Athena, goddess of strategy, inspires bpost's new crypto postage stamp
After the dragon, it's Athena's turn to reign over bpost's new issue of crypto stamps. The goddess, the emblematic figure of strategy and intelligence in Greek mythology, will adorn this hybrid collector's item uniting paper and digital technology.
Monday 11 August 2025"Athena is the perfect embodiment of our vision. The goddess guided heroes to victory, just as this stamp is guiding our customers on a new postal odyssey. We're building a bridge between the historic act of franking a letter and the digital world", explains Xavier Clabots, head of philately at bpost.
An innovative collector's item
Each crypto postage stamp consists of:
- A physical version, "3 World", which enables non-standardised letters weighing up to 100g to be franked anywhere in the world;
- And also a digital twin (NFT) to store in a personal crypto-wallet. On activation, the user reveals one of the five available colours; the red variant is still the most coveted as it is extremely rare. This fun system enhances the stamp-collecting aspect of the item and embodies bpostgroup's approach to innovation and digitalisation.
Extended European collaboration
This year, several European postal operators are once again joining forces for this joint issue. The 2025 issue is broadening its European scope with the arrival of the Portuguese postal service (CTT). Alongside bpost, Österreichische Post (Austria), PostNL (Netherlands), POST Luxembourg and CTT (Portugal) will all be marketing their own versions of the crypto postage stamp at the same time.
Practical details and availability
- On sale: as of 18 September 2025, exclusively on the bpost eShop and via philatelic channels
- Price: €9.36 each (€9 when buying two or more copies)
- Limited print run: 17,000 copies Please note that this postage stamp is not included in the 2025 philatelic subscriptions: collectors are advised to order online as soon as possible.
Find out more: What is a crypto stamp?
The crypto postage stamp combines a top-of-the-range printed work (paper and special holographic film bringing the design to life) on the classic postage stamp used to frank your mail and a unique NFT registered on the Polygon blockchain. The NFT guarantees the authenticity and ownership of the digital twin, which can be kept, exchanged or resold on dedicated platforms once it has been transferred to a compatible wallet.
