110 Years La Poste & Croix-Rouge française

About the #NFTimbre3 — Croix-Rouge française 110 Years

The #NFTimbre3 issued on 27 January 2025 is the third NFTimbre edition and at the same time the world's first crypto stamp with integrated donation function. La Poste explicitly marketed it as a "première mondiale" — a charity first issue in the crypto stamp universe. The retail price of EUR 8 includes EUR 2 as a direct donation to Croix-Rouge française (25 % of the retail price).

Structurally the edition is again a single-block edition (analogous to #NFTimbre1) — no multi-block storytelling like #NFTimbre2. The single-block form fits the thematic concentration on the Croix-Rouge anniversary: one block, one clear theme, one clear donation mechanic.

Occasion: 110 Years of Partnership

The edition celebrates the 110th anniversary of the historic partnership between La Poste and Croix-Rouge française. The roots of this partnership lie deep in French history:

• 25 May 1864: Founding of Croix-Rouge française
• 11 August 1914: During the First World War, French President Raymond Poincaré signs a decree authorizing the postal administration for the first time to issue "surtaxe" stamps — stamps with an additional charity surcharge benefiting Croix-Rouge française. Reason: alleviating the suffering of the population in war.
• 1914-2024: This tradition of surtaxe stamps supporting humanitarian work continues annually — through two World Wars, the Algerian War, EU integration, and pandemics.
• 2025: 110 years of partnership. La Poste marks the anniversary with the first digital surtaxe stamp in history.

The historic depth of this partnership makes the edition more than a collector item: it is a cultural-historical statement about the continuity of state-humanitarian cooperation.

The Motif by Pascale Montenay

The artistic design was done by Pascale Montenay for Studio Creativestories. The motif shows a crowd in celebratory mood: postal workers, volunteers, and Croix-Rouge française members from the decades between 1914 and 2024 stand together in a colorful, positive visual world.

Notable is the intergenerational and intersectoral composition — historic postal uniforms from the 1910s stand next to modern helpers from the 2020s, classical nurses' attire meets contemporary emergency workers. The crowd composition represents: a collective, a united group, the engagement and intergenerational bond in a positive, colorful setting.

The image is programmatic — not a narrative act like #NFTimbre2, but a synchronic tableau of solidarity across 110 years.

Charity Mechanic

The central innovation of #NFTimbre3 is the direct donation architecture:

Compared with classical surtaxe stamps (typically EUR 0.20 donation on EUR 1.16 retail price = 17 %), the donation share at #NFTimbre3 is substantially higher. La Poste explicitly marketed the mechanic as a "première mondiale" in the crypto stamp space — other national postal operators have not replicated this architecture (as of May 2026).

Sales Setup

• Launch: 27 January 2025 from 9:30 AM exclusively via nftimbre.com
• Purchase limit: 25 copies per order
• Premier Jour: First buyers receive the NFT with "Premier Jour" stamp
• Mintage: not publicly communicated (typical NFTimbre practice from 2025)
• Availability: single-block edition, no pack
• Cancellation: possible at Carré d'Encre (Paris) or by correspondence to Philaposte Boulazac

Symbolism of the Date

The launch date 27 January 2025 is symbolically charged:

• 27 January: International Holocaust Remembrance Day (liberation of Auschwitz, 1945) — humanitarian commemoration date
• Thursday 27 January 2025: platform launch at 9:30 AM (typical Premier Jour date)

This date choice underlines the humanitarian character of the edition — La Poste does not place the charity NFTimbre randomly on a date with historic remembrance symbolism. The edition thus becomes a statement for historical responsibility and present solidarity.

Strategic Significance in the Programme

#NFTimbre3 occupies a special position in the overall programme:

1. First charity NFTimbre: establishes a new programme mode of established donation architecture
2. Single-block edition: return to atomic format after the triptych #NFTimbre2
3. Historic storytelling: 110 years of partnership as cultural-historical context
4. Pascale Montenay as artist: first explicit studio collaboration in the programme
5. Smart-contract donation: technical mechanic as programme innovation
6. Première mondiale: global ambition in the crypto stamp space

In contrast to the expansive multi-block architecture of later editions (NFTimbre4, 5, 6, 7), #NFTimbre3 is deliberately minimalistic — focused on the charity mechanic as a differentiating feature. The edition is thus conceptually closer to classical surtaxe stamps than to the narrative NFTimbre triptychs.

#NFTimbre3 has not been replicated to date (May 2026) — no other NFTimbre edition works with integrated donation architecture, and no other national postal operator has adopted this model. It thus remains a singular programme element in the crypto stamp universe.