The Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory in Denmark, has issued a non-fungible token postage stamp collection that brings the hobby of stamp collecting into Web3. The set, called “Stamps of Maybe,” pairs together 7,500 real-life stamps with corresponding digital twins NFTs.
It works like this. When someone purchases a set of IRL stamps from the collection (each stamp costs 100 Danish Krone or roughly $15 USD), they will receive the stamps through the mail. Each stamp comes with a QR code and near-field communication device that, when activated, automatically creates an NFT (digital twin).
The stamps correspond to the four seasons in the Faroe Islands:
- Spring Air
- Summer Fire
- Autumn Earth
- Winter Water
The weather on the Faroe Islands at the time of the activation (mint) determine the characteristics and rarity of the NFT. Spring Air stamps correspond to wind strength, Summer Fire to the temperature, Autumn Earth to the humidity, and Winter Water to the rainfall. The collection is linked to Faroese weather station Veðurstova Føroya and real-life data.
When someone activates the NFC device, they will see a preview of what their NFT will look like. They can decide then whether to mint. However, if they choose to mint, the characteristics, rarity, and visual appearance of the NFT are locked. The non-fungible token stamps function as a “digital time capsule” for the holder, a literal stamp of weather history.
The Faroe Islands has made the purchase of the stamps relatively Web3-friendly. Users can buy the physical stamps with fiat currency using a credit card or PayPal as well as pay with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Partners of Project Infuse Tradition with Innovation
The two partners for “Stamps of Maybe” are VariusSystems, an international operating company that specializes in cloud computing and blockchain technology, and Heiðrik á Heygum, a Faroese multimedia artist who has worked on everything from paintings to album covers.
Together, the two created a collection that leveraged innovative technologies while celebrating the tradition of the Faroe Islands. For instance, Heygum based the artwork for the NFTs on various animals, flowers, and plants that symbolize different weather seasons on the Islands. Nature is a big part of life on the Faroe Islands, with motifs of nature appearing in works of art and music produced in the territory.
VariusSystems, for its part, has long been an innovative company. Michael Dorner, the CEO, has experimented with blockchain technology long before it became “in vogue,” creating products designed to secure IDs, according to an interview he had with Forbes. His father, who ran the company before him, had an eye for innovation as well.
“Stamps of Maybe” is certainly innovative, in that it is a practical application of digital twins and one that directly involves consumers. Time will tell if it is successful in this bear market, but given the novelty of the collection, it will likely leave its mark on the space regardless of the economic outcome.
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