In the Crypto Stamp series so far, we’ve explored Crypto Stamps from Switzerland, Gibraltar, Austria and Belgium. Today, we’re excited to dive into Year of the Dragon-themed Crypto Stamps from four EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
The Year of the Wood Dragon begins on February 10th, 2024, and concludes on January 28th, 2025. Naturally, this has inspired numerous philatelic issues featuring the dragon as the central motif. Toward the end of 2024, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands collaborated to release Year of the Dragon-themed Crypto Stamps.
“In October, our Crypto stamp family is joined by another mythical creature – the Dragon. And not just any Dragon, but four of them, making this the world’s first multilateral Crypto stamp. In addition to the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Belgium is now also on board, meaning that all Benelux countries are represented alongside Austria.
Each of the four countries is issuing its own physical Crypto stamp with an individual Dragon design. When these are placed next to each other, they form a shared motif in the background. Each motif is available in the five characteristic colours, assigned at random. This means that there are a total of 20 digital twins in addition to the four Crypto stamps.” - cryptostamp.com
Let’s begin with the Netherlands' dragon Crypto Stamp, as it was the first to be released, debuting on October 1, 2024.
NL Crypto Stamp 3 – Dragon
Netherlands – 2024/10/01
Denomination: R (mail up to 20 grams within the Netherlands)
“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.
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.” -www.netpha.nl
Austria has a rich history of Crypto Stamps, some of which we discussed in the Crypto and Philately: Austrian Crypto Stamps article. In 2024, Austria joined Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands in issuing a dragon-themed Crypto Stamp.
Crypto stamp 5.2 'Drache' / Dragon
Austria – 2024/10/21
Denomination: 9,90 € (Euro)
The Belgian dragon Crypto Stamp marks Belgium's first-ever Crypto Stamp. For more details, check out the Crypto and Philately: The First Belgian Crypto Stamp article.
First Belgian Crypto Stamp
Belgium – 2024/10/21
Denomination: 3 World º - No Face Value
“The dragon illustration is by Austrian designer Lisa Filzi. “I drew the contours of the various dragons based on my mood boards,” Lisa explains. “It was very important to me that each card* could exist in its own right, but I also wanted the four issues of the different countries to complement each other. The dragons are so bright that I opted for a darker background with smoke."” - press.bpost.be
The fourth country in this collaboration is Luxembourg. Notably, this wasn’t Luxembourg’s first crypto stamp.
Luxembourg Crypto Stamp 2.0 - Dragon
Luxembourg – 2024/10/21
Denomination: 9,00 € (Euro)
“On 21 October 2024, POST Philately will issue its second crypto stamp. POST Philately’s second crypto stamp will be issued jointly with Österreichische Post, PostNL, and brand new this year, bpost, which just joined the crypto family last July. The new crypto stamp is the result of an exceptional collaboration with experienced crypto players. With the common motif of the dragon, the crypto family delves into the world of fabulous creatures. Usually depicted as some kind of gigantic reptile with claws, the dragon is a legendary creature that appears in many mythologies, its symbolism ranging from life and power to malevolence and force.For this new crypto stamp, Austrian designer Lisa Filzi was inspired by dragons from the world of fantasy, as seen in the TV series “Game of Thrones”, for example. The bright, vibrant colours of the four dragons are, in her opinion, a nice reference to the community of crypto stamps, which is rather young and playful. Each dragon is unique in its colour and layout.” - www.postphilately.lu
While other countries, such as New Zealand and China, have also issued dragon-themed Crypto Stamps, this article focuses on the collaboration of four EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Crypto and Philately: Austrian Crypto Stamps
