Not Valid Postage

Comment

Comment by Mail Art News on September 23, 2014 at 1:34pm

Fauxstage

Fauxstal stamps

Hey anyways, thank you both for explaining. I have secret plans to make some artistamps one day, but I want to get the edges looking like stamps. I see online, there are scissors, die-cutters, and even tutorials on how to make the holes with a sewing machine. maybe even a paintbrush comb with all those spikes could get it done. I don't want to spend a lot of money though. Another guy just makes a bunch of white circles on the sheet of artistamps so they are faux holes. All very interesting. There is so much unengaged creativity living inside of people, and it has to find a way out.

Comment by Heleen de Vaan on September 23, 2014 at 10:39am

Beautiful (non-valid? highly valuable: Art!) Stamps!

@BT: common names for fake stamps are: artistamps; cinderella stamps, and faux postage (although the last term sounds good but for the ones who understand French it might be as bad as 'fake stamps' :-)

Comment by Keith S. Chambers on September 23, 2014 at 8:07am

The funny thing about these "fake stamps" is that they are actually produced by the Post Office; artwork by me, but the paper is from the P.O. vending machine. And on the top of each piece of paper there is an invisible tag, i.e., a clear strip of phosphorescent ink that those sorting machines can see but you cannot without special light. Seriously. Of course these are scape pieces, because the vending machine spits out two stickers, with only one having your postage on it, the other, well, is not valid postage. It is my fondest wish that they will fake out the machines and pass through without a hitch. but of course,there is proper postage attached as well so maybe I will get a refund check in the mail for overpayment [ya, right].

Comment by Mail Art News on September 23, 2014 at 3:14am

I always wonder how the post office feels about "fake" for lack of a better word...stamps. Do they care at all? On youtube, you can see videos of the sorting machines, and the robots take a picture of each and every letter and postcard using high speed cameras. How do they know the difference between a real stamp and a fake stamp? Must be programmed into their image recognition software.