We’ve seen some pretty weird materials used at to make ‘vinyl’ records, like an Oreo cookie, a smokeable hash, and even a combination of hair and piss. But before all these there were the Bhutanese “talking stamps” – tiny vinyl postage stamps from Bhutan that were actually playable.
Back in the 70s, Bhutan was producing “talking stamps” – postage stamps that you could actually play on a turntable. Check then out below.
As Dangerous Minds note, these “talking stamps” were the first of their kind – released in 1972 – and when placed on a turntable played the Bhutanese national anthem, Bhutanese folk songs, and a brief history of the country in varying combinations. They were made from thin pieces of embossed plastic, with a removable back to expose the adhesive.
As WFMU note, the stamps were probably an effort to boost stamp sales in Bhutan at a time when the international market for novelty stamps was huge.
“Unfortunately, most turntables don’t allow the small records to get played as it will eject or the swing of the tone arm is not long enough to complete the record,” they note.
Despite not being playable on most standard record players, the little rarities go for a pretty penny on eBay, with prices ranging around the $100-200 mark (USD) per stamp. Yep per stamp. Some sets go for upwards of $500 US. And an The Vinyl Factory note, some observers expect these prices to continue to rise in the coming years. So if you’re looking to invest in some vinyl, these might be a good bet.
Check out what the stamps sound like here via WFMU. And check out what they look like below.
