BURUNDI ILLEGAL STAMPS

Information and Reference of illegal stamps for Burundi

In researching the illegal stamp production for Burundi, I found the country like many others to be a complete mess as to what is real and what is not. Like many of the other African countries, Burundi has been plagued over the years with bad stamp agents who produce abusive stamps on a massive scale. They have also been plagued by several different counterfeit illegal stamp producers as well. These criminals have produced a mass of illegal stamps in the name of Burundi since 1999. As is the usual case, the British counterfeit producer started it all and continued his attacks through 2011. To learn more about the British producer visit the Niger section of this study. Several other counterfeit souvenir sheets and sets were made by this producer in later years as well, so don't think this criminal "went away".

A brief rundown shows us that one of the Eastern European producer started producing counterfeits heavily in 2012 through 2014 and a few afterward through 2020! In 2010 even the Spanish counterfeit producer made a few sets of counterfeits in the name of Burundi. Finally the newest counterfeit producer in Russia, topnimarka, massively produces counterfeit stamps in the name of Burundi starting in 2016 to present times in 2022.

After the overproduction of Burundi stamps in the 1970's, Burundi became a conservative stamp issuing entity from 1980 to 2010. Sadly, in 2011 Burundi gives Stamperija a contract and as is the usual, the abusive stamp agent pumps out a massive number of stamps and the hanky-panky begins. Stamperija abused Burundi between the years 2011 and 2013. Suddenly and oddly Burundi gives Impressor S.A. a contract in 2014. Same abuse, just different styles. Supposedly, by the word of one lone seller on Delcampe who is obviously a distributor for Impressor stamps, Impressor was allowed to print stamps in the name of Burundi through 2017. I contest this as the main catalogs show major discrepancies on them.

The Colnect catalog shows us that indeed the 2014 issues are listed. Then in 2015 the number of issues drops dramatically. What is funny is for 2015 all the listed Impressor issues are inscribed with the year 2014! Here we go again! We can see the Impressor issues are once again not listed in Scott catalog nor Stanley Gibbons. Obviously because of printing in excess of postal needs but also because the majority of the "issues" never saw the light of day in Burundi. I note there are a few "covers" that have been offered, but those "covers" are mainly only sold by one seller on Delcampe and look very suspicious. The seller hides the forwarding address which was in France for most of them. There is no return address on the front, no display of the back of the covers. To me, it looks like someone had the covers cancelled by a postal employee in Burundi simply to create evidence of usage. Only the one seller selling them. All are on same "airmail" type envelope and obviously addressed to the same entity in France.
You don't smell a rat?

Getting back to the catalog listings we see only some of the Impressor stamps listed on Colnect. More are listed in the Stampworld catalog. As stated, Colnect only shows Michel catalog numbers and sometimes Yvert on the earlier issues. We already know about the corrupted listings in Michel and Yvert due to influence by the stamp agents. Taking the word of a stamp agent intent on getting every stamp they make listed so they can profit greatly is not a good policy. Without full verification from the postal authorities of the country, stamps should not be listed. Because of greed on all sides, we now do not know if the stamps are actually legal or not.

The lone mass seller of them on Delcampe is selling many that are not shown on either online catalog. For 2016 we see another problem. First, why are almost all the 2016 listed stamps inscribed with a 2015 year date? Again, this seller on Delcampe is offering many more different topics than are listed for the year. The "issues" that are shown on Colnect all are using only Yvert numbers and some WAD number. What gives? Michel quit listing them too?

For 2017 we have an even bigger problem with the stamps made by Impressor. No listings on either online catalog for 2017! Yet this lone dealer on Delcampe is offering a mass of Impressor "issues" inscribed 2017! What I get a kick out of is the sellers persistence with trying to convince buyers that they are "OFFICIAL ISSUE". Guess what? No listing in this context means they were illegally placed on the stamp market, which has been found to be true in cases with other countries. Do you think an abusive stamp agent that prints their own stamps is not going to cheat in every way? It is really sick what they have done and continue to do to this day. Just like with baseball cards, the producers greed destroys the hobby. Just like baseball cards, these abusive issues that these compromised catalogs list at high values, won't even sell for 50c now! A rotten investment any way you look at them.

In 2018 Stamperija was apparently allowed to make just one set which is listed on Colnect and the Stampworld catalogs. The problem is...Colnect only gives it a "Colnect number". So what gives with that? After that there are no stamps listed for Burundi for 2019 through 2020. 2021 saw a couple sets and then sadly, in 2022 it appears we have Stamperija back, pumping out another glut of abusive stamps in the name of Burundi.

