

23/01/2019

"Black Prints" are not for postal use reproductions of issued stamps. Often used to celebrate an event or for . They are a in their own right.

Guernsey 1978 'Black Print' Coronation & Royal visit MS for Cancer Research MNH | Stamps, Great Britain, Regional Issues | eBay!