THE KYRGYZSTAN ILLEGAL STAMPS

Information and Reference of illegal stamps for Kyrgyzstan according to U.P.U. Circulars

Kyrgyzstan has alerted the stamp community many times with UPU circulars from 1999 to 2003. The earlier circulars cannot be found now but luckily the PWMO has preserved what was in them. Here is the rundown. This shows you how bad the problem got until 2005 when all of a sudden the illegal stamp production stopped.

In the following written circulars I have placed the year for each described illegal stamp in italics so you can get a better reference to the stamps that are described.

On December 13, 1999 the postal administration for Kyrgyzstan by request to M. S. Raman (Assistant Director-General) posted to the Universal Postal Union Circular number 432. It stated:

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of KYRGYZSTAN asks me to inform you about the illegal issue of postage stamps relating to its State.
The following stamps have been issued in contravention of the Detailed Regulations of the Universal Postal Convention and the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic:

"Chess" set, 10, 15, 20 soms; 1999
"71st Academicians' annual award ceremony" set, 20 soms; 1999
"Playthings" set, 15 soms; 1998
"Cats" set, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000, 1600, 2000, 24 100 tiyns; 1998
"Princess Diana" stamps and blocks, 1000, 5000 tiyns; 1997
"Bruce Willis" stamps, 10 soms. 1999

In view of the above, these stamps are to be regarded as illegal and may not be used for the prepayment of postage.
Yours faithfully,

M S RAMAN
Assistant Director-General

In this next circular they are describing the many illegal stamp sheetlets of 9 that were made in 1999.

On July 10, 2000 the postal administration for Kyrgyzstan by request to M. S. Raman (Assistant Director-General) posted to the Universal Postal Union Circular number 258. It stated:

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of KYRGYZSTAN asks me to inform you that it has received information about illegal issues of postage stamps in its name.
These stamps have the symbol of the State printed on them, just like official issues. They show motifs representing Western show business personalities and have been reproduced in a Japanese periodical.
All "Beatles" and "Madonna" stamps with a face value of 20 s have therefore been issued in contravention of the provisions of the Detailed Regulations of the Universal Postal Convention and the laws of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.
As the postal administration of Kyrgyzstan has never issued such postage stamps, they cannot be accepted as a means of postage.

Yours faithfully,

M S RAMAN

Here we see that the problem is getting worse.

On July 30, 2001 the postal administration for Kyrgyzstan by request to M. Mazoh (Deputy Director General) posted to the Universal Postal Union Circular number 308. It stated:

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of KYRGYZSTAN asks me to inform you of the following:
The postal administration of Kyrgyzstan has learned that illegal issues of postage stamps with the symbol of its State are still being advertised on a website. We should therefore be grateful if you would inform Union member countries of the following.
The following stamp series:

series of 9 stamps "Backstreet Boys", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 6 stamps "Jennifer Aniston", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 6 stamps "Tennis", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Beverly Hills 90210", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Minerals", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Penguins", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Tom and Jerry", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Prince William", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "Babylon 5", face value 20 s; 2000
series of 9 stamps "End of Mir", face value 20 s 2001
were issued in violation of the Detailed Regulations of the UPU Convention and the legislation of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. They can not therefore be accepted as a means of postal prepayment.
Yours faithfully,

M MAZOU
Deputy Director General

Now even worse. They really wanted to get the producers.

On June 3, 2002 the postal administration for Kyrgyzstan by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Communication and Postal Markets) posted to the Universal Postal Union Circular number 208. It stated:

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of KYRGYZSTAN asks me to inform you of the following:
The postal administration of Kyrgyzstan has information about illegal issues of stamps bearing the symbol of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. It asks that the following information be sent to Union member countries:

number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Shrek". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Defenders of Peace and Freedom". Face value: 10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Tiger". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Harry Potter". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001 could not find on the market
block of one stamp "Harry Potter". Face value of stamp: 100 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Ironman". Face value:10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Formula 1". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Superman". Face value: 10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001 could not find on the market
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Mother Teresa". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Flash". Face value: 10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001 could not find on the market
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "The Beatles". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Legends of Baseball". Face value: 10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Dogs". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2000
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Green Lantern". Face value: 10 C, 10 C, 10 C, 20 C, 20 C, 20 C, 30 C, 30 C, 30 C; 2001 could not find on the market
number of stamps in sheet: 9 (3 x 3) "Concorde". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2000
number of stamps in sheet: 6 (3 x 2) "Harley Davidson". Face value of each stamp: 20 C; 2001
block of 3 stamps "Princess Diana". Face value: 10 C, 20 C, 30 C; 2001
block of 3 stamps "Elvis". Face value: 10 C, 20 C, 30 C; 2001
block of one stamp "Penguins". Face value of stamp: 100 C. 2001

These stamps have been issued in violation of the Regulations of the Universal Postal Convention and Kyrgyz legislation and, not having been issued by the competent authorities, cannot be accepted as means of postal prepayment.
We ask you to let us know the identity of the manufacturers of these illegal postage stamps.

