Postcrossing Blog

During the summer, British Postcrossing members and old university friends Richard (aka roestimann) and Adam (aka mluc32) met in the city of Basel with a mission: to find all of the six “Basler Dybli” maiboxes!

Why are these mailboxes special, you ask? Well, for one, they’re beautiful! They were designed by Swiss architect Melchior Berri between 1843 and 1844, when Basel re-organised how mail was transported in the city. Upon completion and installation, they were considered the district mailboxes and served as direct connections to the postal network.

Local postmaster Johannes Bernoulli liked them so much that he requested 10 more to be made — and a stamp as well to commemorate the occasion! The stamp issued in Basel (this was before Switzerland had a unified post office for the whole country and cantons could issue their own postage) was called “Basler Dybli” (or the Basel Dove). The 2½-Rappen (cents) stamp was launched on July 1st, 1845 and featured an embossed white dove on a field of red, carrying a letter in its beak.

Although the stamp wasn’t very popular at the time, years later it became a prized symbol of Swiss philately for its classical beauty, but also for being the first stamp ever on several different categories… Can you guess which ones before having a peek? 🕊

Amazingly, almost 175 years later, these beautiful mailboxes featuring the same dove motive are still in use! Richard and Adam located all six of them, mailed some postcards from them and took some photographs to document their outing in Basel.

If you’re ever in Basel and are curious to follow their footsteps to discover these special mailboxes, you can find them at: Spalentor, St. Alban Vorstadt, Münsterplatz, Schneidergasse, Lindenberg (Kleinbasel) and at the old chambers in Riehen, which is a little outside the city.

What a brilliant postal adventure! Thank you Richard and Adam for taking us along on your trip around Basel to learn some interesting facts about the postal history of Switzerland!

Today is the day the trio of new Swiss Postcrossing-themed stamps is finally being launched! Hurray!

As part of the stamp launch, Swiss Post is organising a giveaway to promote their use. Every Postcrossing postcard sent from Switzerland between today and October 31st and which is registered before the end of December this year, will be entered on a lucky draw. Ten winners will be picked by Paulo’s random number generator, and each will receive a 100CHF voucher to buy postage on Swiss Post’s shop, plus the new Postcrossing stamps! Pretty generous, right? The formal rules can be found on this page.

So, if you’re in Switzerland, get some Postcrossing stamps and start requesting addresses to send postcards to! I’m sure everyone will be extra happy to receive your postcards… and you might end up with free postage for many more cards!

And if you’ll be in Switzerland later this month, a meetup + guided tour of a mail distribution centre is being planned for September 30th in Schlieren, to celebrate the new stamps. Check out the forum thread for more details!

Sabine (aka turtles) from Germany shared this photo of the new stamps she also pre-ordered!

Grüetzi!

Today we’re happy to share some good news from the land of cheese and chocolate! 🇨🇭  Swiss Post is going to launch 3 new Postcrossing-themed stamps later this year! Have a look:

Can you guess which stamp should be used on a postcard sent to Switzerland, Europe or the rest of the world?

The trio of fun stamps was drawn by cartoonist Max Spring, whose style will be familiar to many as his illustrations often appear in newspapers, stamps and other publications. He did a wonderful job on these, and we’re sure they’ll be a highlight on any postcard traveling from Switzerland!

Though the stamps will only be launched on September 7th, they’re already available online for pre-order on Swiss Post’s shop. While you wait for September to use them, keep an eye on the forum and meetup page, as a meeting is in the works to celebrate the stamp launch! 😊

Meet egni (aka Inge) who lives near Lake Zurich, in Switzerland! Over the years, she has amassed a very impressive collection of cat-themed postcards – especially on the Puss in Boots theme, for which she has a special soft spot!

Here is what she had to say:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

I really don’t know exactly. But I think I found a magazine while travelling by train and read about Postcrossing. It sounded interesting, so I took the paper home and left it on my desk. Later I drew up some courage and signed up.

I was curious if I could multiply my cat and Puss in Boots postcard collection (which I’ve had for many years) through Postcrossing… I always look at the recent postcards page and indeed – many cat cards are sent through Postcrossing!

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I enjoy buying and selling on flea markets.

I collect all about Puss in Boots: Books, figures, stamps, drawings, ExLibris … and additionally, I have a collection of cat figures made of various materials from small to large. Unfortunately I had to stop buying new parts – there is no more place in our home!

Have you been surprised by any place that you have received a postcard from or sent a postcard to?

Yes! Guernsey and Alderney and Saint Pierre & Miquelon are places I heard about first when I got the addresses to write to the users. And when I received a postcard from the Fiji Islands I was very surprised, plus it was a cat card!

