Демонетизация почтовых марок: история и практика

The demonetization of postage and revenue stamps is the process by which the stamps are rendered no longer valid. In general, stamp demonetization is a rare event, since any unused stamp is effectively equivalent to its face value, and there is no financial disadvantage if postal customers use old stamps on their mail. Demonetization chiefly occurs in connection with major upheavals in the postal system, such as a transfer from one country to another, or currency changes, such as decimalisation, or a change of government. The process of exchanging millions or billions of stamps in the public's hands, plus that of exchanging post office stock, is usually complicated and difficult, and offers much interest for students of postal history. There are typically two parts to the process; first, the exchange of unused stamps for new ones of equivalent value. This normally occurs at post offices, with patrons bringing in their old stamps. The second part is the handling of mail with stamps already on it. Uncancelled letters, such as those dropped in mailbox, will get a grace period, ending at roughly the same time as the exchange of old stamps. Cancelled letters already in the mailstream may be accepted for a longer period, since remote post offices may not yet have exchanged their stamps, and sometimes there may be delays within the postal system itself.

In the Eurozone, some countries have demonetized stamps denominated in the old currency while others have not. The countries where pre euro stamps are still valid include Belgium, France, Italy and San Marino.

Austrian stamps denominated in schillings were demonetized on 1 July 2002.

Belgian stamps denominated in francs will be demonetized on 1 January 2028; presently, franc denominated stamps are usable on some mail pieces, but not on parcels or registered mail. Stamps denominated in euros will be valid indefinitely.

Finnish stamps denominated in markkaa were demonetized at the end of 2011.

German stamps denominated in Deutsche Marks were demonetized on 1 July 2002. All stamps issued since 9 November 2000 are valid for postage.

Irish stamps denominated in pounds were demonetized on 31 December 2002. Stamps issued since 2 August 2000 are valid for postage. and 28 June 2008) were denominated in both the Maltese lira and euro currencies in accordance with guidelines issued by the National Euro Changeover Committee. Pre 2006 stamps denominated only in lira remained valid for use until 31 January 2008, and they could be exchanged for euro denominated stamps until March 2008, after which they were demonetized. The dual currency stamps issued since December 2006 remain valid for use today along with euro denominated stamps.

Stamps of the Netherlands denominated in guilders were demonetized on 1 November 2013. It is not possible to exchange guilder stamps for ones denominated in euros. Queen Elizabeth II £1 value stamps issued prior to 1971 are identifiable by design but remain valid for postage. All stamps issued in decimal currency remain, for now, valid at their face value, including those priced in half penny increments. Pre 2022 definitive stamps were demonetized on 31 July 2023 (extended from the original deadline of 31 January). They can be submitted to Royal Mail to be exchanged for replacement stamps of the same value; these are new definitive stamps featuring 2D barcodes which were introduced in early 2022 to reduce counterfeiting and stamp reuse. Christmas stamps and special issue stamps were not demonetized, from 2022 onwards, Christmas stamps also feature 2D barcodes.

United States postage stamps have been demonetized only twice. The first time was in 1851, when the 5 cent and 10 cent stamps of the 1847 issue were declared invalid as of July 1 by the Act of March 3, 1851 reducing the normal letter rate from five to three cents. A few dozen covers are known that carry 1847 stamps after the demonetization date; as stamp usage was then still optional (it would not be made mandatory until 1855), the demonetization seems to have had relatively little impact. The second, more serious, demonetization was prompted by the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Southern post offices held substantial U. S. assets in the form of their stamp stocks, and the Confederates could theoretically have brought in some income by selling those stamps to private individuals in the North. Although in April 1861 John H. Reagan, postmaster of the CSA, ordered the offices in his charge to return their stamps to Washington D. C., few seem to have done so, and by June 1861 U. S. postmaster general Montgomery Blair ordered the severance of postal ties and the production of new stamps. In August the stamps of the U. S. 1861 issue began to be distributed throughout the Union, along with orders that postmasters should offer to exchange old stamps for new for a period of six days after giving "public notice through the newspapers and otherwise". After the six day period was over, that post office was not to recognize the old stamps as paying postage. In addition, postmasters were to accept letters with old stamps from other post offices until set dates, ranging from September 10 in the East, to November 1 from letters arriving from the Far West. (Later the periods were extended for an additional two months.) The process stretched over some months; the large cities in the East were exchanging stamps in the third week of August, while some small remote offices did not start until November. General confusion, combined with exhaustion of the new stamps at some post offices, led to some instances of the old stamps still being accepted on letters after demonetization, although surviving covers are rare. The U. S. stamps of 1861, and all issued since then, continue to be valid on mail, except for stamps issued to denote payment for services no longer provided, such as special delivery stamps, special handling stamps, and certified mail stamps.