Album Weeds – Egypt

Album_Weeds_Egypt11866. 5, 10, 20 Paras; 1, 2, 5, 10 Piastres.

Genuine

As the design varies for each separate value, I shall have to describe them one by one; but first I may take the tests common to all the values.

Typographed (?) in colour, on thin, greyish-white wove paper; watermarked (all but the 1 Piastre) with a ten-rayed star, or flower, whichever it may be, over a pyramid; perforated 12 1/2 all round, or sometimes perforated 12 1/2 top and bottom, and unperforated at the sides. The characters of the top surcharge are all joined together; the one like a magnified comma touching the oblique stroke to the left of it with its tail.

5 Paras. Genuine

The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is a very small, blunt, upward hook; and the left-hand end of it is a long, large, upward hook, whose upper point ends on a level with the right-hand hook. The bottom surcharge has one dot below the first character on the right-hand end, three clustering dots below the center of the said surcharge, and one dot over a short wavy line, above the surcharge, a little to the right of the center. The 5 in each corner is small and compact, with its head quite as large as its tail. The central flower has fourteen petals. The borders of the stamp are formed of diamond-shaped ornaments; but the point of a large diamond runs into the middle of each piece of bordering, at the top and bottom and sides. The top border has three entire diamonds to left of the large one, and almost three entire diamonds to the right; but the large diamond hides a small part of the inner diamond on the right. The bottom border contains three entire diamonds to the right, and also three entire ones to the left of the large one. The inner points of these large diamonds, at top and bottom, do not touch the frame, or rather the points of the frame, of the central flower.

5 Paras. Forged.

Lithographed, on stout, very white wove paper; no watermark; perforated 12, and sometimes 12 1/2. The character like a magnified comma, in the top surcharge, does not touch the oblique stroke to the left of it with its tail. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is a small knob, which points downwards, obliquely, to the right. The left-hand side of the said surcharge ends merely in a curve, with a blunt end, a good deal lower than the level of the right-hand end. The bottom surcharge is quite different from the genuine, being a copy of the bottom one of the genuine 20 Paras, to be described hereafter. There is a stroke under the first character of this surcharge to the right, three clustering dots under the last character to left, and no dot at all above the surcharge. Each 5 is of a peculiar shape, with the tail very much larger than the head. The central flower has nineteen petals. In the top border, there are only two and a half entire, small diamonds, on each side of the point of the large diamond. In the bottom border, there are three to the left, and two and a half to the right of the large diamond. The inner points of the top and bottom large diamonds are joined to the points of the frame round the central flower.

10 Paras. Genuine

The paper, watermark, and perforation are the same as m the genuine 5 Paras; the central surcharge also is exactly the same. In the bottom surcharge, there is a short, upright stroke at the right-hand end, and a thing like a figure 8 with the top broken, at the left-hand end, with three clustering dots below it. There are twenty-eight circles round the central oval. The coloured line outside this oval is not blotched anywhere, and it is the same thickness all the way round. The 10 in the left-hand upper corner has the 1 without any oblique side-stroke; i.e., it is simply a straight line, and the o is very much thicker than the 1. The 10 in the lower left-hand corner has its I a simple straight stroke like the other, and the 1 and the o are of equal thinness.

10 Paras. Forged

Paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the forged 5 Paras. The large, central loop of the middle surcharge is broken at the top. In the bottom surcharge, there is a dot at the right-hand end, a large hook at the left-hand end, and three separate dots and a sort of a comma at various distances along the top of the inscription. (This is a copy of the bottom surcharge on the genuine 1 Piastre.) There are only twenty-seven circles round the central oval. The colored line surrounding this oval is blotched, to the left of the bottom of the oval, and too thick to the right of the bottom of the oval. There is a stop before the 1 of the 10 in the upper left-hand corner, and the 1 has an oblique side-stroke; the 1 and the o are of equal thickness. The 10 in the lower right-hand corner is like the other, but there is no stop before the 1.

20 Paras. Genuine

Paper, perforation, watermark, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is a very small loop, with a white center. The right-hand end of the bottom surcharge is like a capital V, laid on its side, with its point to the left, and with a short, wavy stroke below it. There is a thick, small o, forming the top of the central letter of the inscription, and with three clustering dots below the left-hand end of it. The P of PARA in the upper, left-hand corner is of the same thickness as the rest of the letters of the word; and the top of each A is pointed. The P of PARA in the lower, right-hand corner is like the other one; but the top of each A is cut off square.

The bottom, heart-shaped point of the central cross or ornament inclines too much to the right of its proper position.

20 Paras. Forged

Paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the forged 5 Paras. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is a black knob; and the center of the middle loop of it is round, instead of being oval, as the genuine is. The bottom surcharge is like that of the genuine 5 Paras, with a dot below the first letter at the right-hand end, a dot and a stroke above the middle of it, and three clustering dots below the middle. The P of PARA in the upper, left-hand corner is very thin, and squeezed up, compared with the rest of the letters of the word; the first A is pointed, and the second A is cut off square. The P of PARA in the lower, right-hand corner is very badly shaped; the first A is cut off square, and the second A is rounded at the top. The bottom point of the central cross or ornament inclines too much to the left of its proper position.

