Who collects the fantasy stamps of self-declared States?

[TimurNN]

2 stamps from Occussi-Ambeno

[Panterra]

Here is an earlier issue from Occussi-Ambeno, the 2017 stamp celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Occussi-Ambeno 2017 Luther & the Reformation, 500th anniversary.

The stamp was printed digitally on thick white paper without watermark, and perf 12. The design shows a photograph of the great reformer Martin Luther, and at the foot is his signature. The stamps were issued in small sheetlets of ten, with inscribed margins.

Due to Occussi-Ambeno being a predominantly Moslem land, the stamp was not a success. The population shunned them, and even today, mint ones remain very common, with postally-used ones (despite it being the inland letter rate value) being quite elusive.

Martin Luther , (1483 –1546) was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, Augustinian monk, and a seminal figure in the Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical (German: evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.

In two of his later works, Luther expressed antagonistic, violent views towards Jews and called for the burnings of their synagogues and their deaths. His rhetoric was not directed at Jews alone but also towards Roman Catholics, Anabaptists, and nontrinitarian Christians. Luther died in 1546 with Pope Leo X's excommunication still in effect.

Occussi-Ambeno 2017 Luther & the Reformation, 500th anniversary, full sheet.

[TimurNN]

Nice stamp!

Here is an earlier issue from Occussi-Ambeno, the 2017 stamp celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

Occussi-Ambeno 2017 Luther & the Reformation, 500th anniversary.

The stamp was printed digitally on thick white paper without watermark, and perf 12. The design shows a photograph of the great reformer Martin Luther, and at the foot is his signature. The stamps were issued in small sheetlets of ten, with inscribed margins.

Due to Occussi-Ambeno being a predominantly Moslem land, the stamp was not a success. The population shunned them, and even today, mint ones remain very common, with postally-used ones (despite it being the inland letter rate value) being quite elusive.

Martin Luther , (1483 –1546) was a German professor of theology, priest, author, composer, Augustinian monk, and a seminal figure in the Reformation. Luther was ordained to the priesthood in 1507. He came to reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church; in particular, he disputed the view on indulgences. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the practice and efficacy of indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses of 1517. His refusal to renounce all of his writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Holy Roman Emperor.

Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are received only as the free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge, and opposed sacerdotalism by considering all baptized Christians to be a holy priesthood. Those who identify with these, and all of Luther's wider teachings, are called Lutherans, though Luther insisted on Christian or Evangelical (German: evangelisch) as the only acceptable names for individuals who professed Christ.

His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the writing of an English translation, the Tyndale Bible. His hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches. His marriage to Katharina von Bora, a former nun, set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant clergy to marry.

In two of his later works, Luther expressed antagonistic, violent views towards Jews and called for the burnings of their synagogues and their deaths. His rhetoric was not directed at Jews alone but also towards Roman Catholics, Anabaptists, and nontrinitarian Christians. Luther died in 1546 with Pope Leo X's excommunication still in effect.

Occussi-Ambeno 2017 Luther & the Reformation, 500th anniversary, full sheet.

[Panterra]

One of my heroes is Chester Carlson. As I wished to honour the inventor of the xerox, I did a set of stamps way back in 1989 titled "Great Print Inventors", which also featured Ottmar Mergenthaler:

Occussi-Ambeno 1989 Great Print Inventors set.

Chester Floyd Carlson (1906 – 1968) was an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney born in Seattle, Washington.

He is best known for inventing electrophotography, the process performed today by millions of photocopiers worldwide. Carlson's process produced a dry copy, as contrasted with the wet copies then produced by the mimeograph process. Carlson's process was renamed xerography, a term that means "dry writing."

Ottmar Mergenthaler (1854 –1899) was a German-American inventor who has been called a second Gutenberg, as Mergenthaler invented the linotype machine, the first device that could easily and quickly set complete lines of type for use in printing presses. This machine revolutionized the art of printing.

