GUINEA REPUBLIC ILLEGAL STAMPS
2003

Information and Reference of illegal stamps dating 2003 for the Republic of Guinea according to U.P.U. Circular 421 and other resources

On December 8, 2003 the postal administration for the Republic of Guinea by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Markets) posted to the Universal Postal Union a circular warning of the discovery of a large number of illegal stamps created with their country name that are on the market. The circular is number 421. You can view it in the linked file below:

UPU Circular Number 421

Because there is so much confusion on this country you should use a respectable catalog like Scott or Stanley Gibbons. Do not listen to these dealers trying to convince you the following displayed stamps (that are watermarked "ILLEGAL STAMPS") are something other than counterfeit illegal stamps. Because in many cases Michel is the only catalog listing certain issues I do not trust them as a reliable source. The same goes for Yvert. In the majority of cases with this countries stamps that are suspect of being illegal, just try to find a genuinely used one on a cover. You will find it.....impossible.

None of the Republic of Guinea stamps are listed on the UPU's WNS system. This is because none of them follow the rules set forth by the UPU for stamp printing.

I have found the Colnect online catalog to be helpful but confusing. Over 12,000 listings there now caused by the abusive stamp agencies.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Guinea Republic

Check out their Illegal Stamp section as well. It is far from complete but will help you verify many as well.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Guinea Republic Illegal Stamps

I have found the Stampworld.com Catalog to be helpful as well. Noting they stopped listing after 2013. This is probably because all the Stamperija issues are sold directly through the agent and not used in the Republic as stated on the Colnect site for the later years.

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Guinea Republic

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 (2021) 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 UPU circular descriptions.

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.

2003

It appears that in 2003 IGPC no longer had the contract for the Republic of Guinea. Of course that motivated Impressor to produce yet another massive slew of "stamps". I note that the Colnect catalog does not list anything for this country dating 2003. The Stampworld catalog shows some of the Impressor issues but nothing compared to what they actually produced dating 2003. Even Postbeeld lists a few. Again, none are listed in the Scott or Stanley Gibbons catalogs. And again, Michel and/or Yvert are listing at least some of them. Interestingly enough even Stamperija stops selling them from 2003 forward. Again, they are smeared all over the internet, being sold mainly by illegal and unscrupulous stamp dealers. Once again it is recommended to avoid them all.

In 2003 the British producer again attacks the market with another massive glut of counterfeit illegal stamps. This caused the postal administration of the Republic of Guinea to have Circular 421 published. The following counterfeit illegal stamps have been determined to be illegal either by matching the described illegal stamps in the circular with them (same exact style and so forth) or non-listing in all catalogs. It is....obvious.

2003 Disney Fairy Tale Cartoons Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 5

These are fully described in Circular 421.

Entitled "Les contes populaires du monde" meaning "Folk tales of the world". These counterfeit illegal stamps show scenes from Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Cat in Boots is actually Puss n Boots, Cinderella, Maugli is actually The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Red-Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.





2003 Formula I Cars and Drivers Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4




2003 Formula I Cars and Drivers Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1

Noting all of them have a white border like the top one. The dealer the images were acquired from was just too lazy to properly scan them.




2003 James Bond Die Another Day Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 6





2003 James Bond Die Another Day Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1





2003 Orchids Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 6



2003 Orchids Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1



The postal authorities of the Republic of Guinea caught this set.
What is interesting is that the agency Stamperija shows some of these on their funky little illegal stamps webpage for Guinea Republic. They are the only illegal stamps shown there dating 2003. What gets me is the owner fully knows about all of the denounced illegal stamps in the circular and then some as he images several of the souvenir sheets of 1 shown below that were not caught by the postal authorities. Then has the claim stating, "Currently there is no information about illegal Guinea postage stamps.". Really?? Some stamp agent!

2003 Paintings by American Impressionists Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

These are fully described in Circular 421.







The postal authorities of the Republic of Guinea did not catch these. Some have matching counterfeit souvenir sheets of 1 and others do not. I am not sure if the missing souvenir sheets of 1 exist or not. All of the images were acquired in 2021 from what is being offered online. Therefore it is possible and probable that others exist.

2003 Paintings by Camille Pissarro Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Edgar Degas Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Edgar Degas Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Paintings by Edouard Manet Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Frederic Bazille Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Georges Seurat Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Georges Seurat Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Paintings by Gustave Caillebotte Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Gustave Courbet Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Gustave Courbet Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Paintings by Henri Matisse Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Henri Matisse Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Paintings by James Abbott McNeill Whistler Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Mary Cassatt Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Paul Gauguin Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Paul Gauguin Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 4



2003 Paintings by Paul Gauguin Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 1



2003 Pin-up Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

These are fully described in Circular 421.







2003 Pope John Paul II Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 6

This counterfeit souvenir sheet is verified as illegal in the Colnect Cinderella section.



2003 Pope John Paul II Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheet of 3

This counterfeit souvenir sheet is also verified as illegal in the Colnect Cinderella section.



2003 Space Shuttle Disaster Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 1



2003 Trains Locomotives Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of 4

These are fully described in Circular 421. It states 19 were made in error. It should be 15.







This is all the counterfeit illegal stamps I could find in the name of the Republic of Guinea dating 2003.

The production of counterfeit illegal stamps in the name of the Republic of Guinea completely halted after circular 421 was released. The criminals as usual "run and hide" like the rats they are. In 2005 a sheet for the 2006 EUROPA 50th Anniversary was created. It is of the same style as counterfeit EUROPA sets made in the name of Chad, Mozambique and Saint Thomas and Prince Islands. It is only listed in Michel and Yvert. Why?

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--> References taken from:
U.P.U. Circular No. 421
Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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