Illegal Stamps
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Please fill the form with the information about illegal postage stamps and send us a message. Your willingness to cooperate in eradicating illegal postage stamps from the market will be highly appreciated.
The philatelic agency Stamperija Ltd., the official representative of Maldives post office
Any stamps issued not by a post administration of a corresponding country or its official philatelic agents are illegal. Only legal postage stamps can be used as a payment for postage costs.
All the important questions concerning postage stamps production – themes, designs, denomination, release date, edition – are coordinated between the agent and the post administration. Philatelic agent is responsible to provide only excellent quality postage stamps for its customers.
The main difference between illegal and official stamps is an authorization to produce postage stamps. Postage stamps are illegal if their producer does not have a signed contract with the post administration of the corresponding country or violate it. Such stamps have no value and cannot cover the costs of postal services.
The producers of illegal postage stamps cause a lot of damage to stamp collectors and philatelic agents so it is important to cooperate in order to eliminate illegal stamps from the market.
The descriptions of legal stamps issues are presented in the official websites and stamp catalogues of the authorized philatelic agents: Scott (USA), Yvert and Tellier (France), Michel (Germany). The listed postage stamps can also be found in various philatelic periodicals.
Fake stamps ≠ illegal stamps.
Illegal stamps are also often called “bogus stamps” or “unofficial stamps”. Less correct but frequently used phrases are “cinderella stamps”, “phantasy stamps”, etc. Phrases “illegal stamps” and “fake stamps” have different meanings and should not be used as synonyms.
Fake stamps, also often determined by the phrase “counterfeit stamps”, are illegal copies of official postage stamps (their production is a criminal offence in many countries). Usually a person who wants to produce fake stamps would try to get the original ones or the files from which they were produced, make highly similar copies and present them as originals.
“Illegal stamps” are considered as private newly created labels which imitate usual stamp forms, paper and other basic features and their producer only pretends to have a contract with a post administration whose name he/she is illegally using.
It is against the law to produce illegal postage stamps as it violates the rights of a concerned postal administration and results in financial harm to a collector (unless the collector knows that the stamps are illegal).
The production of illegal postage stamps cause a lot of damage to the philatelic trade.
So far we don’t have any information about illegal Maldives postage stamps.