Dummy stamps, often mis-called test stamps, were produced by both the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing and by private corporations involved with the production and use of postage stamps,

These dummy stamps had various uses: to set up and test printing presses and/or stamp finishing processes; to set up stamp affixing machines; to set up stamp dispensing equipment; to demonstrate production capabilities; and to help in the development of new production processes.

These dummy stamps all share several common characteristics.  They are not Post Office accountable paper; they document the production and use of postal stamps often better than the stamps themselves do; they are often very difficult to discover and obtain, and they are just fun to collect.

Click on the links below for some examples of of these US dummy stamps.....
+ Mail-O-Meter dummy stamps
+ The use of dummy stamps at the 1969 Postal Service Parade of Progress held in Detroit Michigan
+ Recent coil stamps with defacement lines
+ Recent For Testing Purposes Only (FTPO) coil printed on B Press   (Free Stuff)
+ And even more recent fakes overprints on legitimate dummy stamps
+ In 2002a new dummy booklet was discovered; the pheasant booklet
 
 

I welcome additional information about all dummy stamps and their usage.

Stampsjoann (click here)