A cohesive team.

We are a group of men and women, from different generations and fields of expertise, united by our common passion for this project and the products we produce. Our complimentary skills allow us to work autonomously yet cohesively, reciprocating support to all members of the team. To enrich the quality and content of our products, we also have the pleasure of collaborating with highly talented third parties, such as artists and consultants.

How was the idea of a digital stamp born?

Having worked in philately for numerous years, it was easy for CEO Nicola Archilli to observe how the stamp trade has shifted over the years from negotiations in niche, specialized shops to auction houses and more recently, on-line. Exception made for the rarest and most expensive stamps; specialized platforms offer millions of specimens rendering the market increasingly dynamic. However, working daily in auction houses and dealing with more or less important stamp collectors, Nicola Archilli realized how cumbersome these collections often were, sometimes even requiring vans to transport them from their owners to auction. Unfortunately, these collections often include flawed specimens or even counterfeits. It is the combination of these facts and other practical considerations that paved the way for the ideation of the digital stamp.

Although the “digital collectibles” sector is composed of numerous product categories, spanning from clothing for virtual dolls to real estate evaluations for land on which to build digital cities, what inspired Nicola Archilli to confidently follow the path of digital stamps was a decision made by America’s most important producer of baseball cards. Following WWII, in the postwar period, collecting baseball cards became a frenzy, like collecting soccer cards in Europe, where the passion for this collectible soared, bringing the value of certain rare specimens to considerable price-points and the number of collectors in the millions. In April of 2012, this Company extended its product offering by creating an App for buying and selling digital baseball cards. Although the company continues to print the traditional paper version, this diversification allowed the business to double its sales, with a 50-50 balance between both activities. Not only did the introduction of a digital version allow the company to strongly expand, it did so without hindering its traditional business.

We wanted to celebrate the 180th anniversary of the first postal stamp ever created by issuing the world’s first digital stamp on that same day.

Why the Penny Black?

On May 6th, 1840, England marked the history of philately by issuing the world’s first stamp called the Penny Black.

After precisely 180 years, BITSTAMPS has decided to issue the first digitalized version ever to commemorate this historical and iconic collectors’ stamp, certified by Blockchain technology.

1840 – 2020 From the Victorian to today’s digital era, the Penny Black has represented a part of history and continues to tell its story.

To celebrate this icon dedicated to the Queen Victoria, we have kept her effigy exactly as it was on the original Penny Black, but with a contemporary twist inspired by 2020

During Queen Victoria’s reign, Sir Rowland Hill ideated a reform to resolve the problem of covering postal service overheads.

Up until that moment, mail delivery services had been at the expense of the recipient. By creating this stamp, Hill switched the cost from the receiver to the sender, charging precisely one penny as a postal tax, for the service provided. As proof of payment, he proposed to frank all correspondence with a small paper adhesive.

You may wonder how the image of the world’s first stamp was chosen.

The British Treasury organized a competition to this avail, offering 600 pounds sterling to its winner. Specifications required that the imagery contain the effigy of Queen Victoria. More that 2,700 sketches were submitted and exposed in Buckingham Palace to be judged.

To this day, these proposals are preserved in the Royal Britannica Collection! More than 68 million Penny Black specimens were issued where the furthest distance travelled was from Hawick, Great Britain to Sydney, Oceania in 1841.
The Cross of Malta was selected as the postmark. This element is also mentioned in the digital commemorative version of the Penny Black. It is placed in the center, in a position that, in the future. will immediately evoke the year 2020.