# Counterfeit Postage Stamps

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 1, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038 "2013-02-01T15:48:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038/21 "2013-02-05T04:43:47Z")

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> [@md2000](#):
>
> I’ve never seen a “print your own” stamp, just the ads; but if I were designing them, I’d add a barcode somewhere (to the left of the stamp?) to provide details about the stamp.
> 
> Anyone seen any? When I do a google I get the USPS site that says send us your picture and we’ll send you preprinted stamps.
> 
> I believe in the Live It Up case (sorry, CTV) they were relying on the eyeballs of the postal workers to catch these.

Yes, these stamps have 2-d barcodes on them.  
[An example.](http://rlv.zcache.com/zebra_print_monogram_postage_stamps-p172270801524096517uuaa5_400.jpg)

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038/22 "2013-02-05T05:46:33Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Without a market, there’s no good reason to counterfeit stamps today. Stamps were far more omnipresent 50 or 75 years ago, but they only cost 3 cents. A few people have always tried to make this a niche but the market keeps saying that putting the crookedness into a $20 or $100 bill is a thousand times more sensible.

What if somebody made a counterfeit pane of that one with [the plane flying upside down?](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01298/stamp_1298184c.jpg)

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038/23 "2013-02-05T15:10:12Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> What if somebody made a counterfeit pane of that one with [the plane flying upside down?](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01298/stamp_1298184c.jpg)

It had better be the best counterfeit ever made, because it would receive more scrutiny than any other stamp ever.

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**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterfeit-postage-stamps/649038/24 "2013-02-05T22:10:42Z")

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> [@Xema](#):
>
> By contrast, a pyramid scheme is generally held to mean a scheme that rewards participants principally for signing up other participants.

Don’t forget that the original [Ponzi scheme](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi) was based on the sale of postal reply coupons.

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