Swiss stamp printed with chlorophyll pigments

By Denise McCarty

Swiss Post recently issued what it called a “living” stamp.

One of 15 stamps issued by Swiss Post on May 5, this 1.10-franc stamp is green with a design representing a meadow.

Swiss Post said in the 2/2022 issue of its new-issue publication Focus on Stamps that the color was the stamp’s special feature, adding that “it’s the first stamp ever printed with chlorophyll pigments — in other words the substance responsible for the green colour of plants. This means the stamp is completely natural and ‘living’. The green will change over time depending on the effect of light.”

Designed by artist Monica Ursina Jager, the stamp is part of a multiyear series demonstrating Swiss Post’s commitment to art.

Gutenberg AG of Liechtenstein printed the stamp by offset, plus what Swiss Post called “1 special colour + chlorophyll and peach stone pigments.” The stamp is in a pane of eight.

The same printer also added the aroma of a campfire to another 1.10fr Swiss stamp issued May 5.

The stamp commemorates the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement established in 1987 with the merging of the Swiss Scouts and the Swiss Guides and also promotes the organization’s national jamboree to be held July 23 to Aug. 6 in Goms in the canton of Valais.

The design shows five young people sitting around a campfire, singing, playing guitar and telling stories. Swiss Post said that the campfire symbolizes a “sense of togetherness.”

Marisa Zurcher designed the stamp. It was printed in panes of 10 by six-color offset plus a “rub-off aroma coating” that “releases the scents to leave the tang of the campfire hanging in the air,” according to Swiss Post.

Also issued by Swiss Post on May 5 were Pro Patria semipostals, a souvenir sheet for the Helvetia 2022 World Stamp Exhibition in Lugano, a joint issue with Croatia featuring lakes, and commemoratives for the 150th anniversary of the shipping company LNM Navigation SA, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Swiss parks and the 2022 Europa theme of stories and myths.

Ordering details can be found through the Swiss Post.

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