IVORY COAST ILLEGAL STAMPS
2005
Cote d'Ivoire

Information and Reference of Illegal Stamps for the Ivory Coast Created in 2005

The following images are of illegal stamps produced for the Ivory Coast. Please remember that the producers of these illegals are not only greedy, they are crude and sometimes disgusting which is the nature of these people.

To verify what stamps are real and legitimate for the Ivory coast visit the UPU WNS website and look at the Cote d'Ivoire section.

The Universal Postal Union WNS website

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

The Colnect Online Catalog for Ivory Coast

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 Ivory Coast Illegal Stamps

I have found the Stampworld.com Catalog to be very helpful as well.

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Ivory Coast

According to the postal administration for the Ivory Coast all officially issued stamps for the Ivory Coast starting in 2002 are listed on the WNS website and are updated to the present time. This means that if the stamp is not listed on the WNS system that it is an illegal stamp. There is no argument against this that can be made. If you have an argument against any of the following determined illegal stamp issues as to their validity, then take it up with the Ivory Coast postal administration. You will find...you cannot win. You can also use a respectable catalog like Scott or Stanley Gibbons. Do not listen to these dealers trying to convince you they are something other than illegal stamps.

There is a controversy on stamps listed as legitimate in 2005 and 2006 in Michel and Yvert catalogs. According to UPU sources those issues were produced without authorization by the Ivory Coast postal administration and are therefore deemed as illegal stamp issues. The producer (Impressor S.A.) has a history of illegally producing stamps without authorization. More details will be presented on this page.

In 2004 when the Ivory Coast produced circular 63 they did not know that there were more illegal stamps that were being circulated than what they listed. This has occurred for many of the victim countries. To correct it I have researched them all using the major catalog listings and the WNS system as reference to what was officially issued.

Here we go!

Many of the following illegal stamps can be found as imperforates and as color proof sets as well. Some exist on fake First Day Covers too.
Most times now (2018) 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 and search terms.

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.

2005

In 2005 Ivory Coast officially issued 37 different stamp issues. There is a controversy between what the WNS system shows us to be official and what catalogs such as Michel and Yvert are showing.

In 2005 it is quite apparent that competition rose for contracts with the Ivory Coast postal authority. Cartor who was their main printer earlier produced several sets in this year. Other unknown printers produced several sets in this year. And then there is Impressor S.A.. Impressor S.A. is a known stamp agent/printer which goes against UPU rules of ethics. You cannot be a stamp agent and print the stamps yourself. This provides to many ways for the agent and printer to produce stamps of a shady nature. This is exactly what occurred with stamps for the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. Here I copy the UPU Circular which officially declares stamps produced by this printer and circulated onto the market by this same printer are fraudulent.

Dear Sir/Madam
The administration of the DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO asks me to inform you of the following:

We are writing to inform the postal administrations of UPU member countries that we have many cuttings from philatelic magazines referring to the issue by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the former Zaire) of a certain number of philatelic products still printed with the country's old name (Zaire). These Issues were certainly put into circulation by the firm IMPRESSOR S.A.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo wishes to advise that the above-mentioned issues are fraudulent and are therefore not admitted for philatelic sale by its postal Services.

They are as follows:
- France Philatelic
- Chinese Procession
- John Lennon
- Cats
- Dogs
- Elvis Presley
- Music Entertainers: Freddy Mercury, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Sammy Davis Jr., David Bowie, Nat King Cole, Madonna, Tins Turner, Elvis Presley.

For 1997, only the issues entitled flore, mineraux (flora, minerals) and Jamboree, circulation of which was approved by ministerial decree, are recognized as valid.

Yours faithfully,
M S RAMAN
Assistant Director-General

According to the WNS system only 37 stamps were officially issued and recognized by the country. As I said several of those sets were produced by Impressor S.A.. There are many sets that have been listed in Michel and Yvert and are shown on online catalogs because of this which are now in question. All of the sets in question have topics outside the usual topics used by this country. All of them have the same styling and look very similar to illegal stamps. What is most interesting is that Impressor S.A. only produced these stamps in 2005-6 and then "disappeared" completely from producing any more stamps for the Ivory Coast. At least legal ones.

Are they legal or not?

We are in the process of finding that out with the Ivory Coast postal authorities. We are waiting for an official announcement to be produced within a new UPU circular. At this point evidence is mounting that the issues are not legal. On November 21, 2005 the Ivory Coast put out a last circular (number 369) stating again that all of their official issues are listed on the WNS system.

It has been stated that the issues in question appeared on the market at a later time. Looks to me like this Impressor S.A. was up to some pretty shady dealings....again. If this is a proven case then the stamps in question will be denounced in which case the catalogs that are listing them will have to delist them. Should that be the case this page will be updated to show this.

THE OFFICIAL STAMP ISSUES ACCORDING TO THE U.P.U.

