Special Stamps from Switzerland – Dinosaurs and Optical Illusions

Numerous skeleton and footprint finds confirm what a lot of people do not know: many millions of years ago, there were dinosaurs in Switzerland too. Reptiles which are now extinct (saurians) lived not just on terra firma, but also in the water and in the air. Three new special stamps showcase a selection of Swiss saurians, bringing them back to life. The new CHF 0.85 stamp features a theropod, the CHF 1 stamp an ichthyosaur, and the CHF 1.40 stamp a pterosaur with the jaws of a predator.

These creatures from the Triassic Period are not the only visually impressive new stamp issues from Swiss Post. The artist Youri Messen-Jaschin from Lausanne has created three stamps that confound the observer with their clever optical illusions. For example the ball on the CHF 0.85 stamp appears to hover in 3D above the paper, while similar images that appear to be in motion grace the CHF 1 and CHF 1.40 stamps.