In 1876, Mergenthaler was approached by James O. Clephane and his associate Charles T. Moore, who sought a quicker way of publishing legal briefs. By 1884 he conceived the idea of assembling metallic letter molds, called matrices, and casting molten metal into them, all within a single machine. His first attempt proved the idea feasible, and a new company was formed. Always improving his invention, Mergenthaler further developed his idea of an independent matrix machine.

In July 1886, the first commercially used Linotype was installed in the printing office of the New York Tribune. Here it was immediately used on the daily paper and a large book. The book, the first ever composed with the new Linotype method, was titled The Tribune Book of Open-Air Sports. Produced by his Mergenthaler Linotype Company, the machine remained a mainstay of the publishing industry until the 1980s.

[Panterra]

The Republic of Raoul has issued its first new stamp for some time, and the first commemorative under the rule of its enlightened new leader, President Terry Dell.

This one celebrates the freeing of the slaves. Slavery was the mainstay of the old regime.

Date of issue is 6th February 2021.

Raoul 2021 Emancipation commemoration.

Raoul 2021 Emancipation commemoration, minisheet.

Contemporary slavery, also known as modern slavery, refers to institutional slavery that continues to occur in present-day society. Estimates of the number of slaves today range from around 38 million to 46 million, depending on the method used to form the estimate & the definition of slavery being used. The estimated number of slaves is debated, as there is no universally agreed definition of modern slavery; those in slavery are often difficult to identify, & adequate statistics are often not available. The International Labour Organization estimates that, by their definitions, over 40 million people are in some form of slavery today. 24.9 million people are in forced labor, of whom 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, & 4 million persons in forced labor imposed by state authorities. 15.4 million people are in forced marriage.

Thailand's billion-dollar fish export industry remains plagued with human rights maltreatment in spite of government vows to stamp out servitude in its angling industry. Human Rights Watch conducted interviews with 248 fishermen, it documented the forced labor of trafficked workers in the Thai fishing industry. Trafficking victims are often tricked by brokers' false promises of "good" factory jobs, then forced onto fishing boats where they are trapped, bought & sold like livestock, & held against their will for months or years at a time, forced to work grueling 22-hour days in dangerous conditions. Those who resist or try to run away are beaten, tortured, & often killed. This is commonplace because of the disposability of unfree laborers.

The white Mongolian vertical script down the left side of the stamp says "Raoul Island" while the script down the right margin says "Emancipation". There are many Mongolians now living in Raoul, so the government is trying to assist them by showing Mongolian on stamps and having Mongolian converters on the state website.

[TimurNN]

A week ago I received just such a stamp from Kemp Land

[Ubobo.R.O.]

Special announcement coming soon.

[Ubobo.R.O.]

[Panterra]

One of the heroes of the "Space Race" is Yuri Gagarin. As the 60th anniversary of his flight into Space approaches, Occussi-Ambeno has announced a commemorative stamp to honour the occasion.

Occussi-Ambeno 2021 60th Anniversary of the first human Space flight by Yuri Gagarin.

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin flew into space in 1961. His mission was one of the defining moments of the 20th century and changed the face of space history forever.
Here are five reasons why this astronaut became a Legend of Space.

1) Gagarin was the first human to travel into space.

On April 12th 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth. In the heat of the ‘space race’, the Soviet Union’s achievement increased the pressure on the American space agency NASA and led to many other important landmarks in space history, such as the Apollo programme to send men to the Moon. Even though Gagarin wasn’t the first living being to cross Earth’s atmosphere (a dog named Laika went into space in 1957), he was the first one to be able to tell the whole story and explain what it’s like to see Earth from orbit, presenting a full, thrilling description of what he saw, heard and felt.

2) Gagarin laid down the blueprint for astronauts to come.

Many of today’s pre-flight routines and traditions are based on Gagarin’s final moments before launch. Astronauts might include in their ritual, for instance, a haircut, a cold glass of champagne and a screening of the 1969 Soviet film “The White Sun of the Desert”, all of which Gagarin did before he went to space. However, the most famous, and perhaps most curious tradition started by Gagarin is to stop on the way to the launch pad and urinate on the left back wheel of the bus. Allegedly, the Soviet astronaut asked the driver for a stopover so he could “take a leak” before reaching the launch site.

