In its first stamp issue of this year, Swiss Post dedicated three special stamps to the 100th anniversary of the Swiss National Park. In its autumn collection, it is now launching a new stamp series featuring four wild animals which are particularly widespread in the National Park but also common elsewhere nationwide: the red deer, the Alpine marmot, the weasel and the spotted nutcracker. These four domestic species reflect the remarkable biodiversity which continues to be a distinctive feature of Switzerland today.

SwissSkills – painters and plasterers set the pace

The SwissSkills professionals championships will be held in Berne from 17 to 21 September 2014. Over 1,000 young professionals from trade, industry and services will showcase their skills in around 130 professions. Eleven professional associations took part in a preliminary stamp competition sponsored by Swiss Post. In various projects involving creative young people, each of them designed a stamp featuring the skills associated with their respective professions. The team from the Swiss Association of Painters and Plasterers was selected as the winner. Their artwork, a fine combination of colours and shapes, was eternalized on a 1-franc stamp.

Garfield the comic strip cat

A fictitious creature has also made it onto a special stamp. We are talking about Garfield – probably the most famous comic strip cat of all. In spite of his laziness, he is extremely successful. The secret of his success lies in his cynical approach to human problems, in other words, his parody of our lives. The headstrong cat first appeared in public in comic strips of American newspapers in 1978. Since then, he has brightened the days of readers of thousands of newspapers and magazines. He appears in films, videos, computer games, on mugs and as a toy, in smartphone apps – and now also on two special stamps issued by Swiss Post.

Musical stamp

In many of us, the black 45 and 33 rpm vinyl discs evoke nostalgic memories. Now they are the subject of an exclusive miniature sheet included in the latest stamp issue. The latter will literally be music to the ears of many stamp enthusiasts. Even if the stamp, which is suitable for franking, is detached from the miniature sheet, a specially engraved soundtrack still allows the miniature sheet to be played on a record player which is set to 33 rpm. The soundtrack includes a brass band version of the Swiss national anthem.

A journey into the past rounds off Swiss Post’s autumn collection. The "Lindau messenger" special stamp honours the messenger service between Lindau and Milan established during the first half of the 14th century. The Lindau messenger symbolizes early modern communication as well as the development of modern trade and transport.

Subjects of the 3/2014 stamp issue – valid from 4 September 2014

• Wild animals at the national park – special stamps "weasel" at CHF 0.85, "Alpine marmot" at CHF 1.00, "spotted nutcracker" at CHF 1.40, "red deer" at CHF 1.90
• SwissSkills Berne 2014 – special stamp at CHF 1.00
• Garfield – special stamps "cheese" at CHF 1.00, "chocolate" at CHF 1.00
• Record – miniature sheet at CHF 5.00
• Lindau messenger – special stamp at CHF 1.40

Available from www.swisspost.ch/philashop and from Swiss post offices.
You can find detailed information in the current issue of the stamp magazine, "Focus on Stamps": www.swisspost.ch/focusonstamps