Is There A List Of Stamp Issuing Countries ?

You all can go nuts trying to determine what is legit or who has a claim to issue stamps during some of the revolutions, civil wars and private issues that have been part of history .

Determining what stamp issuing entities should be part of a world wide collection, I guess, is all about scoping. For my worldwide collection I have chosen the scope of all entities listed in any of the four leading worldwide catalogs: Michel, Scott, SG and Y&T. Based on that scope I have made a list of stamps issuing entities. The list includes predecessors and successors and reference tables for which entity is listed in which catalog. It might be useful.

Please visit: http://www.stampworldhistory.com/st...ng-entities/

Doesn't the UPU have a list of "legit" entities, open to the public? I tried looking at their site but got lost.
Also, you mention Michel, Scott, SG and Y&T. Are these catalogs that have to be bought, or is there anything online?

Keep in mind the UPU only lists member countries. The only country I can think of right now that's NOT a member is North Korea, but I'm not sure if there are others.

RobRoy, the catalogs you mention are to be bought. The owners of these publications like to eat, that is the reason! Also, the UPU list does not mean a thing - it is just for the stamp issueing countries of the moment.
Nothing about what used to be.

Peter

Well, the definition of "country" is up for debate, also. There are many entities that issued postally valid stamps that were never (and never desired to be) fully sovereign, independent nations. It becomes an exercise of "where do you draw the line?" as to what constitutes a country or not. Do you include issues that were only valid locally? Private issues? Local overprints, etc? Long story short, there's not a definitive list that everyone agrees upon. The countries listed in the A-Z Scott Catalogue is about as close to a definitive list as there is, but even they leave out some areas (mostly local issues and the like) that others think should be included.

I never ment to set rules. For me, postal stamp is something that is used to pay for postal transfer of goods.
So if the entity in Krim peninsula issues stamps, that the locals use on their letters - then it's a postal stamp for me.
I'm seeking a way to know what is for sure not a stamp. Like Staffa and other faigenbaum's entities, or stamps that can't be real, like seeing stamps from south Arabia, a place where a woman might be stoned to death just for showing her face, seeing there stamps with nude medeval paintings.
I'm just looking for a way to know bogus stamps.

There is also a list (of stamp issuing countries on Stamp Smarter at
http://www.stampsmarter.com/Stamp_I...landing.html

It supports searches, filtering, and you can export the list to your computer if desired.
Don

Gee ,I guess your list don't have The Black Flag Republic or Kiangsi,Yunnan and many of the Northeaster Provinces of China . There are areas that we have stamps from, but not what group and what place issued them for the Chinese Communist in the early days .My Su Wan Border Area stamps are missing from your list also .
Also a lot of mountain hotels issued stamps that they sold to tourist ,which took the mail down into towns ,they should be considered as locals because they did a service .Didn't see the Swiss Army stamps that carried letters home and accepted by the Swiss Post for delivery .......like I said in a earlier posting it could drive you nuts fiqureing it all out .

I guess this is ever so true. In the end you have to make your own decisions on what you collect and what not.

BTW: The most comprehensive on line worldwide catalog is to be found here: http://www.stampworld.com/

The case you presented about Lundy is a nice example of the discussion. Lundy is an island that is part of the United Kingdom. As such it should be serviced by the Royal Mail. Only, the Royal Mail closed the Lundy PO in 1928. A private service was set up. More you can find here: http://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lun.../lundy-post/. As it is a private service, in many catalogs it is not listed. Similar services exist for other islands.

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are very different. They are officially not part of the United Kingdom. They are 'crown possessions' under the direct authority of the British monarch. They have their own parliaments and legislature. And their own stamps. The difference in status makes catalogs list the issues for these islands.

floortrader,
I am not sure if your post was referencing the Stamp Smarter list, but several of those countries are indeed included.

It is true that making a list of 'stamp issuing countries' is not simple. It calls into question 'what exactly is a country'. For example should the Republic of Frestonia be included? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frestonia ) They issued a stamp which appears to have been accepted in the general international mail stream as shown by this cover.

I do not envy catalog publishers.
Don

Don

Well, it seems to have made it out of GB, but have been hit by postage due in Denmark!

Geoff

Regarding the Frestonia example, it seems to meet the requirements of actual postage stamp: Being canceled, mailed between postal entities, and treated according to UPU regulation (transfered to recepient, charged for postal due).

From all that was said here, my intake is:

The two best online catalogues are at "stampworld" and "col-nect". Correct me if I'm wrong.

Stamp issuing entities - there are the two above, and also:

http://www.stampworldhistory.com/ = Seems very thorough.

http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/stamp-list.html = Wide but rather laconic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compe...tamp_issuers
and
http://www.linns.com/insights/stamp...e-world.html
= More information but less entities

http://www.stampsmarter.com/Stamp_I...landing.html = Another source.


What I'm lacking is some kind of "black list", listing stamps that were not used, nor ment to be used as postal shipment fee.
I saw a dealer from Estonia at ebay that seems to deal solely with these "stamps", another ebay dealer ommits the word "stamp" from all his/hers offers there, IMHO to show he never said their stamps.
Such list, maybe including Cinderelas like season greatings, will serve a great deal novice collectors like me, in deciding for ourself what wavy-edged little paper cards we do not want to buy for our collection.

I know that there's much more to it, like rail-road stamps and more, but I could use some help being warned of the more obvious lame-collectors-traps.

Thank you.

You'll meet relatively few Cinderellas compared with thousands of postage stamps. SG and, I presume, other catalogues, indicates issues that are not catalogued because they do not meet a set of basic requirements (eg genuine availability for a reasonable time in the country of issue), although it tends to be generous in what it allows in.