3) Gagarin almost died during the mission.

Nobody was very sure whether Gagarin would survive his flight, and the story goes that he came close to losing his life during the descent phase. Before landing, Gagarin’s capsule was supposed to easily detach from the main spacecraft. However, some of the cables failed to release as they should. This meant the astronaut’s capsule had an extra unit attached to it during its descent. The capsule whirled uncontrollably and the interior temperature rose, meaning Gagarin nearly lost consciousness and barely managed to eject out of the capsule as planned. He eventually parachuted down safely from an altitude of 7 km. Legend has it that he landed on a field and was found by farmer Anna Takhtarova who had watched his shocking descent. In disbelief, she asked: “Have you come from space?”

4) Gagarin was chosen because he was a short son of a potato farmer.

Soviet cosmonaut selection criteria were a little different to those used today. Firstly, his size. The capsule in Vostok 1 was very small, and so Gagarin’s 1m 57cm height made him a strong candidate. Gagarin was so short that he used a cushion on his seat when he flew his fighter jet in order to see better. Secondly, his background. During selection, Gagarin found himself up against Gherman Titov, a son of a school teacher known for quoting poetry. It was decided that the average citizen of the Soviet Union would be more likely to relate to, and celebrate someone like Gagarin, who was the son of a potato farmer.

5) Gagarin was brave enough to ride a spacecraft he couldn’t control.

Gagarin had the courage to be the first one to hop into a spacecraft that he couldn’t actually control. For security reasons, the Vostok 1 was completely controlled from the ground. However, in a worst case scenario, if ground communications were lost, Gagarin could open a sealed envelope containing the codes that would grant him control of the spaceship when typed on an on-board computer.

The special 60c stamp shows a photo of Gagarin in his capsule, and is printed in small minisheets of six. Date of issue is Sunday 12th April 2021.

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[TimurNN]

Wow!

One of the heroes of the "Space Race" is Yuri Gagarin. As the 60th anniversary of his flight into Space approaches, Occussi-Ambeno has announced a commemorative stamp to honour the occasion.

Occussi-Ambeno 2021 60th Anniversary of the first human Space flight by Yuri Gagarin.

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin flew into space in 1961. His mission was one of the defining moments of the 20th century and changed the face of space history forever.
Here are five reasons why this astronaut became a Legend of Space.

1) Gagarin was the first human to travel into space.

On April 12th 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth. In the heat of the ‘space race’, the Soviet Union’s achievement increased the pressure on the American space agency NASA and led to many other important landmarks in space history, such as the Apollo programme to send men to the Moon. Even though Gagarin wasn’t the first living being to cross Earth’s atmosphere (a dog named Laika went into space in 1957), he was the first one to be able to tell the whole story and explain what it’s like to see Earth from orbit, presenting a full, thrilling description of what he saw, heard and felt.

2) Gagarin laid down the blueprint for astronauts to come.

Many of today’s pre-flight routines and traditions are based on Gagarin’s final moments before launch. Astronauts might include in their ritual, for instance, a haircut, a cold glass of champagne and a screening of the 1969 Soviet film “The White Sun of the Desert”, all of which Gagarin did before he went to space. However, the most famous, and perhaps most curious tradition started by Gagarin is to stop on the way to the launch pad and urinate on the left back wheel of the bus. Allegedly, the Soviet astronaut asked the driver for a stopover so he could “take a leak” before reaching the launch site.

3) Gagarin almost died during the mission.

Nobody was very sure whether Gagarin would survive his flight, and the story goes that he came close to losing his life during the descent phase. Before landing, Gagarin’s capsule was supposed to easily detach from the main spacecraft. However, some of the cables failed to release as they should. This meant the astronaut’s capsule had an extra unit attached to it during its descent. The capsule whirled uncontrollably and the interior temperature rose, meaning Gagarin nearly lost consciousness and barely managed to eject out of the capsule as planned. He eventually parachuted down safely from an altitude of 7 km. Legend has it that he landed on a field and was found by farmer Anna Takhtarova who had watched his shocking descent. In disbelief, she asked: “Have you come from space?”

