Mali - Illegal Postage Stamps

UNIVERSAL

POSTAL UNION

Berne 11 June 2001

International Bureau Circular

238

The Philatelic Webmasters Organization helps the UPU and the postal administrations in their fight against the illegal issues. For this reason we publish below an excerpt from the UPU Circular No. 238 June 11 2001 signed by Mr. K J S McKeown Director of Communications and Postal Markets UPU.

The postal administration of Mali  has informed the Universal Postal Union that the following stamps brought on the market by a society established in the USA are illegal:

UNIVERSAL

POSTAL UNION

Berne 22 may 2000

International Bureau Circular

165

 
Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of MALI asks me to inform you of the following:

"Our administration was informed on 14 March and 18 April 2000 of the existence of nine different series of postage stamps bearing the inscription "REPUBLIQUE DU MALI" and various designs.

"We would like to point out that all these stamps are illegal and that their circulation does harm to the Malian and international postal services and to collectors.

"Consequently we would ask all postal administrations not to accept correspondence prepaid by means of these false stamps.

"Legal action has already been initiated to trace the forgers and bring them to justice."

Yours faithfully

M S RAMAN
Assistant Director General

Annex 1

Pirated postage stamps purportedly issued by the Republic of Mali
 
Trains 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Chess 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Prehistoric animals 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Magellan 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Mushrooms 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Computers 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Dogs 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
C Columbus 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F
Minerals 9 values 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 F

According to our information, these "pirate issues" were produced in Eastern Europe on behalf of a certain company in Great Britain.

More information about the illegal issues can be obtained directly from the UPU, Mrs. Maria Libera.

Published: 06/21/2001. Revised: 09/20/01.
Copyright © 2001 by PWO and
by Victor Manta, Switzerland.
All rights reserved worldwide.