Stamps

Faces, helmets and real gold

Real gold leaf was used for the Vreneli. The embossing gives the stamp the appearance of a real coin.

Flowers, birds and fallen heroes adorn numerous Swiss postage stamps. But a stamp showing the 111 faces of real living people like you and me is something of a novelty. In an online game, 5,000 Swiss men and women submitted their own photo and competed to be among the winners included on the Faces of Switzerland stamp.

A stamp made of real gold? Yes, this was another stamp launched by Swiss Post in 2013: the gold-leaf Vreneli stamp really does feature the precious metal. Embossed and shaped like a coin, the stamp has the appearance of a real coin. Precious metals were also the focus of this year's commemorative stamp: Swiss Post issued a special stamp as a tribute to the national ice hockey team for winning the silver medal at the 2013 World Championship.