Yours faithfully,

K J S McKEOWN
Director of Communication and Postal Markets

On May 5, 2003 the postal administration for Kyrgyzstan by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Markets) 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 172. You can view the circular in its entirety in the PDF file I have linked here.

UPU Circular Number 172

For the pages for Kyrgyzstan as you will see the circulars were very incomplete.

Some people selling them do not say anything and are thus deceiving collectors into thinking they are genuine. Some describe them improperly as "cinderella" or "Private Local Issue" which they are not. None or very few will ever state "Illegal Stamp". The end is coming for sellers on eBay and such.....

In my research on what and who is selling these illegal stamps I was amazed at what is being sold on eBay alone! For Kyrgyzstan there are many dealers and collectors selling them. Some have numerous lots and some only a few. Some do not even know they are selling illegal stamps.

The illegal stamps described in the circulars and what are imaged on this and the following pages are still on the market today. They are available through private stamp dealers and their websites. They are available on eBay and Delcampe. They are everywhere! These illegal issues are fabrication of stamps that have never had any postal validity in Kyrgyzstan and have been denounced as fraudulent. They were and are created by certain greedy, unethical and immoral stamp dealers. Any stamp seller out there that offers these "stamps" either does not know they are illegal stamps or is deceitful and they should be avoided at all costs. The deceitful ones prey upon unknowing collectors new and old. They prey upon topical collectors mostly because the majority do not have the knowledge that they are worthless in the stamp market. Some are quite obvious because they have hundreds of illegal stamp lots available on eBay and other public auction venues.

For years now there has been arguments as to whether these issues should be imaged for public viewing. The against argument being that collectors that see images of them will want them for their collections. We can see by the availability on the market and the sales generated that this argument has not worked. By only relying on descriptions of the illegal stamps through the UPU circulars the majority of collectors don't even know what they are.

I am a firm advocate against illegal stamps and the creators of them and the sellers of them. Perspective buyers of them need more than UPU circulars to be alerted to the problem. They need to see them and be able to recognize them when they are searching for stamps to buy on the internet or at stamp shows or buying from local dealers.

Because I am independent and run a site that is very public for collectors, I have decided that it is time for someone to display images of these illegal issues that have and are being reported to the UPU. The countries that are being victimized by these fraudulent printers need help and the UPU is not enough. It is up to you and me to get the word out and to let everyone know and understand about them since auction venues, stamp societies and catalogs seem to want to ignore the problem. Some who sell these fakes are large volume stamp dealers with supposed impeccable reputations. Some are in high positions in the stamp societies and in the auction venues. They in turn are avoiding the very problem by allowing these kind of sellers to peddle this junk because they also sell legitimate stamps on a large scale. The only way to stop the flow is to hit them where it hurts.

If they are selling this junk then avoid them!
Even if they have legitimate stamps for sale. Buy from sellers that do not have these in their offerings. If you are buying legitimate stamps from them you are still supporting the illegal stamp trade because they are supporting it. Tell them that you do not want to buy from them because they sell illegal stamps. There is no excuse to make them available to anyone.

The following images are of illegal stamps produced for Kyrgyzstan. 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. For some countries a certain section of the circulars I will not publish because they are offensive to many. Any "stamp" with imagery of what is described in that section is obviously fake and the country would never approve of or promote such trash. If you like that stuff, buy a magazine and cut out the pictures. Both are worth the same.

To find out what stamps are real and legitimate for Kyrgyzstan you can visit their own postal administration website. On the site they have kindly presented every stamp issue from 1992 to present day. Sadly the site no longer exists as of 2023. But I am happy to let you know you can still view it on the Internet Archives Wayback Machine! When you get there the links to all the issues that were released from 1992-2019 are in the links at the bottom of the page. Here is the Wayback Machine link.

