COVER N. 470 - POLAND

Postmark: Kriptoznaczek Cyfrowa rewolucja w filatelistyce (Crypto-currency - Digital revolution in Philately) Wroclaw1 16.05.2024

Posted on 16th May; received on the 12 June 2024

_________________________________________________________________________________

Crypto-stamps... the way forward for the hobby or just another way to create a speculation bubble?

I have to admit: I still have not totally understood the concept. That is, I suppose that the process is simple: one buys a crypto-stamp, which besides the postage stamp itself, which can be used for what a stamp can be used for... (bonjour, Mr.  de La Palice), gives you the right to obtain an electronic token (an electronic stamp), which you can collect, in an electronic album somewhere in the cloud, this stamp being able to be traded as any financial asset (that is bought and sold)... the value added generated by demand being the interesting factor for this particular piece of electronic "thingery"... Pure speculation, nothing more than this, or am I wrong?

For the time being, I think I'll stick to the old physical scheme of things and concentrate on the traditional paper stamps that we all come to appreciate so much. After all, my first and single experience with this immaterial medium went very wrong, as I mentioned  here.

All this a propos a beautiful cover that I got from Poland with two of the stamps that are being issued as crypto-stamps by Poczta Polska, for which I have to thank Roman. Bardzo dziękuję, Roman!

Roman included a note saying that he had sent me the cover because of the fine aviation related cancellation, and I do concur with him, both the stamps (although the balloons are totally fictional) and  the cancellation are very nice.

The balloons had been the subject of a 4 stamp issue dated of 18OCT2023, which Roman kindly sent me on the official First day covers, (covers  # 360/361). 

The commemorative cancellation  highlights the two Crypto-Stamps issued by Poczta Polska, the already mentioned balloon issue and the previous one "Poland in Space" dedicated to the Polish participation in ESA satellite projects, which Roman has also kindly sent me  (cover #199)

The 2,35 Zloty stamp on the right corner was issued on 31MAR2025, celebrating the Oscar for best foreign language film won by Ida, a Polish film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. This particular stamp was also issued with a se-tenant label attached to its left or to its right, replicating a frame of the actual film.