§ 12.48 Importation prohibited; exceptions to prohibition of importation; procedure.

(a) In accordance with Chapter 25, Title 18, United States Code, any token, disk, or device in the likeness or similitude of any coin of the United States or of a foreign country; counterfeits of coins in circulation in the United States; counterfeited, forged, or altered obligations or other securities of the United States or of any foreign government; or plates, dies, or other apparatus which may be used in making any of the foregoing, when brought into the United States, shall be seized, and delivered to the nearest representative of the United States Secret Service, together with a report of the facts, for appropriate disposition.

(b) In accordance with section 504 of title 18, United States Code, the printing, publishing, or importation or the making or importation of the necessary plates for such printing or publishing for philatelic, numismatic, educational, historical, or newsworthy purposes in articles, books, journals, newspapers, or albums (but not for advertising purposes, except illustrations of stamps and paper money in philatelic or numismatic advertising of legitimate numismatists and dealers in stamps or publishers of or dealers in philatelic or numismatic articles, books, journals, newspapers, or albums) of black and white illustrations of canceled and uncanceled United States postage stamps shall be permitted.

(c) The importation (but not for advertising purposes except philatelic advertising) of motion-picture films, microfilms, or slides, for projection upon a screen or for use in telecasting, of postage and revenue stamps and other obligations and securities of the United States and postage and revenue stamps, notes, bonds, and other obligations or securities of any foreign government, bank, or corporation shall be permitted.

(d) Printed matter of the character described in section 504, title 18, United States Code,[32] containing reproductions of postage or revenue stamps, executed in accordance with any exception stated in section 504, or colored reproductions of canceled foreign postage stamps may be admitted to entry. Printed matter containing illustrations or reproductions not executed in accordance with such exceptions shall be treated as prohibited importations. If no application for exportation or assent to forfeiture and destruction is received by the port director within 30 days from the date of notification to the importer that the articles are prohibited, the articles shall be reported to the United States attorney for forfeiture.

[28 FR 14710, Dec. 31, 1963, as amended by T.D. 82-145, 47 FR 35477, Aug. 16, 1982; T.D. 89-1, 53 FR 51253, Dec. 21, 1988]

Footnotes - 12.48

[32] Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the following are permitted:

(1) The printing, publishing, or importation, or the making or importation of the necessary plates for such printing or publishing, of illustrations of:

(A) Postage stamps of the United States,

(B) Revenue stamps of the United States,

(C) Any other obligation or other security of the United States, and

(D) Postage stamps, revenue stamps, notes, bonds, and any other obligation or other security of any foreign government, bank, or corporation, for philatelic, numismatic, educational, historical, or newsworthy purposes in articles, books, journals, newspapers, or albums (but not for advertising purposes, except illustrations of stamps and paper money in philatelic or numismatic advertising of legitimate numismatists and dealers in stamps or publishers of or dealers in philatelic or numismatic articles, books, journals, newspapers, or albums). Illustrations permitted by the foregoing provisions of this section shall be made in accordance with the following conditions—

(i) All illustrations shall be in black and white, except that illustrations of postage stamps issued by the United States or by any foreign government may be in color;

(ii) All illustrations (including illustrations of uncanceled postage stamps in color) shall be of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of any matter so illustrated which is covered by subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of this paragraph, except that black and white illustrations of postage and revenue stamps issued by the United States or by any foreign government and colored illustrations of canceled postage stamps issued by the United States may be in the exact linear dimension in which the stamps were issued; and

(iii) The negatives and plates used in making the illustrations shall be destroyed after their final use in accordance with this section.

(2) The making or importation, but not for advertising purposes except philatelic advertising, of motion-picture films, microfilms, or slides, for projection upon a screen or for use in telecasting, of postage and revenue stamps and other obligations and securities of the United States, and postage and revenue stamps, notes, bonds, and other obligations or securities of any foreign government, bank, or corporation. No prints or other reproductions shall be made from such films or slides, except for the purposes of paragraph (1), without the permission of the Secretary of the Treasury.

For the purposes of this section the term “postage stamp” includes “postage meter stamps.” (18 U.S.C. 504).