4) Gagarin was chosen because he was a short son of a potato farmer.

Soviet cosmonaut selection criteria were a little different to those used today. Firstly, his size. The capsule in Vostok 1 was very small, and so Gagarin’s 1m 57cm height made him a strong candidate. Gagarin was so short that he used a cushion on his seat when he flew his fighter jet in order to see better. Secondly, his background. During selection, Gagarin found himself up against Gherman Titov, a son of a school teacher known for quoting poetry. It was decided that the average citizen of the Soviet Union would be more likely to relate to, and celebrate someone like Gagarin, who was the son of a potato farmer.

5) Gagarin was brave enough to ride a spacecraft he couldn’t control.

Gagarin had the courage to be the first one to hop into a spacecraft that he couldn’t actually control. For security reasons, the Vostok 1 was completely controlled from the ground. However, in a worst case scenario, if ground communications were lost, Gagarin could open a sealed envelope containing the codes that would grant him control of the spaceship when typed on an on-board computer.

The special 60c stamp shows a photo of Gagarin in his capsule, and is printed in small minisheets of six. Date of issue is Sunday 12th April 2021.

.·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·.
.·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*:·.

[Panterra]

It's great to see the attractive stamps by Australia Post, celebrating the gold medal winners.

And on sunny Waikoa Island also, they have done a nice stamp celebrating their one gold medal winner!

You no doubt saw the spectacular finish on your television, when keen young athlete Henrietta Oboe-Menshevik, defeated the Bolshevik Olympic Committee to take the gold in Women's Competitive Philately.

Her photo on the stamp shows her at the finish, and you can clearly see the protective gloves to ensure that no stamps were harmed during the fierce bout.

Waikoa Island 2021 Olympic Gold Medal winner.

Unlike the Bolshevik Olympic Committee, she had NO drugs in her system (apart from a bit of overdose of "gum arabic" from licking stamps on her greeting cards, but this is not considered a "performance-enhancing" substance, yet.)

[Phila-Tourist]

even today, mint ones remain very common, with postally-used ones (despite it being the inland letter rate value) being quite elusive.

No sh*t! Why would the East Timorese post office in Oecusse, pictured here (in 2003)...

... use privately made fantasy stickers on mail? (And, by the way, 30 c never was the inland letter rate.) Besides, the post office in Oecusse is actually classified as a postal agency. As such, it has no postmark of its own. Outgoing mail is postmarked in Dili. The postal workers who do this have a pretty good idea of what a genuine East Timorese stamp is because only 18 stamps have been issued since independence.

I don't mind if people collect stickers they find pretty or interesting (others smoke or gamble, same effect on income), but

1) Producing "stamps" for territories that exist in real life and are under the effective control of a recognized state is a criminal activity equivalent to printing counterfeit money.

2) Marketing such "stamps" for territories whose legitimate governments are institutionally too weak to take legal action is morally just as bad as mugging a disabled person. The cowards should print and sell some "stamps" labelled "USA" or "France" or "Deutschland" and see what happens!

2) Selling them as [postage] "stamps" to naive buyers, without telling them that they are worthless, is fraud.

[Panterra]

One of the delights of the modern era (apart from philately) is Mah-Jong. With the island Mah-Jong Tournament scheduled for next month, Waikoa Island has announced a commemorative stamp set to honour the occasion.

Waikoa Island 2021 Mah-jong Tournament.

The Waikoa Island Post Office will issue a new series of stamps to celebrate the Mah-Jong Tournament being held on the island this summer, announced the Governor, Dr Sverre Hanssen, today.

The four stamps in full-colour feature photos of Mah-Jong tiles and games in progress. The values are 35t, 70t, 1 reis, and 1.70 reis. The stamps are issued in small souvenir sheets comprising two of each stamp, and each sheet is Rs 7.50. Date of issue is 17th November 2021. The stamps are printed by Chan Hui Shudian Printing SA, Minaue, and are on 104 gram unwatermarked stamp paper, and perf 12.

