Reported yesterday by Ellie Ng in the Independent.
China has been accused of flooding Britain with counterfeit Royal Mail stamps. The Daily Telegraph reported that sources close to Royal Mail said fakes from the Asian country were causing a rise in complaints that stamps bought from legitimate stores were being deemed fraudulent, which can result in a £5 penalty. The newspaper identified four Chinese suppliers offering to print up to one million counterfeit Royal Mail stamps a week. These stamps are being sold for as little as 4p each ahead of delivery to Britain.
The fakes have also been found on Amazon and eBay and websites copying the Royal Mail official store, the newspaper said. These stamps are being bought unknowingly by small retailers, who are allowed to buy stamps from wholesalers rather than from Royal Mail directly.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail: “It is key to prevent counterfeit stamps entering our supply chain in the UK. “The Royal Mail must do everything possible to prevent counterfeits entering our circulation and must establish where they are coming from and how they are entering our marketplace.”
The Times reported that a spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in London called the claims “absurd”. He said: “It is totally ridiculous, absurd and ill-intentional. How could one imagine a sovereign country triggers war by bringing fake stamps? “If this case really happened, (the) first thing to do is to have (a) thorough investigation over the internal supply chain, instead of pursuing the attention of (the) media.” It comes a week after the Telegraph reported Royal Mail is investigating claims that people have been wrongly fined after being sent letters with new barcoded stamps that were deemed to be counterfeit.
A Royal Mail spokesman told PA: “We are working hard to remove counterfeit stamps from circulation. “We regularly monitor online marketplaces to detect suspicious activity, such as sales of heavily discounted stamps and work closely with retailers and law enforcement agencies to identify those who produce counterfeit stamps. “We work closely with a number of police forces across the country and in recent cases we have recovered stamps with a retail value of over £250,000.”
[photo credit: PA Wire and Independent]
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/gb_counterfeits.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2024-04-12 10:47:442024-04-12 10:47:44China accused of flooding Britain with fake Royal Mail stamps
Stamp collectors from all over the world are invited to vote for the most popular music stamp 2023. The designer of the winning stamp will be awarded the Yehudi-Menuhin-Trophy 2024 by Motivgruppe Musik, the International Philatelic Music Study Group.
The vote runs until 31 July 2024.
Among all participants, a philatelic gift will be raffled.
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/music_stamps_2023.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2024-04-10 15:30:332024-04-10 15:30:33Vote for the most popular music stamp of 2023
The ABPS has awarded the Congress Medal 2024 to Bill Hedley, FRPSL. He has made and continues to make contributions to organised philately at all levels. He was elected President of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations in 2019 having previously served as a UK delegate and in 2023 he was re-elected for a second term of office.
Having recognised a gap in the international philatelic calendar he served as Chairman of the Organising Committee of EuroPhilex 2015. Under his chairmanship the show set out to differ from previous international exhibitions by attracting many more overseas dealers and securing special items such as the printing plate for the Mauritius 1847 Post Office issue and the printing machine used by Jean de Sperati for printing his forgeries, loaned from the Museum of the Royal Philatelic Society London. In addition, for the first time, he introduced the organisation of a very successful Philatelic Rarities Auction.
Bill is a qualified Postal History Judge both at national and international level and has acted as a UK Commissioner with responsibilities for ensuring the safe delivery and return of exhibitors’ material sent to overseas exhibitions.
He has served on the Executive Committee of ABPS and as a director of that company. He held the position of Chairman of the Exhibitions and International Committee together with directorships of ABPS Exhibitions Ltd and Stamp World Exhibitions. Of considerable benefit was his successful negotiation of an ongoing three-year arrangement with the National Imports Reliefs Unit of HM Revenue and Customs to obtain Duty Relief exempting from taxation the import and export of philatelic exhibits. As a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, he had responsibilities, for many years, as Curator of the Museum and Archives and subsequently he was appointed Honorary Secretary serving on both Council and the Management Committee.
Bill holds the office of Honorary Treasurer of the Cinderella Stamp Club, a specialist society affiliated to ABPS. He is a Past President of the Kent Federation. As a Past President of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Philatelic Society his guidance is always available to the current committee. He is also an active member of the Austrian Philatelic Society, the Revenue Society and the Society of Postal Historians.
Bill Hedley was nominated by the Society for Postal Historians and the Royal Philatelic Society London and is a worthy recipient of the Congress Medal for 2024.
Signed by Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL, Chairman ABPS Awards Committee.
Photo: Bill Hedley (right), President of FEPA, presents the Champions Class Grand Prix to Vittorio Morani at NOTOS 2021. [photo credit: Hellenic Philatelic Society]
https://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bill-Hedley-Vittorio-Morani-at-Notos-2021.jpg800800Costas Chazapishttps://fepanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/fepanews_logo-107x138-1.pngCostas Chazapis2024-04-07 12:59:362024-04-07 23:16:52Bill Hedley awarded the Congress Medal 2024
China accused of flooding Britain with fake Royal Mail stamps
Reported yesterday by Ellie Ng in the Independent.
