Index · Edition · fr-nftimbre1-2023
Universe of correspondence — Crypto Stamp #NFTimbre1
Opened mailbox with stream of objects — illustrated by Faunesque
First NFTimbre from La Poste, September 2023. Mintage of 100,000 booklets at EUR 8 each (face value fully included in retail price — markup 1.0×). Artist is Faunesque (Phil Constentinesco), contemporary illustrator from Brussels with background at Marie-Claire, L'Express, and Télérama. Motif: opened mailbox from which a swirl of objects — postcards, letters, gifts, memories — emerges. Pastel colors with pink and red accents. Printer: Philaposte in Boulazac (Périgueux). Blockchain: Tezos, NFT automatically generated on shipment — buyer doesn't need to manually activate anything.
About the #NFTimbre1 — Univers du Courrier 2023
The #NFTimbre1 issued on 18 September 2023 is the first official French crypto stamp and at the same time La Poste's market entry into the NFT segment. It opens the continuously running NFTimbre series and marks the birth of the Tezos-based crypto stamp architecture — four years after the Austrian pioneer (June 2019), two years after the Liechtenstein and Swiss pioneers (2021), and six weeks before the first German crypto stamp (2 November 2023).
Delayed Market Entry with Independent Tech Stack
La Poste had originally announced a launch for 7 February 2023 (per Le Monde, November 2022), but platform development with Nomadic Labs and Wagmi Studio took longer. Actual launch: 18 September 2023, with pre-orders from 21 August 2023. This roughly seven-month delay is explained by structural complexity:
- Independent tech stack on Tezos blockchain (instead of EVM chain) — no established tools transferable
- Custodial wallet platform with self-custody export option (more technically demanding than pure custodial-only models)
- Always-activated NFT architecture (NFT minted automatically on shipment)
- Auto-generation of NFTs with unique serial number and QR-code linking
In contrast to Austrian Post's joint family (Variuscard, established tech stack with AT/NL/LU/BE/PT/HR connection), La Poste went its own way — with the advantage of technological sovereignty but the drawback of longer initial development time.
Faunesque and the Universe of Correspondence
Image design was handled by Brussels-based illustrator Faunesque, real name Phil Constentinesco. His pseudonym derives from "Fauna" — plant and animal motifs are characteristic of his work. Faunesque studied at the Institut supérieur des arts appliqués in Strasbourg, initially founded a graphic studio, and worked for some time at MTV (programme design). In 2015 he switched full-time to illustration and has since published in Marie-Claire, L'Express, Télérama, Phosphore, and Psychologies Magazine.
Stylistically, Faunesque connects Japanese tradition (inspired by Takashi Murakami and James Jean) with modern digital technique. His tool spectrum ranges from pencil on paper to stylus on tablet.
The motif of #NFTimbre1 shows an opened mailbox from which a swirl of objects emerges: postcards, letters, administrative correspondence, love letters, memories, gifts. The postman on his bicycle appears to float. Pastel colors with pink and red accents create a lyrical-oneiric atmosphere — not frenetic chaos but a harmonious dance. The flower motifs originated during the birth of Faunesque's youngest daughter, shortly before finalizing the design.
The thematic concept — "Faire rentrer tout l'imaginaire du courrier dans le petit format d'un timbre-poste" (bringing the entire imagination of mail into the small format of a postage stamp) — functions as a programmatic opening of the series: crypto stamps as a poetic bridge between physical postal world and digital collection.
Print Innovations
Philaposte (at the Boulazac plant near Périgueux) introduced several printing innovations:
- Micro-perforation of the NFT logo at bottom-right of every block — a premiere for Philaposte
- Varnish finishing of pink and red image elements: a lacquer application that highlights the colors — even at pinhead-sized details
- Self-adhesive block (105 × 71.5 mm) with stamp (52 × 40.85 mm)
- Insertion in pouch and shrink-wrap sealing for integrity protection
These print innovations position #NFTimbre1 as a premium printed product rather than a mere collector item.
Tech Stack: Tezos Premiere
#NFTimbre1 is the first crypto stamp of a national postal operator on Tezos:
- Blockchain: Tezos (Proof-of-Stake)
- Tech partner initial: Nomadic Labs (Tezos Foundation, Paris)
- Tech partner ongoing: Wagmi Studio (French Web3 agency)
- Platform: nftimbre.com with custodial wallet
- Self-custody export: Kukai, Temple, Umami supported
- Always-activated NFT: NFT automatically generated on shipment of the physical block
- QR code on physical block activates gallery visualization with animation and soundtrack
The Tezos choice was explicitly justified by ecological responsibility — Proof-of-Stake energy consumption is orders of magnitude lower than Proof-of-Work chains. This justification is unusual in the crypto stamp space, as other postal operators typically do not justify blockchain choice ecologically.
