Press releases

Plenty of variety at the end of the year

The last stamp issue of the year features motifs that could not be more different: from Christmas to the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 to social diversity. A total of 11 new stamp motifs will be available from 14 November 2019.

Rich Content Section

Lausanne has been the capital of the Olympic movement for 26 years. Now, the city itself is becoming the focal point for the Olympics: from 9 to 22 January 2020, it will host the second biggest winter sporting event in the world, the third Winter Youth Olympic Games. Around 1,880 athletes aged 15 to 18 from over 70 nations will compete. Swiss Post is dedicating a stamp to this major event, much to the delight of the organizers: “Swiss Post is one of the pillars of Switzerland, one of the few companies present in every canton, in almost every city and village of the country. This stamp is a strong symbol of its support and will contribute to sharing the Olympic values of Lausanne 2020 across Switzerland and to the world,” says Ian Logan, CEO of Lausanne 2020. The “Lausanne 2020” colours are pink and blue, and these are used on the stamp to illustrate the different disciplines. The Olympic mascot, Yodli, is also displayed on the sheet of stamps, as are the values of the event: “Excellence”, “Respect”, “Fairness” and “Swissness”. The commemorative stamp is available at Swiss Post branches and the “Lausanne 2020” boutique in Lausanne itself.

Elegant and festive

As is the case every year, Swiss Post has the perfect stamps for the Christmas season. The current designs depict typical Christmas motifs: a gift, a snowflake, a candle and a star. The special printing technique uses pigment inks to produce a glossy effect, and gold and silver give the stamp an elegant, festive shimmer. The stamp’s design was inspired by harmonious glass patterns in the windows of Gothic cathedrals. In the Middle Ages, artists composed magnificent images by arranging smaller pieces of glass and holding them together with lead frames. This is because, back then, it was not yet possible to manufacture larger panes of glass.

Diverse and united

The Stonewall Riots that took place in New York City in 1969 sparked a series of movements all over the world that are now known by the acronym “LGBTI+” (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex, with the plus sign standing for queer). The importance of this topic prompted Swiss Post and Liechtensteinische Post to create a joint stamp issue. The motif of the A Mail stamp focuses on the coexistence of different lifestyles, portraying them all fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle. On the B Mail stamp, a colourfully illustrated crowd of people can be seen. They represent cultural and sexual diversity.

You can find all the stamps in the most recent issue as well as product information in the current edition of the stamp magazine “Focus on stamps”. The new stamps will be available at all Swiss Post branches and in Swiss Post’s online shop from 14 November.

 

Motifs in the 4/2019 stamp issue – available and valid from 14 November 2019

  • Christmas – “Gift” at CHF 0.85, “Snowflake” at CHF 1.00, “Candle” at CHF 1.50, “Star” at CHF 2.00
  • Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 – stamp at CHF 1.00
  • Social diversity – “Crowd of people” at CHF 0.85, “Community puzzle” at CHF 1.00
  • Pro Juventute – 30 years children’s rights – “Listening” at CHF 0.85 + 0.40, “Bringing happiness” at CHF 1.00 + 0.50
  • Stamp Day 2019 Bulle – stamp with surcharge at CHF 1.00 + 0.50
  • Typical Swiss countryside – Val Mora – stamp at CHF 1.00

 

Images:

Information:

Swiss Post Media Unit, Masha Foursova, Media Spokesperson, 058 341 49 60, presse@swisspost.ch