According to the lists of stamps to resist or avoid on the PWO website, Modern Burundi stamps should be avoided if they are not listed on the UPU WNS System. I would say to a point it is correct. Sadly Burundi has not registered any stamps since 2016. We do see that some Impressor issues from 2014 are listed, but nothing like what they spewed out. Then nothing for 2015 and then one set of Birds in 2016. This shows you what the UPU thinks about the glut of Impressor garbage. Also notice not one Stamperija "issue" is registered. It is obvious why. My advise is to really research anything produced in the name of Burundi and avoid most of it. One might pay $1.00 for a year set of Stamperija or Impressor "issues". That is what they are really worth because they are wallpaper stamps.

Burundi had three UPU Circulars published. At present in 2022 they are not shown in the UPU reference sections of circulars. Why? Circular 8 made in 2012 has been documented on the PWO website for years. Circular 143 made in 2002 is documented to exist on several sites. I could find no reference at all online for Circular 362 made in 2007. I will present the pdf files accordingly.

Let us begin!

On April 15, 2002 the postal administration for Burundi by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Communication and Postal Markets) posted to the Universal Postal Union a circular warning of the discovery of a set of illegal stamps created with their country name that are on the market. The circular is number 143. You can view the circular in its entirety in the PDF file I have linked here.

UPU Circular Number 143

It describes only one of the Butterflies counterfeit illegal stamp souvenir sheets below.

To start, here are recommended sites to use for reference. As I stated, the WNS system is short and incomplete on what is real. The stamps that are shown should be researched further before you buy them.

The Universal Postal Union WNS website

I have found the Colnect online catalog to be very helpful. Sadly because of the glut of abusive issues in some years it is a pain to go through those pages.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Burundi

Some of the illegal stamps are shown in their Illegal Stamps section and noted as such. Several years are covered well. Still nothing close to what is out there as you will see.

The Colnect Online Catalog Illegal Stamp Section for Burundi

I have found the Stampworld.com Catalog to be very helpful as well but there are problems. Again, because of the abuse many of the pages are extremely long.

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Burundi

Here we go!

Many of the following illegal stamps can be found as imperforates and as color proof sets as well. Many exist on fake First Day Covers too.
Most times now (2022) the souvenir sheet sets and sheetlet sets are sold individually. Many times the stamps have been removed from the sheetlets and souvenir sheets. All of these "tactics" are used to avoid detection by experts and savvy collectors.

Sellers that call these "private", "locals", "Cinderella's", "unauthorized" are deceiving you. They are illegal stamps produced by a stamp dealer that is bent on ripping you off! Some sellers state "we offer them because they are on the market". Well how about you use a different dealer because that seller is "on the market"? If the stamp societies, auction sites and all other venues kicked these sellers off of their sites then they would have to comply or lose their ability to sell anything.

The following images are free for the use of all to use to alert the public to them. If anyone wants to make a public list of users on eBay, Delcampe and elsewhere who are selling these issues....fine by me since the UPU, PWMO and others appear to have given up or have not been updated in years.

If you have purchased any of these stamps from a dealer or if that dealer offers them, you should avoid that dealer! You will only be supporting illegal stamp makers who are only ripping you off.

1999

In my research for the problem faced by Burundi, I found the first production of counterfeits in the name of Burundi was in 1999. In 1999 we can see that Burundi was running a conservative stamp program. In that year they issued a total of 6 different stamps. None of them look like what follows. In 1999 the British counterfeit producer attacks. You can see that it is the British producer as several of the following counterfeits have the printers color guide on them. This color guide is a perfect match with many other illegal stamps in the name of other countries proven to be produced by this criminal.

1999 Burundi Birds of Prey Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9



1999 Burundi Butterflies Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 6

This is the set described in Circular 143. Apparently they "missed" the illegal souvenir sheet of 9 or it was not presented to them at the time.



1999 Burundi Chess Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9



1999 Burundi Chess Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 6



Here are a couple examples of the counterfeit Chess sheets fake First Day Covers.

1999 Burundi Chess Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets on Fake First Day Covers



Then they overprinted the counterfeits probably to help in sales of them. Sorry for the one tiny image. Taken from the notorious illegal stamp website called Avion Stamps. The site with the worst images in the world. It appears the counterfeit souvenir sheet of 6 with this overprint is exclusively sold there.

1999 Burundi Chess Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets with Gold Overprints

The overprints celebrate the 33rd Chess Championship.



1999 Burundi Dogs Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 6



1999 Burundi Locomotives Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9



1999 Burundi Locomotives Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



1999 Burundi Tigers Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 6



Are there others? More than likely, yes. These just give you the knowledge of what to be wary of.

As suddenly as the British producer started producing counterfeit stamps in the name of Burundi, he stopped. Until 2003....

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References taken from:
UPU Circular 143

Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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