Mah-jong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players. The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout Eastern and South Eastern Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mah-jong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck.

The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols. In most variations, each player begins by receiving 13 tiles. In turn players draw and discard tiles until they complete a legal hand using the 14th drawn tile to form four melds (or sets) and a pair (eye). A player can also win with a small class of special hands. While many variations of mah-jong exist, most variations have some basic rules in common including how a piece is drawn and discarded, how a piece is robbed from another player, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honours (winds and dragons), the basic kinds of melds allowed, how to deal the tiles and the order of play.

Collectors and others requiring stamps may order via the Waikoa Island Philatelic Agency,
P.O. Box 3189, Auckland 1140, New Zealand.

The Mevu reis used in Waikoa Island is tied to the USA dollar. Please add an allowance for return postage to your payment.

The special stamps are printed in small minisheets of eight, with two of each value. Date of issue is Wednesday 17th November 2021.

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[Panterra]

Waikoa Island 2021 Mah Jong Tournament set on FDC.

The first day covers have shown up!

A joyous issue day, as the Tournament got under way, masked and snorkelled, and observing distance rules.

[Panterra]

Mevu 1989 Mutiny on the Bounty set, showing Bligh's cutter.

Mevu stamps have been shown occasionally previously, but few of the earlier ones have been displayed.

As I have recently been re-mounting my collection, I thought it was time to show some of the "classics" from this Antarctic country, seldom seen these days.

Visit their website.

The Mevu Ministry of Posts will issue a new set of commemorative stamps to celebrate the bicentenary of Captain William Bligh's visit to Occussi-Ambeno, announced the Postmaster-General, Mr Ipi Opoboko Popo, today.

The stamps feature the small cutter from the "Bounty". They were designed by Keith Kissell of Elsenarre, and have been printed on invisible-gum paper and perforated 12 gauge, by Kantor Diraja Penchetakan Negara (the Imperial Government Printing Bureau) in Baleksetung, Occussi-Ambeno. The values are 35 tanos and Rs 2.35. Date of issue is 13th June 1989.

The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28th April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set him and eighteen loyalists adrift in the ship's open launch. The mutineers variously settled on Tahiti or on Pitcairn Island. Bligh navigated more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) in the launch to reach safety in Timor, and visited Occussi-Ambeno and Kupang.

Bounty had left England in 1787 on a mission to collect and transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the West Indies. A five-month layover in Tahiti, during which many of the men lived ashore and formed relationships with native Polynesians, led many men to be less amenable to military discipline. Relations between Bligh and his crew deteriorated after he began handing out increasingly harsh punishments, criticism, and abuse, Christian being a particular target. After three weeks back at sea, Christian and others mutinied and forced Bligh from the ship. Twenty-five men remained on board afterwards, including loyalists held against their will and others for whom there was no room in the launch.

After Bligh reached England in April 1790, the Admiralty despatched HMS Pandora to apprehend the mutineers. Fourteen were captured in Tahiti and imprisoned on board Pandora, which then searched without success for Christian's party that had taken refuge on Pitcairn Island. After turning back towards England, Pandora ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, with the loss of 31 crew and four prisoners from Bounty. The ten surviving detainees reached England in June 1792 and were court-martialled; four were acquitted, three were pardoned, and three were hanged.

Christian's group remained undiscovered on Pitcairn until 1808, by which time only one mutineer, John Adams, remained alive. Almost all of his fellow mutineers, including Christian, had been killed, either by each other or by their Polynesian companions. No action was taken against Adams; descendants of the mutineers and their Tahitian colleagues live on Pitcairn into the 21st century. Attractive and interesting stamps are still issued at Pitcairn Island.

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[Global Administrator]

Got a nice range of the recent issues this week -- very cool!

Glen

[Ubobo.R.O.]

Two new issues released today to celebrate Miss Maggie Mailbox's 3rd birthday.

REPUBLIC of RAOUL. Celebrating Letter-Writing Week. 25th April- 1st May 2022. Sheetlet of ten.

EVERY DAY IS HAPPY DAY! Stampboard's number one thread. Cinderella. Sheetlet of fourteen.

