Berne, 25 October 2004

International Bureau Circular 308

Gambia - Illegal postage stamp issues


Dear Sir/Madam:

The postal administration of GAMBIA asks me to bring to the attention of Union member countries that several stamp issues are being offered on the international market, purportedly issued by the postal administration of Gambia, but which have no such authorization. These issues are described in the attachment.

Moreover, the postal administration of Gambia states that its stamps issued according to the UPU Convention always bear the name of "The Gambia". Most, if not all, of the illegal stamps do not bear the prefix "The" in The Gambia. Postal administrations are therefore urged not to accept in their systems postal items with stamps that fit the descriptions in the attachment. Investigations are continuing with the assistance of the administration's philatelic agent. This administration alerts the UPU membership to the fact that these issues have not been authorized by The Gambia Post Office.

The proliferation of fraudulent stamps does great damage to the reputation of the issuing administration and is detrimental to the hobby of stamp collecting in general in that it undermines the confidence of collectors in the authenticity of the stamps and the legitimacy of the issues.

The Gambia postal administration would appreciate any information regarding these stamps being referred to it. The Gambia Post Office itself will provide any new information regarding these stamps should any become available. The Gambia Post Office takes this matter very seriously and will pursue all avenues to identify those who have produced these issues and to halt their activities.

Yours faithfully,

K J S Mc KEOWN

Director of Markets

Annex

"Prehistoric World" miniature sheet with the Rotary logo portraying Dinosaurs – two stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Birds of Prey" miniature sheet with the Rotary logo – six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Chinese New Year" miniature sheet with a gorilla and Chinese inscriptions in the background – two stamps portraying monkeys, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Oceans" miniature sheet with the Rotary logo depicting marine life in the background and on the stamps. There are nine stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Polar Birds" miniature sheet with the Rotary logo depicting scenes with penguins in the background and on the stamps. There are three stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. The sheet is also sold in the imperforate and cancelled-to-order versions.

"Orchids" miniature sheet with the Rotary logo depicting different orchids in the background and on the stamps. There are six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Looney Tunes" miniature sheet depicting cartoon scenes in the background and on the stamps. There are two stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. They also feature the inscription "75th Birthday of Mickey Mouse".

"Games & Sports" miniature sheet depicting sports personalities in the background and on the stamps. There are two stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. The sheet is also sold in the imperforate and cancelled-to-order versions.

"John Paul II" miniature sheet depicting different scenes of Pope John Paul II in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. There is also the logo of the Red Cross "COMITE INTERNATIONAL GENEVE" and the inscription "25 years of the Pontificate".

"John Paul II" miniature sheet depicting different scenes of Pope John Paul II in the background and on the stamps.

"New Cinema" miniature sheet depicting different actresses in the background and on the stamps. There are six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. The sheet is also sold in the cancelled-to-order version.

"Nude Art" miniature sheet depicting paintings of different artists (Renoir, Courbet, Boucher and Cézanne) in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Vincent van Gogh" miniature sheet depicting various paintings of this artist in the background and on the stamps. There are six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Great Composers" miniature sheet depicting various composers on the stamps (Mozart, Verdi, Beethoven, Bach). There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

"Lighthouses" miniature sheet depicting lighthouses with the Rotary logo in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. The sheet is also sold in the imperforate version.

"Monuments of Egypt" miniature sheet depicting various pyramids with the Rotary logo in the background and on the stamps. There are six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

A miniature sheet depicting various aircraft with the Rotary logo in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

A miniature sheet depicting various fire engines and memorabilia of September 11th in New York in the background and on the stamps. There are six stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. There is also the inscription "Remember September 11th".

A "Classic Actresses" miniature sheet depicting various actresses in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003.

A "Pin-Up Art" miniature sheet depicting various semi-clad women in the background and on the stamps. There are four stamps, each of 25 D, with the year 2003. There is also the inscription "Earl Moran".