The Kyrgyz Republic State Enterprise Kyrgyz Stamp

In 2012 Kyrgyzstan added a new postal administration called Kyrgyz Express Post which is a secondary postal administration. This administration has different stamps produced that are honored in Kyrgyzstan. So basically they had two postal administrations at least through 2019. Here is a link:

Kyrgyz Express Post - the official postal operator of Kyrgyzstan

Visit the UPU WNS website and look at the Kyrgyzstan section. You will find most of the genuine issues produced from 2008 to 2016 listed there. Indeed quite a few issues were authorized and made during that time period.

The Universal Postal Union WNS website

I have found the Colnect online catalog to be very helpful. You will see the illegal stamps differ greatly from genuine issues.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Kyrgyzstan

Check out their Illegal Stamp section as well. It is upgraded as of 2023 and shows counterfeits that may be missing here.

The Colnect Online Catalog Illegal Stamp Section for Kyrgyzstan

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

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Kyrgyzstan

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 illegal stamps. Catalogs like Michel and Yvert appear to have been influenced by the sellers of illegal stamps getting some listed in their catalogs. Sorry to say but they are betraying the honor and trust of the stamp collecting community by allowing these criminals to influence them.

Here we go!

All imaged illegal stamps are proven to be just that because they are either described by the circulars or are not listed on their own website nor on the WNS site. Nothing is listed for the years that the following illegal stamps came into existence on the WNS website because the listings do not start until 2008. The production of illegal stamps for Kyrgyzstan started in 1997 and suddenly ended in 2005.
The research is based on the UPU circulars and the Kyrgyz Republic State Enterprise Kyrgyz Stamp website. Many of the following illegal stamps can be found as imperforates. Many exist on fake First Day Covers too.
Most times now (2018) the souvenir sheet sets and sheetlet sets are sold individually. In some cases 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", "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.

The original images these were taken from are all saved in a database. Most come from online auction sites and they therefore have the sellers identity which in most cases I have cropped out. In other words...you the seller have been identified and we have a permanent record of who you are!

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.

1997

It all started in this year for Kyrgyzstan. A set and souvenir sheets appeared featuring Princess Diana.
In that year Kyrgyzstan only issued one set of stamps featuring fauna. Think about it. Why would a country like Kyrgyzstan have any interest whatsoever in Princess Diana?

Hopefully these pages will influence collectors and non-collectors to avoid purchasing these and in turn avoid purchasing anything from these sellers of which some have already made their fortune selling this junk.

1997 Princess Diana The Peoples Princess Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Six

All of the 1997 Princess Diana illegal stamps are denounced in circular 432.



1997 Princess Diana The Peoples Princess Illegal Single Stamp Sheetlets of Six



1997 Princess Diana The Peoples Princess Illegal Stamp Souvenir Sheets of One

1998

In 1998 emboldened by no reaction from the public nor the Kyrgyzstan post the illegal stamp producers made more illegal stamps.

1998 Domestic Cats Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Nine

This sheetlet is described and denounced in circular 432. The description values have errors on the circular. The 1200 is missing and the 2400 value is written "24 100".



1998 Dogs Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Nine



1998 Zhou En Lai Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Nine



1998 Playthings Toys Games Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Six

This sheetlet is described and denounced in circular 432.



1998 Playthings Toys Games Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Six Fake Color Proofs

Here is an example of the extent these cons went. Many of these fake issues have fake color proof sets like this.
BEWARE!



1998 Sights and Sounds of the Century Illegal Stamp Sheetlet of Six



In 1998 the illegal stamp producers created an even bigger batch of illegal stamps for Princess Diana's Memoriam playing on the hearts of millions of people across the world in their time of sadness. These producers have no feelings at all and will use any means they can to profit and rip you off!

1998 Princess Diana Illegal Stamp Strip of Six



1998 Princess Diana Memoriam Illegal Stamp Sheetlets of One



They create fake First Day Covers.....

1998 Princess Diana Memoriam Illegal Stamp First Day Cover



With fake First Day Cover Cancels....don't get fooled by these sellers!

1998 Princess Diana Memoriam Illegal Stamp First Day Cover Fake Cancel



In 1999 production of illegal stamps for Kyrgyzstan exploded! Namely because there was still no reaction from Kyrgyzstan and the stamp community.
It was at the end of 1999 that Kyrgyzstan finally began to alert us that illegal stamps had been discovered. To little too late though because the criminals were already in full swing with producing illegal stamps for Kyrgyzstan as you will see.

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References taken from:
U.P.U. Circulars
Scott Stamp Catalog
The Kyrgyz Republic State Enterprise Kyrgyz Stamp Website
Internet Research

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