What does a postage stamp say about its country?
© Gingwa/iStock

Cultural Heritage and Traditions of the Mighty (Yet Tiny) Postage Stamp

As the popularity of “snail mail” dwindles in our digital age, it seems sadly plausible that some people today have never used a postage stamp. And that’s a pity.

Postage stamps of the world tell fascinating stories. And stamps—like the design of paper currency noted in an OIC Moments story last month—reveal much about a country’s cultural heritage and traditions.

Postal services have exploded with creativity to offer stamps that people look forward to adding to their letters and cards—like an artistic bow on a heartfelt package.

Chinese postage stamp artistry
© zjzpp163/iStock

These tiny works of art and historical significance also generate revenue and inspire collectors who value the documentation of a country’s artistic style, heroes, leaders, icons, symbols, natural and manmade treasures, national brand, hobbies, holiday themes, and important moments—as well as creative ingenuity.

As The Philatelic Database says in their mission statement, postage stamps are a pictorial history of human progress.

A panoramic set of stamps showing the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence
Photo by DMT

The Penny Black . . . And Beyond

Stamps come in all shapes and sizes, all colors, all materials, and often push the boundaries of media, with offerings that are holograms, tiny phonograph records, CD-ROMs, and motionstamps.

Who would have imagined that when the first stamp—The Penny Black—was invented in the U.K. in 1840, stamps would become a true art form.

The first postage stamp—The Penny Black
(Image in Public Domain)

It should also be noted that, because of the innovation and elegance of The Penny Black and the popularity of sending a message for only one penny, this original stamp set in motion a significant increase in people sending messages by mail.

The most interesting thing about a postage stamp is the persistence with which it sticks to its job.
—Napoleon Hill

While this quote is meant to inspire sticking with any job until its done, it is an apt use of the postage stamp as a central idea. Stamps get a letter, card, or package from one end of the planet to the other, for not much money in the grand scheme of things.

Native flora and fauna are a common postage stamp theme.
Photo by DMT

Who Nose What’s Next

Over the years, the postal path has been filled with interesting smells. Many countries issue flora-scented stamps.

Bhutan created the first scented stamp in 1973—a series of rose stamps infused with rose essence. India has jasmine- and sandalwood-scented stamps. South Korea issued a set of four endangered flowers that smelled of violets.

The German strawberry-scented postage stamp

And Germany, known for its scented stamps, has a popular series featuring fruit (strawberry, apple, lemon, and blueberry).

Often, a country issues a scented stamp that tells a cultural or commemorative story. Switzerland has a chocolate-scented stamp. Brazil promotes its coffee trade with a stamp that wafts the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. A Hong Kong stamp series emits the subtle fragrance of jasmine tea.

The U.K issued a healing eucalyptus-scented stamp in honor of its medical Nobel Prize in 2001. And China issued a sweet-and-sour-pork infused stamp for the Year of the Pig in 2007.

The U.S.—a little slow to the world scented-stamp stage—just issued its first scratch-and-sniff stamp this year. The popsicle series smells like the frozen treats of summer. (I get notes of sweet red fruit and a hint of pink cotton candy on the finish.)

The U.S. released its first scratch-and-sniff stamps in the summer of 2018.
Image courtesy of the U.S. Post Office.

Sometimes, it’s not all chocolate and roses. Brazil issued a set of stamps in 1999 with the smell of burnt wood to remind people of the risk of forest fires and deforestation to the environment.

France features its architectural history in this panoramic postage stamp.
Photo by DMT

A Stamp-ede of Creativity

Several countries stand out as creative stamp designers.

Stamps come in all shapes and sizes.
© Kaato/iStock

Bhutan seems to lead the pack for its originality and series of “firsts.” As a small country in need of revenue, there was a royal push for stamps that would interest the world of philately. With the help of American Burt Todd, the Bhutan Stamp Agency was founded.

The agency started conventionally with the Bhutanese royal crest, a yak, a monastery, and a soldier from the royal bodyguard force.

Bhutanese postage stamp that doubles as a CD-ROM history of the kingdom

Their artistry began to bloom as they created the first scented stamp (the aforementioned roses), stamps printed on silk and steel, and, finally, stamps that also served as tiny phonograph records, playing the Bhutanese national anthem and traditional folk songs.

Most recently, stamps have been produced that are CD-ROMs presenting a history of the country.

Austria has also been innovative in its postal approach. The country created an embroidered stamp, a stamp made out of soccer ball material to commemorate a 2008 UEFA soccer tournament, a stamp of a crystal swan with actual crystal particles attached, and a stamp picturing a meteorite that actually has embedded particles of meteorite dust (promoted as “mail from another world”).

Malaysia has a series of stamps featuring its exotic nocturnal animals. Their eyes glow in the dark. Finland also has a glow-in-the-dark series celebrating its lighthouses.

Mongolia celebrates the Long-Eared Jerboa in a creative triangular stamp.
Image © Alexander Zam/iStock

Canada honors it culture with a range of offerings—from a stamp with its national symbol, the maple leaf, to a motionstamp showing their ice hockey heroes scoring goals via lenticular magic.

From iconic symbols to moving pictures, Canada is a creative force
in the postage stamp world.
© Manakin/iStock

The Netherlands has a stamp with hidden flower seeds. And Portugal, the world’s leading manufacturer of cork, promotes its product with stamps made entirely of cork (each one unique because of the nature of the material).

The U.S. goes circular with this series of sports balls.
Photo by DMT

Postal Poetry

Imagination will take you everywhere.
—Einstein

The “Oh, I see” moment in the postage stamp world reflects Einstein’s sentiment. The creation of postage stamps thrives on artistic imagination that has no limits.

No limits to the artistry of the postage stamp
© Meredith Mullins

The Penny Black was elegant . . . and perfect for the cultural heritage and traditions of the time. However, we’ve come a long way since that innovative moment. There are no boundaries.

I imagine we will continue to be surprised by the artistry of postage stamps . . . and the stories they tell. And, hopefully, we will continue to send letters and cards to friends and family all over the world.

Long live the postage stamp!

The U.S. issued a set of heat sensitive stamps to commemorate the 2017 total eclipse of the sun.
Photo by DMT

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