COMORO ISLANDS ILLEGAL STAMPS
COMOROS ILLEGAL STAMPS
COMORES ILLEGAL STAMPS

Information and Reference of illegal stamps for the Comoro Islands according to U.P.U. Circulars 201, 514 and 140

The Universal Postal Union published the following Circular on May 7, 2001 denouncing illegal stamps at the request of the Postal Administration for Comoros. This Circular was validated by K. J. S. McKeown, Director of Communications and Postal Markets of the UPU Secretariat. The circular is number 201. Here is what was stated in the circular.

The administration of the COMOROS asks me to inform you of the following:

"Our administration has been informed of the existence on the philatelic market of several different sets of postage stamps with various designs, some bearing the inscription "REPUBLIQUE ISLAMIQUE DES COMORES", and others the inscription "REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE ISLAMIQUE DES COMORES" (see annex). Some of these sets have even been found on various Internet sites in Europe and the United States of America.

"We wish to point out that these postage stamps are illegal and are being issued without our knowledge. The circulation of these stamps is causing moral and economic harm not only to the Comorian postal services, but also to collectors. Their circulation also discredits the Comorian postal services in the eyes of philatelists worldwide and forces collectors to distinguish between fake and authentic postage stamps.

"These fake postage stamps have been issued in violation of the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention and its Letter Post Regulations and of the laws of the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros.

"These stamps and any similar stamp are to be regarded as illegal and may not be used as a means of postal prepayment. Nor do they have any value for purposes of collection on behalf of our country.

"Consequently, we would ask all postal administrations not to accept correspondence bearing these forged stamps. Legal action has already been initiated to trace the forgers and bring them to justice."

Yours faithfully,

K J S McKEOWN
Director of Communications and Postal Markets

Annex

Description of the illegal postage stamps with various designs, some bearing the inscription

REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE DES COMORES, and others the inscription REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE ISLAMIQUE DES COMORES

One souvenir sheet "OCEAN LIFE" with values of 100, 150, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 Comorian francs (CF).
One souvenir sheet "HORSES" with values of 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 CF.
One souvenir sheet "PANDAS" with values of 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 CF.
One miniature sheet featuring boxer Muhammad Ali, with a value of 1125 CF.
Two miniature sheets featuring the American baseball player Babe Ruth, with a value of 1125 CF.
Eleven miniature sheets featuring various personalities: airplane pilots, a scientist, a racing car driver, Pope John Paul II, a man walking on the moon, various explorers, the man behind the Zeppelin airships.

Fauna and flora set:

Harpe Costata, 25 CF
Volute Lapponica Line, 50 CF
Ylan ylang, 150 CF
Tortue Ghetonia Mydas, 100 CF
Poulpe Octopus Vulgaris, 125 CF
Coelacanthe, 300 CF
Tellina Variegata Linné, 300 CF
Hibiscus, 25 CF
Tournesol des Comores, 50 CF

The illegal stamps described in the annex were all made in 1998. The descriptions must have confused some people because in December of the same year another circular was published clarifying and adding to two of the sets. Those being the Muhammad Ali set and the Babe ruth sets. Also an additional set was added, that being, the Titanic.

The Universal Postal Union published the following Circular on December 17, 2001 denouncing illegal stamps at the request of the Postal Administration for Comoros. This Circular was also validated by K. J. S. McKeown, Director of Communications and Postal Markets of the UPU Secretariat. The circular is number 514. Here is what was stated in the circular.

Dear Sir/Madam

The administration of the COMOROS asks me to inform you that the MWEZINET Association, which is its representative for the promotion and sale of Comoros stamps, has discovered stamps bearing the inscription "Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros" on an Internet website.

The themes identified feature:

- The film "Titanic"
- Babe Ruth
- Muhammad Ali

The Comorian administration confirms that it has not issued or authorized these series of stamps and miniature sheets, which it regards as illegal products.

Faced with this worrying situation, and since the National PTT Company (SNPT) of Comoros, is unable to identify the printer that produced these products, it is appealing for UPU member countries' invaluable cooperation to effectively combat the illegal stamp issues with which its administration is often confronted.

A complete description of these stamps is given in the Annex.

Yours faithfully,

K J S McKEOWN
Director of Communications and Markets

Annex

Description of the illegal stamps bearing the inscription "Islamic Federal Republic of the Comoros" denounced and declared null and void by the National PTT Company (SNPT) of Comoros

- One sheetlet of 9 stamps featuring the American baseball player Babe Ruth, with a face value of 375 CF, issued in 1998.
- One sheetlet of 9 stamps featuring a scene from the film "Titanic", with a face value of 375 CF, issued in 1998.
- One miniature sheet of 9 stamps featuring characters from the film "Titanic", with a face value of 1175 CF, issued in 1998.
- One sheetlet of 9 stamps featuring the boxer Muhammad Ali, with a face value of 300 CF, issued in 1998.