Ivory Coast 2005 10th General Assembly of the Afrosai Scott 1139-1140
Issued July 18, 2005 Printer is unknown


Ivory Coast 2005 Culture and Excellence Scott 1141-1142
Issued July 25, 2005 Printer is Cartor


Ivory Coast 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Scott 1143-1144
Issued September 28, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Ivory Coast 2005 African Hairstyles - Dreadlocks Scott 1145-1148
Issued November 3, 2005 Printer is unknown


Ivory Coast 2005 Traditional Kings and Chiefs Scott 1149-1152
Issued November 22, 2005 Printer is Cartor


Ivory Coast 2005 Masks of the Ivory Coast Scott 1153-1155
Issued December 22, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Ivory Coast 2005 50th Anniversary of the first Europa stamp Scott 1156-1165
Issued December 23, 2005 Printer is unknown


Ivory Coast 2005 Coffee plants Scott 1166-1167
Issued December 28, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Ivory Coast 2005 Mushrooms of the Ivory Coast Scott 1168-1169
Issued December 28, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Ivory Coast 2005 Endangered Flora Scott 1170-1173
Issued December 28, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Ivory Coast 2005 Urban Transportation Scott 1174-1175
Issued December 29, 2005 Printer is Impressor S.A.


Note how all the genuine stamp issues are of the same style and how the themes are about things within the country. The Ivory Coast has always been a fairly conservative stamp issuing entity since the 1990's.

THE UN-OFFICIAL STAMP ISSUES

As I stated above the following issues are in a controversial state. They are not listed in the WNS system. They are not listed in Scott catalogs nor Stanley Gibbons. They are listed in Michel and Yvert. According to UPU sources they appeared the year after in 2006. The last UPU circular made for the Ivory coast dated November 21, 2005 states again all official Ivory Coast stamps have been listed on the WNS system.

I am awaiting official confirmation from the Ivory Coast postal authorities on the status of the following stamps. The confirmation will either place them in a permanent official status or it will place them as illegal stamps. If they are placed in the illegal stamp status, then Michel and Yvert will have to delist them from their catalogs or face more criticism on validity of their listings. Being influenced to list stamps by stamp dealers bent on making profits from illegitimate stamps will not be tolerated no matter who that stamp dealer is.

All of the following stamps were printed by Impressor S.A.. All are massively produced in all kinds of forms.

Ivory Coast 2005 Pope John Paul II


Ivory Coast 2005 Pope John Paul II Deluxe Sheets


Ivory Coast 2005 Pope John Paul II Gold and Silver Foil Stamps


Ivory Coast 2005 Pope John Paul II Gold Foil Stamp Souvenir Sheet


Ivory Coast 2005 Pope John Paul II Silver Foil Stamp Souvenir Sheet


Anything to make a buck. Many of the following are produced in the same ways.

Ivory Coast 2005 WWF Otters


Any of the profits from these go to the WWF? Doubtful. The illegal stamp producers use the WWF logo all the time!

Ivory Coast 2005 WWF Otters Sheetlet


Dealers are making a fortune on this overproduced stuff! What will happen if they are found to be illegal stamps?

Ivory Coast 2005 WWF Otters Maxi-cards


The cancel legitimate? Cannot find anything else from the Ivory coast with a cancel like this!

Ivory Coast 2005 WWF Otters First Day Covers


I am starting to smell a big rat....aren't you?

Ivory Coast 2005 Scouts


That Scouts logo really sells illegal stamps well. At least with the number of illegal stamps using the logo it seems to right?

Ivory Coast 2005 Scouts Gold Foil Souvenir Sheet


Ivory Coast 2005 Scouts Gold Foil Block Souvenir Sheets


Ivory Coast 2005 Minerals


Ivory Coast 2005 Whales, Dolphins and Lighthouses


Are you starting to get a sense of what I am showing you?

Ivory Coast 2005 Butterflies


Ivory Coast 2005 Butterflies Deluxe Sheets


Ivory Coast 2005 Vincent Van Gogh Paintings


Ivory Coast 2005 Locomotives


Ivory Coast 2005 Locomotives Souvenir Sheets (examples)


Ivory Coast 2005 Concorde and Zeppelins


Ivory Coast 2005 Concorde and Zeppelins Gold and Silver Foil Souvenir Sheets


Ivory Coast 2005 Mushrooms


Ivory Coast 2005 Jules Verne


Ivory Coast 2005 Jules Verne Silver Foil Souvenir Sheet


Ivory Coast 2005 Jules Verne Gold Foil Stamps


Ivory Coast 2005 World Cup Soccer


Ivory Coast 2005 Olympic Games (Peking 2008)


Ivory Coast 2005 Olympic Games (Peking 2008) Souvenir Sheets

THE ILLEGAL STAMPS

What is really interesting is that in 2005 when Impressor S.A. got the contract to print stamps for the Ivory Coast the production of illegal stamps virtually stopped! Now why would that be? The only illegal stamps available on online venues appear to be all produced by the same producer.

2005 Big Cats Lions, Tigers, Leopards in Sheetlet of 9



2005 Pope John Paul II in Sheetlets of 6



2005 Pope John Paul II in Souvenir Sheets of 2



In 2006 the problem continues but very few illegal stamps were produced. The reasons why are unclear but there is a pattern forming.

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References taken from:
WNS Website
Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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