Official Numbering Systems
In general, governments have not tried to number their own stamps. The People's Republic of China is a notable exception, having inscribed most of its stamps with a unique numbering system since 1949.
In 2002, as part of efforts to control allegedly illegal stamps, the Universal Postal Union introduced the WADP Numbering System (WNS) for new issues by UPU members.
Read more about this topic: Stamp Numbering System
Famous quotes containing the words official, numbering and/or systems:
“Our medieval historians who prefer to rely as much as possible on official documents because the chronicles are unreliable, fall thereby into an occasionally dangerous error. The documents tell us little about the difference in tone which separates us from those times; they let us forget the fervent pathos of medieval life.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“The task he undertakes
Is numbering sands and drinking oceans dry.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The only people who treasure systems are those whom the whole truth evades, who want to catch it by the tail. A system is just like truth’s tail, but the truth is like a lizard. It will leave the tail in your hand and escape; it knows that it will soon grow another tail.”
—Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818–1883)