Sales Performance: Strong Launch
#NFTimbre1 demonstrated strong NFT adoption in France:
| Time | NFTs sold | Conversion |
|---|---|---|
| 18.09.2023 (launch +4h) | 13,050 | 13.1 % |
| 19.09.2023 (launch +24h) | ~18,200 | 18.2 % |
| 16.10.2023 (peak day) | +300 (daily) | — |
| 23.10.2023 (launch +30 days) | 24,631 | ~25 % |
Frédéric Morin (deputy director of Philaposte) commented in October 2023: "The trajectory suggests that the entire collection will be sold out in the coming months." La Poste actually announced a remarkable policy: unsold NFTs will be destroyed after 12 months (30.09.2024).
This destruction date is unique in the crypto stamp space and has two strategic implications:
- Time-based scarcity as sales incentive: collectors face pressure for quick purchase
- Mintage authenticity: the final mintage matches actual sold pieces — no eternally lingering remainders
Comparison with Deutsche Post
#NFTimbre1 (FR) and the Brandenburg Gate edition (DE) can be structurally compared — both are first editions of a G7 postal operator, released six weeks apart:
| Feature | #NFTimbre1 (FR) | Brandenburger Tor (DE) |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 18.09.2023 | 02.11.2023 |
| Mintage | 100,000 | 250,000 + 100 Gold |
| Retail price | EUR 8 | EUR 9.90 (+ EUR 99.90 Gold) |
| Face value | EUR 8 (international letter) | EUR 1.60 (standard letter) |
| Markup | 1.0 × | 6.2 × |
| Blockchain | Tezos | Polygon |
| Platform | nftimbre.com | Ciphers.me |
| Self-custody | Yes (Kukai/Temple/Umami) | No |
| NFT activation | Automatic on shipment | Manual via PIN entry |
| Artist | Faunesque (illustrator) | AI + Jan-Niklas Kröger |
| 30-day conversion | ~25 % | < 1 % |
| 10-month conversion | ~50–80 %* | 1.1 % |
*Estimated based on the destruction policy after 12 months — the exact figure was not made public.
The 22-fold conversion rate of the French edition over the German one cannot be explained by market size (DE has the larger philatelic market) but structurally by:
- Markup 1.0 × instead of 6.2 × — collectors get full face value
- Always-activated NFT instead of manual activation
- Self-custody option for Web3-savvy buyers
- Artist-first branding instead of AI identity
Significance in Crypto Stamp History
#NFTimbre1 marks several historical points:
- First French crypto stamp: G7 postal operator market entry (six weeks before DE)
- First Tezos-based crypto stamp of a national postal operator worldwide
- Always-activated NFT architecture as UX innovation
- Markup 1.0 × as alternative pricing strategy to the collector markup model
- Faunesque as prototypical NFTimbre artist: contemporary illustrator with established publishing relationships
- Destruction of unsold NFTs after 12 months — unique programme policy
- Micro-perforation NFT logo as printing innovation (premiere for Philaposte)
Thus #NFTimbre1 is not only programme opening but also structural blueprint for subsequent NFTimbre editions — although from #NFTimbre2 onwards the multi-block storytelling concept became more dominant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was special about the first French NFT stamp?
The first French NFT stamp marked four years after Austria pioneered the market entry of a G7 postal operator into the crypto stamp segment, with own tech stack on Tezos instead of joining the Variuscard joint family. The Always-Activated NFT architecture automatically generates the NFT upon shipment — the buyer needs no manual activation. The face value equals retail price (EUR 8), with no collector markup, which is unusual in the crypto stamp space. The micro-perforation of the NFT logo on the block was the first use of this printing process at Philaposte.
Who is the artist Faunesque?
Faunesque is the pseudonym of Phil Constentinesco, an illustrator based in Brussels. He studied at the Institut supérieur des arts appliqués in Strasbourg and worked for MTV before switching full-time to illustration in 2015. His work has appeared in Marie-Claire, Télérama, and Psychologies Magazine. Stylistically he connects Japanese tradition with modern digital technique, inspired by Takashi Murakami and James Jean. His characteristic plant and animal motifs explain the name Faunesque. His youngest daughter was born while he was making the final retouches to the stamp.
What is the sales performance of NFTimbre1?
Very strong: On launch day (September 18, 2023), 13,050 NFTs were sold in under 4 hours. After 30 days, cumulatively around 25,000 booklets were sold — about 25% of the 100,000 mintage. La Poste announced it would destroy unsold NFTs after one year — a practice unique in the crypto stamp space. For comparison, the German Brandenburg Gate edition reached only 1.1% conversion over 10 months. The success is explained by the always-activated NFT model and the absence of collector markup.