ILLEGAL STAMPS JANUARY - MARS 2023
Victor Manta
Philatelic journalist, PWO (*)
So far this year, we have identified 34 countries in whose names illegal “stamps” have been produced including the year 2023 (A summary list of the first few countries can be found at the end of the message. Included are the type of topics that are reproduced). And we have just completed only three months of this year. Unfortunately, the majority of these countries are on the African continent. Those from other regions are Guyana, Haiti, Lao, Maldives and Solomon Islands.
Quite a few countries have variations in the way that the country name is reproduced and "stamps" on the same topics are produced in the various ways a country;s name is reproduced. At least two countries have their names obviously misspelled. A further attack on the country's sovereignty is the inclusion of the term “POSTES” as part of the illegal “stamp”. To be noted that more countries are victims of illegal “stamps” in addition to those already identified in the list below that include the year 2023 – for example, for 2022 and earlier, such as Angola, Eritrea, Malawi, Nigeria, Tchad, Togo, among others.
An initial summary of the countries concerned by the production in their names of illegal “stamps” so far for 2023.
1 a) RÉPUBLIQUE DU BENIN / POSTES 2023 (M ushrooms; Personalities (W. Churchill); Sports (Soccer) ; 1b) Republique de Benin (Cinema Star War; Mushrooms; Personalities (W. Churchill & Truman, G.Eiffel, W.Mozart); Sports: Cars Italia Formula 1, Table Tennis); 1c) Republique du Benin (Cartoon Walt Disney; Fauna (Butterflies); 2a) BOTSWANA (Cartoon Walt Disney; Fauna (Wolves); Olympic Games 2016, 1992, 1972); 2b) Botswana (Personalities (W.Churchill, C.Chanel, Freud..); 3) BURKINA FASO (Cartoon Walt Disney; Cinema (Marvel, Star Wars); Comics Tintin; Fauna & Flora (Mushrooms, Sharks, Turtles); Personalities (N.Bonaparte, W.Churchill & Queen Elizabeth, W.Mozart); Sports (Cars Italia Formula 1, Olympic Games: 1992, 1960; Table Tennis); 4) Republique du Burundi ( Cinema Marvel; Fauna & Flora (Bees, Butterflies, Turtles, Mushrooms); Personalities (N.Bonaparte); Sports (Cars Italia Formula 1, Olympic Games 1976; Rowing, Table Tennis ); 5a) Cabo-Verde (Mushrooms; Space Apollo; Table Tennis); 5b) Cabo Verde (Fauna & Flora (Butterflies, Mushrooms); Personalities (W.Churchill, Queen Elizabeth..);Table Tennis);
6a) Republique du Cameroun (Cartoon Walt Disney; Fauna (Butterflies); Personalities (N.Bonaparte); 6b) REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN (Cartoon Walt Disney); 7) Republique Centrafricaine (Fauna & Flora (Butterflies, Mushrooms); Personalities (W.Churchill, M.L.King, W.Mozart); Sports (Olympic Games Rio 2016, Table Tennis); 8a) R.D.CONGO (Mushrooms; Personalities (W.Churchill, G.Eiffel); 8b) R.D.KONGO (Cartoon Walt Disney; Cinema Marvel; Comics Tintin; Mushrooms; Personalities (W.Mozart); Sports (Cars Italia Formula 1, Olympic Games 1948; Table Tennis); 8c) R.D.Kongo (Cartoon Walt Disney; Fauna (Butterflies); Table Tennis); 9a) REPUBLIQUE DE COTE D'IVOIRE (Personalities (W.Churchill, C.Chanel, Freud..); Sports (Olympic Games Rio 2016); 9b) REPUBIQUE DE COTE DIVOIRE (Mushrooms; Personalities (W.Churchill); Sports (Golf, Olympic Games 1976, Table Tennis);
10a) Republique de Djibouti (Cartoon Walt Disney; Cinema Marvel; Fauna & Flora (Turtles, Mushrooms); Personalities (Great Writers, N.Bonaparte); Sports (Golf, Table Tennis ); 10b) REPUBLIQUE DE DJIBOUTI (Fauna & Flora (Butterflies, Mushrooms;) Personalities: W. Churchill).
Published on behalf of the Wordwide Philatelic Observatory (Ms. Maria Libera - Manager)
(*) PWO is the short for the Philatelic Webmaster Organization, whose website can be found at https://pwmo.org
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