MALAWI ILLEGAL STAMPS

Information and Reference of illegal stamps for Malawi according to U.P.U. Circular 130 and U.P.U. Circular 66

On April 23, 2007 the postal administration for Malawi by request to K.J.S. McKeown (Director of Markets Development for the U.P.U.) 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 130. Here is a .pdf file of the circular.

UPU Circular Number 130

The circular describes several souvenir sheets that were found to be on the market in 2005-2006. The issues described are all dated 2005.

On May 11, 2015 the postal administration for Malawi by request to Murray Buchanan (Director of Regulation, Economics and Markets Development for the U.P.U.) posted to the Universal Postal Union a circular warning of the discovery of many illegal stamps created with their country name that are on the market. The circular is number 66. Here is a .pdf file of the circular.

UPU Circular Number 66

This circular describes many illegal stamps dating between 2005 and 2013.

Many more have and are being produced since that time. Most of the illegal stamps described in this circular 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 Malawi 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 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 Malawi. 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 find out what stamps are real and legitimate for Malawi visit the UPU WNS website and look at the Malawi section.

The Universal Postal Union WNS website

I have found the Colnect online catalog to be helpful as well although there are "conflicts" between what is listed there and what is on the WNS system.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Malawi

Check out their Illegal Stamp section as well. Many of the illegal stamps are listed to help you verify them as well.

The Colnect Online Catalog for Malawi Illegal Stamps

I have found the Stampworld.com Catalog to be very helpful as well although again there are "conflicts" between what is listed there and what is on the WNS system.

The Stampworld Online Catalog for Malawi

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.

Here we go!

I will start the imaged illegal stamps on this page in the order listed in UPU Circular 130. The circular does not cover all the illegal stamps made in 2005. There were more than they knew at the time which they described more of in circular 66.

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 (2019) 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.

2005

Both the WNS system and the Colnect Catalog are in agreement with what was officially issued by Malawi in this year.

In 2005 Malawi officially issued 4 stamps.

Malawi 2005 100th Anniversary of Rotary International Scott 731
Issued July 25, 2005 Printer was Madras Security Printers of India

THE ILLEGAL STAMPS

Noted in Circular 130

2005 Birds of Prey Souvenir Sheet of 3



2005 Cats Souvenir Sheet of 3



2005 Locomotives Trains Souvenir Sheet of 3



2005 Ferrari Formula I Souvenir Sheets of 3

Apparently when circular 130 was made they did not know there were three souvenir sheets.



Not noted in Circular 130

2005 Animals of Africa Souvenir Sheets of 1

Some of these are described in circular 66.




2005 Birds of Africa Souvenir Sheets of 1





2005 Fishes of Africa Souvenir Sheet of 1

I could not find others. Are there more?


The production of illegal stamps in the name of Malawi continued in 2006. The prior circular nor the later circulars mention many of them.

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References taken from:
U.P.U. Circular No. 130
U.P.U. Circular No. 66
Major Stamp Catalogs
Internet Research

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