First full motion stamp out in The Netherlands

The exchange rate between the euro and dollar must have jumped significantly since we last crossed The Pond 'cause TPG Post in Holland just issued two regular-costing 39-euro-cent stamps...with moving images. These unique plastic stamps use lenticular technology to lace twelve film stills together to replay the winning Olympic races of two skating legends (in Holland anyway). These stamps are available now from the Dutch post office. No doubt we'll get some wavy flags any day now.

[Via Core77]

[rokorre @ Feb 16th 2006 11:45AM]

http://www.tpgpost.nl/downloads/zegelvel.mpg
it shows the stamps moving
thas friggin cool!

[PEZ @ Feb 16th 2006 11:46AM]

How about a significant link to lenticular technology ! Sounds cool :)

[Captain N @ Feb 16th 2006 11:54AM]

You know, before they released these types of stamps to the public they had to make sure they were safe via a rigorous testing phase. Back then they were known as test-ticular stamps.

Hahahaha, I am so funny... get it???

(walks quietly back to 5th grade)

[geckoseiya @ Feb 16th 2006 11:54AM]

Awesome.

[Jay @ Feb 16th 2006 11:54AM]

Anyone know how I can order some of these?

[LordJezo @ Feb 16th 2006 12:01PM]

Anyone know how to order them? I see the links going to the Dutch post office but I can't read Dutch.

[Jazzwall @ Feb 16th 2006 12:10PM]

I know that the country of Bhutan (north of India) has had lenticular/ flicker / 3D stamps for a few decades now.

My favorite Bhutanese stamp has been a tiny "record" stamp from 1973,that would actually play music on an LP record player!!!

Check it out: http://www.wfmu.org/MACrec/allbhut.html

[mike @ Feb 16th 2006 12:13PM]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular

[Nick @ Feb 16th 2006 12:23PM]

You can order them by going to the following link: [url=http://onlinewinkel.tpgpost.nl/ConsumerPortal/product_list.asp?catalog%5Fname=Main&category%5Fname=9%5FNieuwe+Uitgiften&p1=Postzegels+verzamelen&Referrer=WEB]This is the link[/url]. I would order the going for gold booklet which includes 5 sheets of these stamps. The other one is just one enveloppe. The shipping costs to the USA are 15 euros. This could get pretty expensive...

[Cosimoto @ Feb 16th 2006 12:30PM]

Two words: Porn Stamps!

[benman @ Feb 16th 2006 1:15PM]

This is really cool. However, i thought lenticular technology only allowed for movement if you moved the substrate or if the person physically moved? Like those old baseball cards... Of course I could be completly missing something.

[Timmah!!! @ Feb 16th 2006 2:13PM]

Sportflics baseball cards.... haven't thought of those in a while. Thanks Holland!!

[matthew @ Feb 16th 2006 2:53PM]

i've got the same question as benman... according to wikipedia, lenticular prints only move when the viewer changes his angle of view? (like the ads in airports that change as you walk by them. they're not actually changing for everyone, just for you as you walk by). the video makes it look like the images move as the stamps sit on your coffee table...

[taihen @ Feb 16th 2006 3:21PM]

Harry Potter stamps!!

[Nick @ Feb 16th 2006 4:49PM]

you're all getting excited over a technology that is years old and isn't anything special.
Heck, you can get lenticular cards inside children's cereals.

clearly this dutch website has you all fooled, these aren't "full motion" at all - its an optical illusion whereby you have to move the stamp from left to right.

[Yale R @ Feb 16th 2006 5:16PM]

If you want to explore 3D photography with cameras built to make lenticular prints, visit http://www.snap3d.com/index.html
they will even do the photoprocessing for you.

[Beowulf @ Feb 16th 2006 6:13PM]

Ok, not really full-motion, but lenticular stamps sounds new & interesting.

[jason @ Feb 16th 2006 6:44PM]

The TPG Post Lenticular Stamps are in fact 24 frames of historical video footage not 12, at half PAL this is around 2 full seconds they have got into the stamp! This site www.lenticular.org.nz is one of the companys that was part of the production, they printed the lenticular part before it got finished into a stamp.

[jason @ Feb 16th 2006 8:31PM]

Also noticed these pages of interest on lenticulars well; http://www.lenticular.org.nz/lenticularfaq.htm & http://www.lenticular.ws, this one shows you how to they prepare the artwork for making lenticular http://www.lenticular.org.nz/lenticularartwork.htm

[Andrew Logan @ Feb 16th 2006 11:04PM]

so are you saying lenticular is just a fancy word for "hologram"?

[Wytnucls @ Feb 17th 2006 2:09AM]

I hear Denmark is issuing such a stamp with the 12 'offending' caricatures, in support of free speech! Postcards on the way to the Middle East...

[Dinnie @ Feb 17th 2006 6:23AM]

Sometimes I'm glad I'm Dutch :D

[Justin Bell @ Feb 20th 2006 3:53AM]

Hologram is not the same as lenticular AFAIK. I don't know the technical differences, but you only need to look a them side-by-side to see that they are obviously using different technologies.

BTW. New Zealand had these out a while ago. I think they might have been of the last summer Olymics and had the same theme.

[Nadine @ Feb 22nd 2006 10:30AM]

Personally I think this venture is a waste of time and resources. I can think of a million better uses for plastic than making stamps out of them even if those stamps hold motion, 3d or other things, its still a waste.

And while it may be cool for a week, its not really that special nor is it really an advancement of any sorts.

[paul @ Mar 27th 2006 1:41PM]

cool...if anyone has that stamp I would love to exchange it for one of Bhutan's famous 1973's Record stamps.
I also happen to have Bhutan's moulded stamps featuring John F. Kennedy, Mother Teresa and others.
I will be scanning them and posting them on my website soon.
Paul.