Thursday, December 29, 2005

Italian Post Office resolves the pensions conundrum

The Italian Post Office is about to issue 2 stamps with a guarantee of rarity. There will only be a certain number produced and any not distributed by the end of next year will be destroyed. Should you rush to buy them? Well, you can, but it won't do you much good. You can't have them. Not unless you're 18.
It'll work like this. Anyone who turns 18 in 2006 will have 3 months after their birthday to apply for a postcard with one of these stamps attached. Only one. If you're a boy, you get a blue one. If you're a girl, a pink. Given the low birthrate in Italy, and the certainty that a large number of people will either be too late or not bother to apply, and given that the remainder of the batch will be destroyed at the end of the year, the number out there will be very small. Instant rarity. Instant value. Who needs a pension?
The stamps will also be available for normal postage, but those will be 'pre-postmarked'. There's an article (in Italian) here.

No comments: