Only all the confetti together make up the complete franking for a Swiss A Mail letter.
The “stamp” is sold in panes of 4×5 confettis.
Just in time for the start of carnival on November 11, Swiss Post surprised everyone on November 9, 2023 with a fascinating innovation: stamps in a unique “confetti” format. Instead of the usual individual stamps, this special stamp requires five separate stickers to achieve the value of a conventional stamp.
The idea came from Phillip Bührer from St. Gallen, a 34-year-old design expert. His inspiration? The joy of placing stamps on letters. So why not multiply the pleasure and combine five stamps at once? The colorful design of the confetti stamps not only adds a dash of color to otherwise plain envelopes or parcels, but also allows each letter to be individually designed. The imaginative arrangement of the “partial stamps” makes sticking them on a playful and creative moment.
FDC with Cancellation
From January 1, 2024, every A Mail letter will now require five decorative confetti. These cheerful stamps will be sold in sheets, with each sheet containing four sets worth 1.20 Swiss francs each.
Incidentally, the term “confetti” is derived from the Italian word “confetto” (plural: confetti). Originally, it refers to sugar-coated sweets that are traditionally given as gifts in Italy on festive occasions such as birthdays or weddings. A truly sweet thought for the world of stamps!
Philatelic data:
- Country: Switzerland
- Date of issue: 2023-11-09
- Colors: Multicolored
- Designer: Phillip Bührer
- Printer: Joh. Enschedé
- Format: se-tenant
- Issue: Special stamp
- Perforation: Punched
- Printing: Offset printing
- Gum coating: Self-adhesive
- Postal value: 120 Ct – Swiss centimes
- Description: Issued in blocks of four blocks of five stamps each. The motifs on each block are arranged slightly differently, but each contains one stamp from this series.