About How Philately Finds Itself In Blockchain

As a person interested in new digital technologies, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and NFT (Non-Fungible Token), I am still looking for new, interesting projects that will not disappear in the dust of history after a year, but will permanently enter the narrative of in our digital world.

One such fascinating and innovative idea that caught my attention are postage stamps issued as NFT by Poczta Polska (Polish Post).

Philately has a long and rich history.

Since the first traditional postage stamps appeared on the market, they have evolved into cultural, historical and artistic objects that attract the interest of collectors around the world.

However, with the advent of blockchain technology and the NFT concept, philately has faced new opportunities and challenges.

The postage stamp as NFT combines tradition and modernity, combining the historical and artistic value of traditional postage stamps with the non-interchangeable property and transparency of blockchain technology. It is a fascinating project that arouses the interest of both collectors, postal institutions and enthusiasts of new technologies.

The first country to issue a postage stamp as NFT was San Marino. It happened in November 2020.

San Marino, a small independent enclave state in northern Italy, has introduced a series of digital postage stamps as NFT on the Ethereum platform. The stamps were designed by artists and had various themes such as monuments, landscapes and prominent figures from San Marino's history.

Fortunately, Poland did not lag behind in this field.

But first, a few words about the history of the Polish Post.

The origins of the Polish postal system date back to the 15th century, when King Sigismund I the Old established a post office in Krakow. Initially, no postage stamps were used and the postage was charged directly to the recipient.

The first Polish postage stamps were introduced in 1860. These were stamps with the image of a crowned eagle and the inscription "POCZTA POLSKA".

In 1918, after Poland regained independence, new postage stamps were introduced. The first stamps of independent Poland had the image of a crowned eagle against the background of a shield with the state emblem. The inscriptions "POLSKA" and "1918" were placed on the stamps.

In the following years, Polish postage stamps evolved in terms of design and graphic motifs. Stamps commemorating important historical events, Polish figures, monuments or nature, sports, art and science were introduced.

In the post-war period, Polish postage stamps were often a tool of communist propaganda. Many stamps featured images of party leaders, symbols of socialism, and farmers and workers in a glorifying style.

Currently, Polish postage stamps are issued by Poczta Polska and have different denominations, depending on the weight and type of the shipment. Commemorative stamps commemorating important events, anniversaries and jubilees are also introduced.

Polish postage stamps are highly valued by collectors all over the world. Some older and rare stamps fetch high prices at numismatic auctions.

The first cryptostamp of Poczta Polska is basically a series of 4 stamps that were issued in the traditional version and introduced into circulation in December 2022. Each of them is accompanied by a label with the public address of the wallet and the private key phrase of the wallet containing the NFT cryptostamp token.

https://nft.poczta-polska.pl/collections/pcsv1

The Polish Post issued 4 categories of Cryptostamps related to the December issue of "Poland in Space" and an additional stamp only in the form of the NFT token.

The traditional version of the Cryptostamp can be kept by a collector in a claser, and the digital version in a cryptoclaser. In the case of a stamp associated with a dedicated paper wallet, the purchase no longer involves any additional transaction costs on the blockchain network side.

Cryptostamp, which was issued only in the form of an NFT token, is designed for the first time in history by artificial intelligence. The image used for the design of the stamp is an interpretation of the slogan "Polish scientific satellite exploring space".

The collection of the Polish Cryptostamp also includes digital Philatelic Thalers, which are a special type of NFT tokens and enable preferential purchase or exchange for a digital version of the Category 5 Cryptostamp (NFT).

https://nft.poczta-polska.pl/collections/pptv1

Cryptostamps are minted on the Polygon network in the ERC1155 standard, which enables the handling of many types of tokens within one application in the blockchain environment.

Another NFT with a postal theme is Kryptopocztowka, which was created in cooperation with Polish Radio, each of which has a different background music.

It can be purchased here:

https://nft.poczta-polska.pl/collections/pcpv1

as a single piece or as a set.

But that's not all that has been prepared for collectors.

The community will receive a ZICO DAO token.

ZICO is a governance token. It encourage the community engagement with the Polish Crypto Stamp project by opening up the ability to participate in governance and its furthe.

The distribution of the ZICO token is detailed in the White Paper:

https://whitepaper.zicodao.io/

Behind this project is a well-known Polish company with several centuries of history and a dynamic team involved in new digital technologies. These are people known by name, philately enthusiasts who introduce Polish philately to the blockchain.

https://www.poczta-polska.pl/poczta-polska-introduces-emisji-stamps-polska-w-kosmosie-to-zapowie-serii-przyszloroczch-cryptostaczkow/

The project has its own Discord server and a very efficient team that provides information in both Polish and English quickly and professionally.

https://discord.com/invite/YWpAGBwhqa

I decided to share with you information about this project, because in the era when new NFT projects are multiplying like mushrooms after the rain and how quickly they are created, they disappear from sight so quickly, Polish Post released its product in a thoughtful way and it look to be attracting more and more interest from collectors and investors alike . I hope other polish companies will soon follow suit.

This text is not investment advice or advertising text. These are the thoughts of the author after getting acquainted with the above project.

Before making any investment decisions, it is always worth collecting as much information as possible and thinking carefully. Cryptocurrency investments and NFT projects involve risk, so it's important that you make decisions based on your own research and risk assessment.

Also remember that the cryptocurrency market is very dynamic and changes quickly, so don't invest more than you can afford to lose.