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                    historia.vg

Video Game Stamp Collecting Guide

The UK issued their first ever video game stamps today. I went looking into the history of video game stamps and there isn’t much. There is no easy way to search for a topic like video games in a catalogue, so this is the result of compiling scant sources and serious hours of my own research pouring over every stamp released since the 1970s. It is not likely complete, but as far as I can see, there’s no more complete reference anywhere, even the American Topical Association which specifically makes hundreds of paid-for stamp theme checklists.

I’m counting generic references and representations of video games, characters that originated from video games (e.g. Pikachu), and people associated with the industry. I’m not counting characters that originated outside of games but happen to have a big video game presence (e.g. Doraemon).

Note this article was rather thoroughly researched in catalogs up through 2020, and updated in October 2024 via a brief internet search. I could be missing stamps since 2020.

Video Game Stamps

https://www.wnsstamps.post/en/stamps/UG080.12 | Link | Colnect |

Video Game Etiquettes

These sheets have etiquettes (stickers or labels) related to games, but the actual postage stamps are not video game related. These are much more scarcely documented than actual postage stamps.

This is from a sheet of 1999 Christmas Seals (Foroyar Jol 1999) from the Faroe Islands. The Christmas seals are not postage but raise money for needy children. This one shows a Nintendo 64 controller.

This set called the Super Mario Bros. Stamp Collection was sold by Nippon Post in the spring of 2006 (2006-04-03 through 2006-05-31 according to some sources). The actual stamps are regular 80¥ “Japan Post” stamps and attached to rouletted Super Mario labels. Despite having like 8 bucks worth of regular stamps, this has always been an expensive sheet, like $100 or more. Limited edition, preorder only. Comes in a hardcover folder. The Japan post stamps are Scott Numbers 2914K and 2914L.

This Belgian set of New Super Mario Bros. Wii labels is from 2011.

This Angry Birds Happy Easter sheet came out in Australia on 2013-04-01. The 60c balloon stamps are Scott number 3616.

This Angry Birds Happy Halloween sheet came out in Australia on 2013-10-01. The 60c Eucalyptus stamps are scott number 3846.

This Angry Birds Seasons Greetings sheet came out in Australia on 2013-11-01. The 60c Christmas candle stamps are Scott number 4016.

This Angry Birds Valentine’s sheet came out in Australia on 2024-02-04. The 60c Rose petal stamps are Scott number 3849.

This sheet was printed with the aforementioned Tomb Raider stamps in the UK on 2020-01-21. The larger stickers are just labels, not postage stamps.

Other / Edge Cases / Cinderella Stamps

There are collectible stamps that aren’t postage stamps, like a whole great range of Pokemon stamps from Shogakukan magazine. Neat, but out of scope for this guide.

Maybe the Nintendo Super Power Stamps deserve a mention.

Another Bill Gates stamp. Issue acknowledged by the postal authorities of São Tomé and Príncipe, but only distributed by São Tomé’s philatelic agent for collecting purposes. (I might have other agency issues in the main section, so feel free to count this)
Link: Colnect

This kid looks suspiciously like he’s playing a game and they whooshed it out with the white trail. Not sure.
Link: Colnect

I know it’s a computer stamp but when I see a Commodore 64 I think games
Link: Colect

In the 90s VR wasn’t as synonymous with video games, but this guy is still rad. Link: Colnect

There are a number of Steve Jobs stamps, many from Africa. While Steve Jobs worked at Atari and helped shape some of the most popular video game platforms ever (mobile phones and tablets), he didn’t feel like a great fit for this list. I didn’t want to expand the scope to all computers/technology that could possibly play video games.

Uganda has a small set commemorating Deep Blue vs Garry Kasparov. Not exactly a video game, but closer than you’ll get for most stamps. There are a few Deep Blue stamps but this one shows a Java game interface which I think is neat.
Link: Wnsstamps

A Meowth from a cute 2024 set of cinderella stamps from Japan Expo 2024 (not for postal use)

Colnect has this German Uno the Ant stamp listed as a video game stamp, although I have no idea what this actually is.
Link: Colnect

Illegal Stamps

Wow, illegal stamps! Sounds rad! Not only are there counterfeit stamps, there are entirely fake stamps created to fool collectors. These stamps have a printed country and denomination, but were never issued by an actual government entity. It’s just some guy printing something that looks like a stamp from an African country or small island nation. Most of these are easy to spot and look awful, but some look even better than real stamps. These are very common in online catalogs and dealers, so you can’t assume that if you see a dealer listing for a stamp that it’s “real”.

A great primer on illegal stamps: http://golowesstamps.com/reference/Illegal%20Stamps/illegal_stamps.htm

I can’t list all the illegal stamps. 90s-00s pop culture stamps are a very common type and they’re still being produced, so there are tons. Here are a few examples:

This Chun-Li set purporting to be from the Central African Republic is an example of a very attractive set that comes in a folder (it’s even sealed with a little Capcom sticker). While CAR issuing info is lacking, it is missing from reputable catalogs and very likely illegal.

Lots of Pokemon sheets like this are arguably better looking than real Pokemon stamps from minor countries. They claim to be from countries like Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, and Tadjikistan. 100% fake.

These illegal Russian Diablo II stamps are particularly rad

There are many more and they come in all forms. Some are nicer than normal stamps and some are very low quality.

Sources:

• Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue
• MICHEL Katalog
• http://www.computer-stamps.com/category/5/video-games/
• https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31166&whichpage=1
• https://www.stampcommunity.org/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=18185&whichpage=1
• https://www.stampworld.com/en/
• https://colnect.com/en/stamps

Note: This guide was originally researched and posted on VideoGameSage in 2020.