Illegal stamps are postage stamp

Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

-like label

Label

A label is a piece of paper, polymer, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or article, on which is printed a legend, information concerning the product, addresses, etc. A label may also be printed directly on the container or article....

s issued in the names of existing independent countries or territories used to defraud

Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

 postal administrations, stamp collector

Stamp collecting

Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world's most popular hobbies, with the number of collectors in the United States alone estimated to be over 20 million.- Collecting :...

s, and the general public. Often, but not always, a member nation of the Universal Postal Union

Universal Postal Union

The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...

 (UPU) will have asked the UPU to issue of an "International Bureau Circular" advising others of the illegal stamps. According to the UPU, the market is estimated to be at least $500 million per year.

Illegal stamps are to be distinguished from the many varieties of cinderella stamp

Cinderella stamp

In philately, a cinderella stamp has been defined as "Virtually anything resembling a postage stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a government postal administration..." The term also excludes imprinted stamps on postal stationery.- Types :...

s which may have some of the same characteristics as illegal stamps but which are not usually issued in the name of an existing country.

Identifying illegal stamps

There is no definitive method to identifying illegal stamp issues.

• Many illegal stamps are issued in the names of countries or territories from Africa or the former Soviet Union, or smaller island nations from around the world. Older illegal issues (from the 1970s) were often in the names of Arab states.
• The designs often feature popular topics such as animals, sporting heroes, and movie stars unrelated to the country or territory named on the stamps.
• Most illegal stamps are not listed in the major stamp catalogues, though some may have been included in error or because their status is unclear or because the criteria for entry differ from those used by the UPU to recognise valid stamp issues.
• The WADP Numbering System
  WADP Numbering System
  The WADP Numbering System is a project referencing postal stamps issued in the world since 1 January 2002. It is monitored by the World Association for the Development of Philately and the Universal Postal Union...
  
   (WNS), developed by the World Association for the Development of Philately and the UPU, catalogues stamps issued by UPU member nations since 2002. Not all UPU members participate.
• The UPU periodically issues advisories at the request of the postal authorities of member nations, listing illegal stamps.

Consequences of illegal postage issues

Illegal stamps are said to result in adverse consequences for several different parties. Postal administrations lose revenue to illegal issues and stamp collectors may lose money by mistakenly buying illegal stamps that have little or no monetary value. In addition, inexperienced or non-philatelists have been tricked into buying illegal stamps that are worthless memorabilia for their favorite hobby or interests. For example, AskPhil quotes an example of someone paying $1,225 on eBay for three Tiger Woods labels, issued illegally in the name of Turkmenistan. Additionally, legitimate stamp dealer

Stamp dealer

A stamp dealer is a company or an individual who deals in postage stamps and philatelic products. It also includes individuals who sell postage stamps for day to day use or official stamps for use on court documents.-Stamps on Approval Basis:...

s may see their market, and the reputation of their industry, eroded by the illegal issues market. Finally, artists and photographers do not receive royalties from artistic work that is used on illegally printed issues.

External links

• AskPhil.org List of UPU illegal stamp alerts
• AskPhil.org List of issues believed by collectors to be Illegal
• AskPhil labels of Topics/Thematics listed as bogus, unauthorized, not valid for postal use
• UPU illegal stamp circulars link page
• UPU 1996-2003 circulars in pdf