BURUNDI ILLEGAL STAMPS
2010

Information and Reference of Illegal Stamps for Burundi Dating 2010

On January 23, 2012 the postal administration for Burundi by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Markets Development) posted to the Universal Postal Union a circular warning of the discovery of a number of illegal stamps created with their country name that are on the market. The circular is number 8. You can view the circular in its entirety in the PDF file I have linked here.

UPU Circular Number 8

It states the following.

Republic of Burundi – Counterfeit postage stamps

Dear Sir/Madam,

The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Posts and Tourism of the REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI asks me to inform UPU member countries of the following:

"The Ministry of Trade, Industry, Posts and Tourism wishes to inform you again of the existence of several illegal issues being sold online in the name of the Republic of Burundi.

The following is a list of these illegal issues in our possession released in 2009, 2010 and 2011 in the name of our country and being sold on the Internet:

– Cats – Fauna

– African Fauna – Animals of the world

– Ferrari – Butterflies

– Fish – Dinosaurs

– Birds – Male chess masters

– Parrots – Submarines

– Dogs – Locomotives

– Owls – Planes of the world war

The following illegal issues were also sold on the Internet in 2009 and 2010:

– Trains

– Animaux sauvages

– Locomotives

We condemn such practices and recall that illegal stamp issues harm the reputation of not only Burundi Post, but also philatelic services in general. Furthermore, such issues are a flagrant violation of our national legislation on the production of postage stamps and of article 8 of the Universal Postal Convention and recommendation C 26/2008 of the 24th UPU Congress.

In this connection, we are counting on the initiatives taken by the UPU and the WADP to combat this phenomenon. We are also counting on the solidarity of other designated operators and our philatelic partners, whom we would ask to take the necessary measures to help us identify the perpetrators of these acts and bring them to justice.

We should also remind our philatelic partners and UPU member countries that our legal postage stamps issued since 2002 have been registered on the following website www.wnsstamps.ch."

Yours faithfully,

K.J.S. McKeown

Director of Markets Development

The circular vaguely describes topics of counterfeit sets made between 2009 and 2011. None are specified by year. Thus, the circular causes some confusion as several of the topics were actually issued by Burundi during those years. Especially in 2011 when Stamperija gained a contract and pumped out a massive glut of stamps of which many are on the topics described in the circular.

I wish to note the title of the circular as well. It says "Counterfeit postage stamps". Yet another circular verifying that illegal stamps are
counterfeit stamps.

Presently in 2022, we can see what was issued and what was not quite easily due to catalog listings online and offline. You will see that the illegal stamps are very different from the "issued" stamps and when searching in sales by the public how they easily "pop out" at you in the images provided.

Let us begin!

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.

2010

In 2010 the British counterfeit producer continues making counterfeit stamps in the name of Burundi. Also another counterfeiter which is believed to be in Spain produces several counterfeit sets as well. Even more evil, this producer "forges" the Cartor logo on them to fool collectors into thinking Cartor was the printer of them.

In 2010 Burundi was still running a conservative stamp program. In 2010 Burundi issued a total of 17 stamps in the form of mainly large souvenir sheets. This time one set was printed by Cartor and the other by Enschede which are both reputable high security printers. So your first clue that any stamp dating 2010 is illegal is to just look at the bottom frame of any 2010 Burundi stamp and if it does not have the "Cartor" or "Enschede" logo on it then it is counterfeit. Except for one problem. The Spanish producer mentioned above as you will see.

Following are images of all the illegal stamps I found offered on various sites and auction venues dating 2010 in the name of Burundi. The majority of them are being sold by mainly British criminal illegal stamp distributors and their associates in other countries. What some call the British stamp mafia. These clowns have been selling them for over a decade now non-stop. Once you "connect the dots" it is obvious who they are. You will see there are many more topics than listed in the circular. I will note the ones described in the circular and why it is confusing due to the same topic being used on legal stamps of the time.

First I will present all the counterfeit illegal stamps made by the British producer dating 2010. Then I will present all the illegal stamps I found that were produced by the Spanish producer.

The topic of Butterflies is described in Circular 8 of which illegal stamps have been produced on the topic for all three years.

