Personalised stamps

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Personalized stamps are postage stamps that allow for the intervention in or origination of the design of the stamp by members of the public at large on a case-by-case basis; they are to be distinguished from mere voting on the subjects of stamps or stamp-design contests open to the public.

In addition to mere personal expression the design of personalized stamps have served a number of other purposes such as the attempt to find missing persons.[1]

[edit] Finland

Personalised stamps are available in Finland in sheets of 20 and eight-stamp booklets.[2]

[edit] Luxembourg

In Luxembourg one may personalise a label beside the stamp.[3]

[edit] United States

In the United States personalized stamps are technically a form of meter labels and thus do not fall under the regulations for what can be depicted on U.S. stamps; for example, the restriction that people, with the exception of U.S. presidents, have to be dead for five years (formerly ten) before they can be commemorated is not applicable. They are also not supposed to be cancelled, though there are examples of this being done by unaware or other-enthusiastic employees, or perhaps as a favour for collectors.

Initially advertising was banned from this postage under a U.S. law banning advertising on U.S. securities, but this was later relaxed to allow for a test programme.