Last time I introduced stamps made from unusual materials. This time, in order of issue, here are stamps made with real embroidery — the kind you can’t stop gazing at!
Switzerland 2000 · St. Gallen Embroidery (Self-Adhesive)
The world’s first embroidered stamp was issued by Switzerland in 2000.
It was designed by Peter Hostettler, a textile designer at Bischoff Textiles in St. Gallen.
It is so solid and thick that you can’t help wondering what would happen if you stuck it on a letter!
The sheet of four is beautiful, with embroidery around the margins too.
St. Gallen lies in north-eastern Switzerland and is one of the highest cities in the country. The Abbey of St. Gall was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Italy 2004 · Needlepoint Lace
The embroidered stamp issued by Italy in 2004 was designed by the Arnaldo Caprai textile group.
It features traditional needlepoint lace, a technique said to have originated in Italy.
Austria 2005 · Embroidery · Edelweiss
This stamp was issued just after I opened Postio Marche, my online shop for foreign stamps.
It’s a stamp full of memories — the one that made me realize how unique and fun the world’s stamps can be!
Edelweiss is Austria’s national flower, and its name means “noble white.”
Austria 2008 · Embroidery · Gentian (Self-Adhesive)
Following the 2005 Edelweiss, the 2008 embroidered stamp features the gentian.
In Japan, gentians are thought of as a Japanese flower, but they grow throughout Europe as well.
Singapore 2009 · Embroidered Flowers Collector’s Sheet · Dove Orchid
Singapore has issued lovely stamps too. The three flowers in the center are embroidered.
Austria 2010 · Embroidery · Petit Point
Petit point is a type of embroidery developed in 18th-century Vienna.
France 2011 · Lace
Pieces of lace from Alençon, Le Puy-en-Velay, Chantilly and Calais are attached in the center.
Austria 2016 · Embroidery · Dirndl
The dirndl is a traditional costume worn from Bavaria in southern Germany through Liechtenstein to the Tyrol region of Austria.
The stamp itself is made of embroidery. I think it’s the cutest stamp in the world.
Even the FDC postmark features a traditional costume design.
San Marino 2017 · Embroidery · 140 Years of San Marino Stamps
San Marino is a tiny country about the same size as Lake Towada in Japan.
It is known for issuing many stamps for collectors, which are said to contribute to the national finances.
San Marino’s first stamps were issued on 1 August 1877.
This special stamp marking the 140th anniversary features the republic’s coat of arms — the three towers of Guaita, Cesta and Montale, each crowned with an ostrich-feather weathervane — together with the word “Libertas,” embroidered on blue canvas.
Canada 2017 · Toronto Maple Leafs 100th Anniversary
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a National Hockey League team based in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 1917.
The 100th-anniversary stamp is an unusual souvenir sheet with an embroidered patch attached.
Austria 2018 · Embroidery · Styrian Hat (Self-Adhesive)
Austria — by now the familiar home of embroidered stamps — issued this stamp based on the traditional hat of Styria.
Liechtenstein 2019 · 300 Years of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein, a small country between Switzerland and Austria, about the same size as Shodoshima Island in Japan, was founded on 23 January 1719.
For its 300th anniversary in 2019, it issued what may be its most lavish stamp ever.
Liechtenstein 2020 · Embroidery · Recycled PET
This embroidered stamp uses recycled polyester thread made from collected PET bottles.
The blue and green recycled-PET embroidery depicts the Earth and a green leaf.
Vatican City 2022 · UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
This stamp also uses polyester thread recycled from PET bottles.
The embroidery is based on the basic elements of the life cycle: seed, earth and sun.
Armenia 2023 · Embroidery
A real embroidered stamp from Armenia.
Armenia lies in the mountainous Caucasus, between Asia and Europe.
The stamp imitates the patterns of Armenian carpets, a tradition said to go back more than 5,000 years.
It captures the texture of a carpet beautifully!
Some say the English word “carpet” comes from the Armenian word for rug, “kapert.”
A version with a white background and a different pattern was also issued.
Liechtenstein 2024 · 40 Years of Women’s Suffrage
Somewhat surprisingly, Liechtenstein was the last country in Europe to introduce women’s suffrage, in 1984. This embroidered stamp, “The Cross – a Powerful Symbol,” uses cross-stitch to depict the cross a voter marks on the ballot.
Luxembourg 2025 · 25 Years of Grand Duke Henri’s Reign (issued 6 May)
Luxembourg is the world’s only grand duchy — a country whose head of state is a hereditary grand duke.
Grand Duke Henri acceded to the throne on 7 October 2000, and this embroidered stamp was issued in 2025 to mark his Silver Jubilee.
“LETZEBUERG” is the name of the country in Luxembourgish, a language derived from German.
With the royal colors and the Grand Duke’s initial, the design is truly elegant.
The FDC postmark uses the French name, “LUXEMBOURG.”
The embroidery uses metallic Lurex thread, and the stamp was produced by Hämmerle + Vogel of Austria.
Liechtenstein 2025 · Dove of Peace
The edge above the dove has no frilled border — I believe this is a first.
The dove carries an olive branch, a symbol of peace.
At the lower left of the FDC, you can spot the Japanese word for peace, “和平.”
Liechtenstein Post describes the stamp as more than a collector’s item: a symbol of hope and global solidarity. It was created through international cooperation between several postal operators, the United Nations, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the Austrian embroidery specialist Hämmerle + Vogel, and the embroidered dove is a miniature work of art combining an ancient craft with modern technology.
It was made by Hämmerle + Vogel, the same Austrian embroidery company that produced the 2005 Edelweiss and 2008 Gentian stamps.
I compared it with the Gentian stamp.
Each has its own original background color.
You can see that the background of the Dove of Peace is pure white.
Real Embroidery Stamps: Summary
How did you enjoy this look back at real embroidered stamps?
Switzerland, which issued the world’s first embroidered stamp, has since issued textile (fabric) stamps but no more embroidered ones — making that first stamp something of a legend.
When it comes to unique stamps, Austria is in a league of its own, and it appears many times here too.
I’m looking forward to collecting more real embroidered stamps!
For an in-depth look at the Swiss embroidered stamp, read this article:
👉 Switzerland’s Legendary Embroidered Stamp: A Complete Guide (2000)
For embroidery expressed through printing rather than real thread, see Hungary’s embroidery motif stamps:
👉 Hungary’s 1990s Embroidery Motif Stamps: The Complete Series
Postio Marche carries embroidered stamps — please take a look.
👉 Postio Marche — Embroidered Stamps
Some of the stamps shown are from a private collection. Items available for purchase are those listed in the shop only.
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