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Below are few Moroccan stamp like items which have made me pulling my hair. These are not mentioned in any of the printed catalogues or resources I have access, which very strongly suggests some kind of bogus or cinderella stamp release. Even the very few online references for these are highly mixed, so if any of you can share 'better knowledge' on what these are, it would be highly appreciated. ...(317 words,2 images, 0 comments)
Though I don't usually include mint or unused items on to my collection, the 1921 Albanian ' Vetëkeverria e Mirditiës' stamps make an unusual and fascinating exception. Republic of Mirdita (aka Mirdite Republic) was a short-lived, self-declared republic in northern Albania; it existed from July 17 to November 20, 1921. Depending on the resource, the stamps of Mirdita are deemed either as complete bogus/fantasy stamps or unissued locals of uncertain origin; at the moment none of the major stamp catalogs list them besides (illustrated) footnotes about their highly questionable status. I don't have the knowledge to judge these either or, so I'm just enjoying their 'rough beauty' and the challenges they provide for the ordinarie stamp collector. Despite of their mixed nature, these make a very attractive collectors item. ...(545 words,5 images, 10 comments)
As Angola is these days part of the evil empire of IGPC (philatelic agency, which produces most of the topical stamps for small islands and developing countries), I was not hardly surprised when I lately received a selection of pretty CTO-used Angola topical stamps. But I was slightly amazed when they all turned out as complete and utter bogus stamps (for some I suspected it, but not all). ...(332 words,4 images, 9 comments)
The Isö cinderellas are somewhat interesting phenomena in Scandinavian philately. Some sources (such as Wikipedia) mention Isö stamps as "local post stamps from Eastern Sweden (Gotland)", but in reality these are complete bogus stamps (stamps mimicking genuine postage stamps, without any official validity). ...(207 words,2 images, 21 comments)
Besides Somali Republic (see yesterdays blog entry), Sahara OCC R.A.S.D (or officially République Arabe Saharouie Démocratique - Arab Republic of Western Sahara) is one of the most common sources of modern topical bogus / cinderella stamps. None of the RASD issues have postal validity anywhere. At best, they can be considered as local propaganda labels or cinderella issues. ...(168 words,2 images, 9 comments)
There are thousands of bogus ’stamps’ produced in the last few years, many bearing the name of the Republic of Somalia or Somali Republic. As most worldwide collectors know, Somalia is a country that truly exists in Northern Africa with long and interesting postal history. But according to UPU (Universal Postal Union) all postage stamps with inscription Somali Republic are illegal / bogus stamps. ...(178 words,1 images, 11 comments)