With the launch of the World Association for the Development of Philately Numbering System (WNS) mobile application, stamp collectors worldwide have access to a free and easy tool to identify more than 120,000 stamps and counting.
Since 2002, the WNS database managed by the UPU has been the leading authority for collectors looking for reliable information about their stamps. To date, it remains the only repository based 100% on data submitted by the stamp issuers themselves, representing nearly 200 members. It’s a critical resource that safeguards a multi-billion-dollar market, where counterfeiting causes an estimated hundreds of millions in losses annually. The UPU is making that technology more accessible than ever for collectors with a new mobile version of the software: the WNS Stamps App.The new application maintains all the data available in the web-based WNS database, but with an added AI-based feature that allows users to scan a stamp with their phone camera to identify it.
“For collectors, the app will be a game changer,” said Benjamin Combes, manager of the UPU’s Philately Development and Documentary Heritage Programme.
“Before the app, when they wanted to identify a stamp, they needed catalogues, a magnifying glass and a lot of time and energy. With the app, they scan it and have all the details they need in a matter of seconds.”
The process is simple: the user opens the app, scrolls to the “ID” tab and uploads a photo of the stamp from their phone. The AI-based software then scans the image and compares it against metadata provided by the posts themselves, including the stamp’s size, perforations.
Not only is the technology fast, but it’s also free to download, does not require an account to use, and does not collect any personal data from users.
Evolving stamp verification
Combes explained that the app’s development will be evolutive process, with additional functionalities to be rolled out in the coming months. This includes an update scheduled for later this summer that will allow collectors to share their favourite stamps from the database on social media.
While the app is currently available in English and French, the UPU plans to incorporate a module that will make the app available in every possible language by the end of the year. In the longer term, Combes said he envisions further updates that will provide each stamp’s market value in real time.
Another target in Combes’ view is improving the quality and reach of the WNS database itself. The AI algorithm will help identify stamps with poor image quality so they can be rescanned and replaced online.
While the WNS remains the most extensive and reliable online global stamps database, many stamps have yet to be registered on the platform – an estimated 680,000 to be exact. The UPU’s philatelic team will soon grant posts access to an online pre-registration platform where they can upload stamps issued between 1840 and 2001 at no cost to close this gap.
The app’s development has sparked broader improvements to the database in line with collectors’ interests. The UPU’s philatelic team is now collecting information on printing techniques, the name of the artists involved, the engraver, the quantity of stamps issued and any associated copyrights.
Promoting philately
In addition to providing collectors with an easy and reliable tool, the app is also helping stamp issuers reach broader audiences.
“Posts are generally very good at communicating their products in their home market, but abroad it is always an important cost-challenge, and it's abroad that they make most of their sales because the stamp sold there can't be used,” said Combes.
While the WNS database has always been a source for everything collectors need to know about the world’s stamps, Combes expects that launching the database on mobile phones will help make collecting attractive for younger generations – especially as the database directly connects users to e-commerce sites where the stamps are available to purchase.
Download the WNS app for iOS and Android today.