2010 Burundi Butterflies Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4



The topic of Cats is described and again illegal stamps have been produced on the topic for all three years.

2010 Burundi Cats Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2


On the topic of Chess we see they describe "Male Chess Masters". This is describing only one of the illegal sheets from 2011.

2010 Burundi Chess Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4



The topic of Dinosaurs is described and illegal stamps have been produced on the topic for both 2010 and 2011.

2010 Burundi Dinosaurs Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2


I also found this different set of 2010 illegal stamps on the topic of Dinosaurs. There is most likely one more sheet.

2010 Burundi Dinosaurs (different) Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2


The topic of Dogs is in the same status as the topic of Cats.

2010 Burundi Dogs Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4


I again found this different set of 2010 illegal stamps on the topic of Dogs.

2010 Burundi Dogs (different) Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2


The topic of Ferrari is described. The problem is, is it the 2009 set or the 2010 set that is described or is it both?

2010 Burundi Ferrari Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4



Some might think this counterfeit is the one described as "Planes of the world war". It is not as there is a 2011 set that is inscribed with that title.

2010 Burundi Fighter Planes Spitfire Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2010 Burundi Fire Engines Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Not described in Circular 8.



2010 Burundi Ships Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4

Not described in Circular 8.



The topic of Trains is described in the circular. The confusion again is that counterfeits on the topic of Trains were made in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

2010 Burundi Trains Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3


You can see that because the circular is so vague and general in its descriptions that it is difficult to define which illegal stamp set is actually being described. It does not really matter though as the purpose of the circular is to let you know that counterfeit illegal stamps exist in the name of Burundi during the time period described.

In 2010 another counterfeit producer believed to be located somewhere in Spain produces a number of illegal stamp sets in the form of souvenir sheets of 8 that are completely different from the British "styles". I have found this style of counterfeit illegal stamps produced in the name of other countries during this same time period. A good match is the counterfeit 2008 Republic of Sakha Yakutia set for instance or 2010 Mali Fish counterfeit set. What I found "disturbing" about these sets made in the name of Burundi is the counterfeiter has forged the Cartor Security Printers logo on them!

Here is an image comparing the genuine logo on the issued stamps for Burundi in 2009 and the forgery on the 2010 counterfeit sets.
Notice that the forgery is in all capital letters versus genuine with only the first letter capitalized.

Comparison of Forged Cartor Security Printers Logo with Genuine Cartor Logo



Here are the sets I found offered. At present times in 2022, I do not find them offered on the main stamp auction venues. These were all being sold by the users ekaterina and dolgopa, both located in Russia on Delcampe. The users both kicked off for selling counterfeits. Probably the same freak. Because of previous findings of other sets in the name of other countries and who is/was selling them it is thought they were produced in Spain. It is very possible they were produced in Russia. This is why the UPU member countries need to be involved in using legal channels to trace them. Go after the sellers with the law and force them to expose the sources.
Nobody is "above the law" in regards to selling counterfeit goods. Legal action can be taken against anyone selling them. Right down to a collector selling their collection off.

2010 Burundi Animals in Bujumbura Zoo Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 8

The title being "The Zoo's Living Museum of Bujumbura".

Sheet 1

Sheet 2


2010 Burundi Birds of America Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 8

Sheet 1

Sheet 2

Sheet 3

Sheet 4

Sheet 5


This is the only set of counterfeits that I found that has counterfeit souvenir sheets of 1 made from all the illegal stamps on the sheets.

2010 Burundi Birds of America Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5


2010 Burundi Olympic Games in London in 2012 Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 8

Sheet 1

Sheet 2


2010 Burundi Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 8

Sheet 1

Sheet 2


There were no more of this "style" of illegal stamps produced in the name of Burundi after this. The two users that were kicked off Delcampe were kicked off around 2011. This does not by any context mean they are not being sold now. They can "pop up" at any time.

In 2011 the illegal stamp problem with Burundi gets much worse. At the same time, Stamperija gains the contract for Burundi and promptly floods the market with a mass of abusive stamps which in turn has caused much confusion of what is real and what is not.

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References taken from:
UPU Circular Number 8
Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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