These two circulars put into question the validity of all the "copyright" issues produced in the name of numerous countries in 1998. It is recorded that in 1999 the Comoro Islands also issued "copyright" issues themed on the topics of Betty Boop, Popeye, and the I Love Lucy Show. Firstly, the stated year is wrong. It has to be 1998 because the year inscribed on the I Love Lucy set is 1998! The Betty Boop and Popeye sets do not have the year inscribed on the stamps but the copyright inscriptions on the sides of the sheets tell it all. They have the year inscribed....1998.

The placing of them in the 1999 year by the only two catalogs that list them (Michel and Yvert) is a manipulation made by corrupt editors within the two businesses to try to "move them away" from the denounced issues. Let us first see if the Comoros actually did authorize them and secondly if that is the case, when they were issued. I have yet another bone to pick with the Colnect catalog as they list these sheets with Scott catalog numbers that are obviously false. They are not listed in Scott by the numbers they have listed! Everything about these "issues" is corrupt. The way they were made and by who was promoting them tells us everything. In my opinion, every one of the issues made in this form are illegal stamps for every country inscribed on them. It is obvious by the design which match perfectly with the Montero counterfeits to who was promoting them. All developed by corrupt individuals bent on
ripping you off!

They ripped off thousands of collectors then and are still doing it to this day in 2021. I will delve deeper into this in their respective location.

The Universal Postal Union published another Circular on April 30, 2007 denouncing illegal stamps at the request of the Postal Administration for Comoros. This Circular was also validated by K. J. S. McKeown, now called the Director of Markets Development of the UPU Secretariat. The circular is number 140. You can view it in the linked file below:

UPU Circular Number 140

In this circular it describes another mass of counterfeit illegal stamps made in the name of the Comoros Islands namely created in 2004 through 2006.

Although there are many discrepancies within all of the following sites, for the most part, to find out what stamps are real and legitimate for the Comoros Islands you can first go to this website and view their catalog of stamps which shows you what was issued from beginning to present time according to a representative for them.

The comores-online.com Catalog of Stamps

The site only shows issues up to 2007 (probably because the abusive stamp agent Stamperija gained contracts in 2008 forward) and has not been updated since 2010.

You can visit the UPU WNS website and look at the Comoros section. Sadly, we see a huge gap between 2007 to 2019 caused by the damage caused by Stamperija.

The Universal Postal Union WNS website

I have found the Colnect online catalog to be very helpful.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Comoros

Some of the illegal stamps are shown in their Cinderella section and noted as such. Nothing compared to what follows on my site.

The Colnect Online Catalog Illegal Stamp Section for Comoros

I have also found the Stampworld online catalog to be very useful as well.

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Comoro Islands

Or use a respectable catalog like Scott or Stanley Gibbons. Do not listen to these dealers trying to convince you they are something other than counterfeit illegal stamps.

Here we go!

1998

It all started in 1998 for the Comoros Islands with the production of "copyright" issues made in the name of the country. At the same time numerous other countries were having this same issue. Do you not see it as odd that so many mainly African countries all "issued" these copyright sets at the same time? Do you not see it odd that they all were produced in the exact same styles and themes and that apparently none of the countries knew who made them? Do you not see it odd that some fly by night club called the International Collectors Society was the one who got the rights to all of them? Do you not see it odd that this "Society" which was owned by private dealers and only known major counterfeit illegal stamp dealers were selling them? Do you not see it as odd that the Scott and Stanley Gibbons catalogs do not list them whereas Michel and Yvert catalogs do? OF COURSE IT IS ODD!

In my research I contacted several of the copyright holding companies to find out who obtained those copyrights and guess who it was. None other than the International Collectors Society. So this society was all of a sudden a stamp agent for these countries? That is what they claimed in advertisements as being "the sole worldwide distributor" of them. Claiming limited numbers on now proven bogus certificates of authenticity while massive numbers of them were also being distributed (to this day I might add) by major illegal stamp dealers. Check out my Guinea Republic introduction page for more on that!

As I show on that page there are only two possible solutions who made them. Either Impressor S.A. who had the contract and was the agent for the Comoro Islands in 1998 or this Juan Montero with his bogus Mayfair International Security Printers company and his illegal stamp peddling "agencies" France Philatelie Ltd. and France Philatelie (2000) Ltd. defunct businesses. All went belly up in the early 2000's because he was caught redhanded producing counterfeits in the name of a number of the victimized countries including Niger who convicted him in court for it. He "got off" in France though probably with presenting bogus "contracts" to the court. What, you think a counterfeiter of stamps isn't going to counterfeit contracts and anything else he can use to make a profit or get away with his crimes? Check out the Niger section for more on this ghoul.

So, in 1998 (yes 1998) this little stamp mafia group produced and flooded the stamp market with six different sets of these copyright sets made in the name of the Comoro Islands. I will only watermark the denounced sets (for now) with the dreaded "ILLEGAL STAMPS" watermark, only because the others are being listed by the proven corrupted catalogs Michel and Yvert.