China has been accused of flooding Britain with counterfeit Royal Mail stamps. The Daily Telegraph reported that sources close to Royal Mail said fakes from the Asian country were causing a rise in complaints that stamps bought from legitimate stores were being deemed fraudulent, which can result in a £5 penalty. The newspaper identified four Chinese suppliers offering to print up to one million counterfeit Royal Mail stamps a week. These stamps are being sold for as little as 4p each ahead of delivery to Britain.
The fakes have also been found on Amazon and eBay and websites copying the Royal Mail official store, the newspaper said. These stamps are being bought unknowingly by small retailers, who are allowed to buy stamps from wholesalers rather than from Royal Mail directly.
Post Office minister Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail: “It is key to prevent counterfeit stamps entering our supply chain in the UK. “The Royal Mail must do everything possible to prevent counterfeits entering our circulation and must establish where they are coming from and how they are entering our marketplace.”
The Times reported that a spokesman from the Chinese Embassy in London called the claims “absurd”. He said: “It is totally ridiculous, absurd and ill-intentional. How could one imagine a sovereign country triggers war by bringing fake stamps? “If this case really happened, (the) first thing to do is to have (a) thorough investigation over the internal supply chain, instead of pursuing the attention of (the) media.” It comes a week after the Telegraph reported Royal Mail is investigating claims that people have been wrongly fined after being sent letters with new barcoded stamps that were deemed to be counterfeit.
A Royal Mail spokesman told PA: “We are working hard to remove counterfeit stamps from circulation. “We regularly monitor online marketplaces to detect suspicious activity, such as sales of heavily discounted stamps and work closely with retailers and law enforcement agencies to identify those who produce counterfeit stamps. “We work closely with a number of police forces across the country and in recent cases we have recovered stamps with a retail value of over £250,000.”
[photo credit: PA Wire and Independent]
Vote for the most popular music stamp of 2023
Stamp collectors from all over the world are invited to vote for the most popular music stamp 2023. The designer of the winning stamp will be awarded the Yehudi-Menuhin-Trophy 2024 by Motivgruppe Musik, the International Philatelic Music Study Group.
The vote runs until 31 July 2024.
Among all participants, a philatelic gift will be raffled.
Vote here: https://www.motivgruppe-musik.com/en/2024/02/28/waehlen-sie-die-schoenste-musikbriefmarke-2023
Follow FEPA on Facebook
Bill Hedley awarded the Congress Medal 2024
ABPS website reports:
The ABPS has awarded the Congress Medal 2024 to Bill Hedley, FRPSL. He has made and continues to make contributions to organised philately at all levels. He was elected President of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations in 2019 having previously served as a UK delegate and in 2023 he was re-elected for a second term of office.
Having recognised a gap in the international philatelic calendar he served as Chairman of the Organising Committee of EuroPhilex 2015. Under his chairmanship the show set out to differ from previous international exhibitions by attracting many more overseas dealers and securing special items such as the printing plate for the Mauritius 1847 Post Office issue and the printing machine used by Jean de Sperati for printing his forgeries, loaned from the Museum of the Royal Philatelic Society London. In addition, for the first time, he introduced the organisation of a very successful Philatelic Rarities Auction.
Bill is a qualified Postal History Judge both at national and international level and has acted as a UK Commissioner with responsibilities for ensuring the safe delivery and return of exhibitors’ material sent to overseas exhibitions.
He has served on the Executive Committee of ABPS and as a director of that company. He held the position of Chairman of the Exhibitions and International Committee together with directorships of ABPS Exhibitions Ltd and Stamp World Exhibitions. Of considerable benefit was his successful negotiation of an ongoing three-year arrangement with the National Imports Reliefs Unit of HM Revenue and Customs to obtain Duty Relief exempting from taxation the import and export of philatelic exhibits. As a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London, he had responsibilities, for many years, as Curator of the Museum and Archives and subsequently he was appointed Honorary Secretary serving on both Council and the Management Committee.
Bill holds the office of Honorary Treasurer of the Cinderella Stamp Club, a specialist society affiliated to ABPS. He is a Past President of the Kent Federation. As a Past President of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Philatelic Society his guidance is always available to the current committee. He is also an active member of the Austrian Philatelic Society, the Revenue Society and the Society of Postal Historians.
Bill Hedley was nominated by the Society for Postal Historians and the Royal Philatelic Society London and is a worthy recipient of the Congress Medal for 2024.
Signed by Yvonne Wheatley, FRPSL, Chairman ABPS Awards Committee.
Photo: Bill Hedley (right), President of FEPA, presents the Champions Class Grand Prix to Vittorio Morani at NOTOS 2021.
[photo credit: Hellenic Philatelic Society]
Follow FEPA on Facebook