[Panterra]

I have just received a fascinating book on the tiny countries of the Fifth World:

"Micronations and the search for sovereignty"
by Harry Hobbs & George Williams. (Cambridge University Press, 2022. ISBN 978-1-009-15012-5, hardcover.)

The two big "case histories" that introduce the topic are Prince Roy and Sealand, and Prince Leonard and Hutt River Province.

Numerous other Fifth World lands are also discussed, including my activities with Occussi-Ambeno.

I recommend you buy a copy (or request it from your local library), if you are at all interested in the countries of the Fifth World.

Some pages:

A couple of small corrections to page 114:

The Republic of Mevu has been mis-spelled as "Mevo". See their website.

And Occussi-Ambeno remains active.

[TimurNN]

Very interesting book! Thanks to you I found out about it

[Princestamps]

even today, mint ones remain very common, with postally-used ones (despite it being the inland letter rate value) being quite elusive.

No sh*t! Why would the East Timorese post office in Oecusse, pictured here (in 2003)...




... use privately made fantasy stickers on mail? (And, by the way, 30 c never was the inland letter rate.) Besides, the post office in Oecusse is actually classified as a postal agency. As such, it has no postmark of its own. Outgoing mail is postmarked in Dili. The postal workers who do this have a pretty good idea of what a genuine East Timorese stamp is because only 18 stamps have been issued since independence.

I don't mind if people collect stickers they find pretty or interesting (others smoke or gamble, same effect on income), but

1) Producing "stamps" for territories that exist in real life and are under the effective control of a recognized state is a criminal activity equivalent to printing counterfeit money.

2) Marketing such "stamps" for territories whose legitimate governments are institutionally too weak to take legal action is morally just as bad as mugging a disabled person. The cowards should print and sell some "stamps" labelled "USA" or "France" or "Deutschland" and see what happens!

2) Selling them as [postage] "stamps" to naive buyers, without telling them that they are worthless, is fraud.

Seriously - its not fraud.

People buying these labels know they are labels and joke items. If they don't and think they are real stamps with real postal validity - then they probably do not have the intelligence to be a philatelist.

As with everything - Caveat emptor and if I have to translate that, I think maybe wasting your money on ugly monkey pictures known as NFTs is more for you or any other so called collector offended.

PS: Accusing a member here of fraud is perjury and you better back it up, otherwise back off.

[Phila-Tourist]

People buying these labels know they are labels and joke items.

Maybe people here on this Board do. And/or maybe everyone buying from you does. And there are indeed lots of sellers who correctly describe these labels as cinderallas. That's great and alleviates some of my concerns. But in case you want to claim that's a universal situation in the philatelic world, you are simply denying reality.

Caveat emptor, yes, but both sellers and buyers have obligations of diligence. Otherwise we would not need consumer protection laws.

[Panterra]

Here is a Fifth World land that somehow never took off: the Principality of Riviera.

Riviera Principality cover dated 20th February 1997, and banknote.

The Principality of Riviera was proclaimed in the 90s in a rural area near Blenheim, New Zealand. Apparently based on Australia's Hutt River Province Principality, and billing itself as "The smallest country in the world", it hoped to make a fortune via tourism.

Sadly, little seems to have come of the venture, and as far as I know, it is no longer extant.

===

The Riviera Principality was a small “Micro Nation” that existed for a short time in the 1990s and its nominal Head of State and Commander in Chief was “His Royal Highness Prince MacDonald“ aka Macky Neame.

The Principality was located near Blenheim on the top of the South Island of New Zealand and during its short existence issued some banknotes, coins and stamps for use within its borders.

[TimurNN]

Found on the Internet images of the coins of the Principality of Riviera.

Set

5 cents 1996

10 cents 1996

20 cents 1996

50 cents 1996

1 dollar 1996

2 dollars 1996

[TimurNN]

I already started posting some envelopes was issued in the fall of 2020. The issue is associated with an expedition to the Japanеse sea, which was organized in honor of the 5th anniversary of the Kingdom.

If someone needs it, then there is a set for an exchange