The reason I regards all of them to be illegal is by the statement in circular 201 which reads:
"These stamps and any similar stamp are to be regarded as illegal.....".
Then in circular 514 the Titanic set is added. It is of course "similar". So are the Betty Boop, Popeye and the I love Lucy sets not similar? As you can see, they are and therefore a deeper research into all the "copyright" issues should be done. A present day determination by the postal administrations of the countries that have these particular stamp issues listed should be done by the UPU to clarify validity.

1998 Comoro Islands Babe Ruth Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

The Republic of Guinea has an exact same style of Babe Ruth Stamps that were "supposedly" issued in 1999. Indeed that set has the year 1999 inscribed on the stamps.
Here is a good one.....
If these stamps made for the Republic of Guinea are authentic and authorized as only the Michel catalog lists them as such (Scott and SG do not list them), then why doesn't the postal administrators of the Comoro Islands ask the postal administrators of the Republic of Guinea who the printer is??? Get my point?



1998 Comoro Islands Babe Ruth Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9 Bogus ICS Certificate



1998 Comoro Islands Babe Ruth Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1

The Babe Pitching


The Sultan of Swat


1998 Comoro Islands Babe Ruth Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1 Bogus ICS Certificates



1998 Comoro Islands Betty Boop Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

You can see the copyright inscription is year dated 1998. If it were to be issued in 1999 it would be inscribed 1999.



1998 Comoro Islands Betty Boop Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9 Bogus ICS Certificate

This certificate is bogus because the sheet is not limited as the sales of them without certificates proves.



1998 Comoro Islands Betty Boop Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1

Look What I've Got!


1998 Comoro Islands I Love Lucy Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

You can see the copyright inscription is year dated 1998 as well as the year 1998 is inscribed on every stamp. If it were to be issued in 1999 it would be inscribed 1999.



1998 Comoro Islands I Love Lucy Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9 Bogus ICS Certificate

All certificates by the International Collectors Society are bogus for the simple fact that none of the sheets they are with are limited as portrayed. If they were really limited then the sheet would be numbered with a matching number. All of their certificates are designed to rip off unknowing and inexperienced collectors. Avoid! These sheets are not rare!



1998 Comoro Islands I Love Lucy Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



1998 Comoro Islands Muhammad Ali Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

An exact same style counterfeit set dating 1998 was made in the name of the Central African Republic. That set not listed in any catalog.
An exact same style set dating 1999 was made in the name of Senegal and listed in all the major catalogs. I ask again, why doesn't the postal administrators of the Comoro Islands ask the postal administrators of Senegal who the printer is??? Get my point again?



1998 Comoro Islands Muhammad Ali Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9 with Bogus ICS Certificate



1998 Comoro Islands Muhammad Ali Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



1998 Comoro Islands Muhammad Ali Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1 with Bogus ICS Certificate



1998 Comoro Islands Popeye Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

You can again see the copyright inscription is year dated 1998. If it were to be issued in 1999 it would be inscribed 1999.



1998 Comoro Islands Popeye Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9 with Bogus ICS Certificate



1998 Comoro Islands Popeye Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1

Popeye Eating Spinach


Popeye and Olive


1998 Comoro Islands Titanic Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 9

The Central African Republic has an exact same style of Titanic Stamps that was "supposedly" issued in 1998. Indeed that set has the year 1998 inscribed on the stamps.
It is only again listed in Michel and Yvert. Why? I ask once again, why doesn't the postal administrators of the Comoro Islands ask the postal administrators of the Central African Republic who the printer is?

Mali has an exact same style of Titanic Stamps that was "supposedly" issued in 1998. That set also has the year 1998 inscribed on the stamps.
It is only again listed in Michel and Yvert. Why? I ask once again, why doesn't the postal administrators of the Comoro Islands ask the postal administrators of Mali who the printer is?



1998 Comoro Islands Titanic Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



1998 Comoro Islands Titanic Counterfeit Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1 with Bogus ICS Certificate



Now that they are all imaged together you can see the same people made all of them. You can see the International Collectors Society was involved with all of them. You can see they all have the year dating 1998. You can see they all have the exact same style of perforations and form. Finally, they show you again, that the same criminal producers are behind the production of illegal stamps in the name of the many countries effected by illegal stamps and should be hunted down and punished for their many crimes past and present. These ghouls are still here in 2021 and they and the families they have will never stop until they are exposed and legal action by the victimized countries is placed on them in the countries they reside in.

In 2000 the Montero/Feigenbaum counterfeit machine really started up on the Comoro Islands. Seeing no retaliation on the counterfeits produced on this page, they began in earnest to produce a number of new counterfeits in the name of the Comoro Islands. Four souvenir sheets of 9 produced in 2000 are of the exact same form as the souvenir sheets of 9 shown on this page. They just changed the country name inscription a little and the topics.

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References taken from:
U.P.U. Circular No. 201, 514 and 140
Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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