Monday, June 23, 2008

Jonathan Moon and the lenticular stamp

In Gibbons Stamp Monthly July 2008 issue, Peter Jennings presents his conclusions after interviewing Jonathan Moon, director of Outer Aspect, the lenticular stamp company based in New Zealand. This interview was done on 5 May 2008 for the presentation of the Austrian lenticular stamp that broadcast the forty eight pictures of a winning goal, under three different viewpoints (on this stamp, reminders here and there, and general lessons on lenticular, follow the links at the bottom of this page).

Jonathan Moon, born in 1964 in Auckland, was a young stamp collector, heir of the grand-father's collection, before he stopped during adolescence. He discovered the lenticular technology at an art exhibition in San Francisco in 1991. He found there a mean to overreach the limits of laser holograms. The company became serious in 1995 and the development of the motionstamp.

The first lenticular stamp produced by Outer Aspect was issued in 2005 by TNT in the Netherlands: there are the ice speed skaters. Moon recalled the stamps were sold out in two days.

Six postal operators have been using the New Zealander company's services, like shown on its website: sportmen and women in action, but for the juxtaposed pictures of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.

In the future of Outer Aspect:
* as soon as the next 8 August 2008, presentation of a new stamp of Austria: a statue in three dimensions;
* around 2010, the possibility to quickly issue a stamp broadcasting the winning goal in a world sport event (Moon told about the market of soccer, rugby and cricket fans).

A philatelic precision at the beginning of the article: the resin used by Outer Aspect accepts lots of postal cancellation inks.

Back to the Austrian lenticular of May: 350 thousands units printed = 1.9 million euros of face value. Believing a research I did, the value of 5.45 euros can frank:
* an economic international letter from 100 to 350 grams,
* an economic European letter from 350 to 500 grams,
* or an interior registered letter from 100 to 350 grams delivered to the adressee.

Finally, Peter Jennings, the reporter, is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and of the Royal Geographical Society.

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