To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of cacao beans at the port city of Bayonne, the French postal service (La Poste) is issuing a set of stamps depicting scenes from the history and manufacture of chocolate. Best of all: microcapsules in the ink provide a chocolate scent that will reportedly last up to two years.
The stamps go on sale on May 25th; 5.60€ for a sheet of 10 stamps. (via laposte.fr, europe1.fr)
I love that. Who wants to send me a postcard from France?
I wonder if the “scent-free” lobby would agitate to ban such a think from ever being produced here.
Have we never had scented stamps here?? I really don’t know.
Oh! That’s so nice!
They look really nicely done.
I read “Bayonne” and thought, wow, Bayonne, New Jersey has been around for that long? Then I clicked on the Wikipedia article. LOL!
Oh dear, I didn’t know NJ had a Bayonne — sorry I wasn’t more specific!
It’s completely my fault! I’m sure that everyone else understood you perfectly. I just have New York-New Jersey tunnel vision.
What a gorgeous sheet of stamps – I love the foil and everything. Very cool.
Me too
Those really are gorgeous. Took me a moment to realize that the chocolate tablet *is* the stamps. Makes me wish I collected stamps.
They really look real, don’t they?
I’m sure they smell nice, but if they wanted to go all the way, they should have made them with chocolate flavored glue at the back. Then they could make thousands of chocolate addict happy! Chocolate scent and flavor AND no calories…
Oh, even the glue on regular postage stamps has calories. 3 per stamp, if I remember correctly.
LOL! But assumed they were “sticker” type stamps — does anybody make the old kind anymore? I never see them.
I thought they didn’t make the old kind anymore … anyway, I’ve been afraid to lick stamps ever since that Seinfeld episode where George’s fiancee dies after doing the wedding invitations.
LOL — forgot about that!
I didn’t think that they were using the sticker kind in France yet… at least I don’t remember seeing any last fall.
Even in Canada, we do have the sticker kind (the day to day boring kind) but most stamps are only available “the ‘ole fashion way–lick-and-stick!”
The sticker kind is not very popular with stamp collecters.
I’d have to keep them away from small children that are curious.
Yep!
I am going to Paris in 2 and a half weeks and I am getting me some of these stamps!!
I know! My best friend lives in the south of France and I have already begged her to get me a sheet. She’s a good sport about things like that. Or maybe it’s because I send her US care packages with things like wild rice, Midol and CD’s.
Hey, one of you come back and tell us how they smell!
I ordered a sheet of these at laposte.fr for my father, who collects stamps. Under Services en Ligne at the left, select Achat en ligne de timbres. That takes you to the stamp store, where you can select your language at the top right. They’re under Vos besoins > Envois plaisirs > Blocs et mini-feuilles de beaux timbres.
Thanks, and hope he likes them!