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

All these pretty cards arrived at the same day. My postwoman Anke has as much fun as I.

I save my cards in an old commode from my father-in-law. My cat Beauty is controlling my work.

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

That’s very hard to do. There are lots of pretty, interesting or curious cards I received. To introduce them to more people, every week one this cards is choosen as 'card of the week’ and shown on the first site of my little homepage www.sammelchatz.ch. From this site, there are many links to my collections presented in different Picasa albums.

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

Oh yes! At first my brother was infected and later a friend of mine, who collects hedgehogs and Santa Claus. After our Regional Daily, Zürichsee Zeitung, published a story about me and Postcrossing, some more people signed up.

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

In short: Anything!

It’s fascinating asking for a new address and then study the profile. Great joy to find a suitable card, and then writing more or less in detail to a strange person. And the best part of this process is to read in the Hurray-Mail, that my card pleased the recipient or made his day. And if cards are favorited by other users, it’s a great satisfaction as well.

At last – the thrill of opening the mailbox every day and finding pretty cards from all around the world!

This week on the spotlight, we feature Jamie1972 (or Alex), from Switzerland. As a mother of 2 small (and really cute!) children, Alex is understandably passionate about children’s rights. Here is what she had to say:

How did you come across Postcrossing? What got you hooked?

My dear penfriend from Poland told me about Postcrossing and curious as I am I had to check out the page. I started slowly with just sending out few cards and had a longer break then because of a difficult pregnancy.

When I got back to Postcrossing I also discovered the Forum more and more and then it started to be real fun. Suddenly you know a bit about the person you write too – which is fun.

These days it is funny – there are weeks I only write “officials” – then are weeks I feel only writing to forum members – both are a lot of fun.

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?

I am a mother of two little children, Billy who is 5 and Sarah who is 2 years old. So I am a bit busy.

We also have two dogs and I love to go out with them for walks. I usually take my camera with me then – wich leads to my other great passion – photography. I love to take pictures of everything and I have now two external harddiscs just to save them!

I write a lot – not only letters and postcards but sometimes also short stories or I wrote a children’s book for my children about a little pirate. During my studies I did a children’s book with illustrations together with three collegues – and we printed it too – it was such a great experience.

I love to read a lot – but usually I can only do it in bed before going to sleep – and I start to buy only paperbacks because I wake up regularly because my book has fallen on my head because I fell asleep during reading.

Show us your mailbox, your mailman/mailwoman, your postoffice or the place where you post or keep your postcards!

My son Billy at my favourite mailbox where I usually mail my postcards, and little Sarah signing cards at the Bielefeld meeting:

Show and tell us about your favorite received postcard to date, and what makes it special.

To choose special cards is so difficult – there are just too many! I have to say that a lot of postcrossers really try to send you something special, which is so great!

One of my favourite subjects: Jip en Janneke

here is a bunch of cards that just came in my hands flipping though my postcards and I love every single one of them!

This one is a very special card – it’s a wooden one from Poland!

This card says: “After the last night with you I am only a shadow of myself”… This card prooved me that my mailwoman is looking at my postcards – I met her before I saw what was in my mailbox – and believe me her look at me was very strange and shocked!

Have you inspired anyone else to join Postcrossing or start collections of their own?

I know that some of my penfriends are postcrossers as well – I usually tell people about it when they see me writing bunches of postcards!

My son Billy started now in the kid’s round robin and he loves it. I guess in about a year or so when he is really able to write on his own he will want to have an account too.

And my little one, Sarah – she is mad about postcards and she loves to look at them. Usually she is really upset when I take them away to register them! It happens a lot that my children sign my postcards too – so if you get a postcard with strange signs of it – this is Sarah’s greetings :-)

What is it your favorite part of the Postcrossing process?

I love to draw addresses and read the profiles. Often I know then wich card is best to send – and usually really hit the taste of the reciever. I love to choose the “perfect” card for everyone. Something I love too is sending and getting RAS cards. Those are really big surprises!

Have you met any other members in real life?

Yes I did. When the first Swiss meeting was taking place in February 2010 I had some of the foreign postcrossers thew day befire in Lucerne and showed them around. In the evening we were at my place having Fondue and a lot of fun! The meeting itself was fun too – all the three Swiss meetings.

And I went to the big Bielefeld meeting last December – three days in a house with all those crazy postcrossers and it was a very special experience! I am always surprised how open all these people are and usually easy going. There is a great respect for everyone in the group and no one feels left out – at least this is my impression.