1 Piastre. Genuine

Paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. This value, as I said before, is not watermarked. The little loop at the right-hand end of the central surcharge is on a level with the line to the left of it. This surcharge exactly fills up the width of the central oval; that is to say, it is as long as the oval is wide. The semicircular portions of the arabesque oval, which project into the corner-labels containing the figures and letters, are all of exactly equal size and shape. There is a round, white stop between the letters P.E, in the left-hand, upper corner, and the E is taller than the P. There is also a round white stop between the letters P.E, in the lower, right-hand corner, and the E is very much taller than the P. There are ninety-seven equal-sized pearls round the frame. The outer line of the stamp is thicker at the top and bottom than at the sides.

1 Piastre. Forged

Paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the forged 5 Paras. The right-hand loop of the central surcharge is bent downwards, below the level of the line to the left of it. This surcharge is too short, and does not fill up the width of the central oval. The pieces of the arabesque oval, which project into the corner-labels, are of different sizes; and those which go into the corners, containing the figure 1, are very much larger and rounder than those which go into the other corners, containing the letters P.E. There is a square, white stop between the letters P.E, in the upper, left- hand corner, and both the said letters are of the same height. There is an almost invisible stop between the letters P.E, in the lower, right-hand corner, and both the letters are of the same size. There are eighty-four pearls round the frame, of all sizes and shapes. The outer line of the stamp is thinner at the top and at the bottom than at the sides.

2 Piastres. Genuine

The paper, watermark, perforation, etc., are the same as in the genuine 5 paras. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is a small, round loop, which is level with the line to the left of it; the 
center of the large loop, in the middle of this surcharge, is an oval; the left-hand end of it is a large, upward hook, as before, with its tail pointing almost towards the large, central loop. The design or ornament in the central circle is not at all prominent, and has very little white about it; indeed, the colour of the stamp is usually so pale, that it is almost impossible to describe the shape of the central flower. The ring round this central circle is shaded all the way round, with crossed, vertical and horizontal lines. The octagonal frame, round the whole design, is filled with a double spiral pattern, difficult to describe, but almost exactly like the twined snakes to be seen on the stamps of the Dutch Indies, though, of course, smaller, and not in the least like a rope. There is a distinct, white stop after each of the letters P.E., in the left-hand upper corner; the letters are very thick and clumsy, and the middle tongue of the E projects as far as the upper and lower strokes. The same description exactly holds good for the letters P.E, in the lower, right-hand corner. The 2 in the upper, right-hand corner is compact in shape ; the tail is quite as thick as the rest of the figure. The other 2, in the lower, left-hand corner, is exactly the same. The ordinary color of this stamp is a pale, dull “ochreish” orange.

2 Piastres. Forged

Paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the forged 5 Paras. The small loop at the right-hand end of the middle surcharge is bent downwards, below the level of the line proceeding from it; the center of the large loop, in the middle of this surcharge, is triangular in shape; the left-hand end is a semicircle, whose end points directly upwards. The central design is very white and prominent, looking like four white ivy leaves, arranged in the form of a cross. The ring round this design is shaded with vertical lines only. The pattern filling the octagonal frame, round the whole design, is a rope, with rather loose strands, and not in the least like the double spirals of the genuine. There is a very small stop after the P, in the upper, left-hand corner, but only a sort of indication of a stop after the E; the letters are not too thick, and are properly made; and the central tongue of the E is shorter than the upper and lower ones. This description will hold good also for the letters in the lower right-hand corner, except that there is a small stop after both P and E. The 2 in the upper, right-hand corner is thin—thinner than the letters opposite to it— and the tail is thinner still. The 2 in the lower, left-hand corner is just the same, except that its tail, or part of it, is so thin as to be almost in- visible. The colour of the forgery is generally either a greenish-lemon, or greenish-orange; the latter, I think, is the more common.

5 Piastres. Genuine

Paper, watermark, perforation, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. The middle surcharge is exactly like that on the genuine 2 Piastres just described. In the lower surcharge, there is a dot below the first letter on the right-hand side; and above the surcharge, counting from the right-hand end, there is, first of all, a dot with a short vertical stroke below it, then a dot, a little to the left, then a comma, and then another dot, with a stroke beneath the dot. (It will be understood that these are all at various distances along the top of this surcharge.) The central design is a flower, with seven petals; and immediately round the flower there is a small ring, shaded with vertical lines. Just inside the largest oval there is a very narrow oval, filled with pearls; these pearls are very indistinct, and would hardly be noticed at a first glance. There are eleven of them in the top part of the oval, twelve in the bottom part, eleven on the right-hand side, and thirteen on the left-hand side. There is a stop after each of the letters P.E., in the upper, left-hand corner, and a stop after the P only, in the lower, right-hand corner. There is a stop after the 5, in the upper, right-hand corner, and the head and tail of the figure are both of the same thickness. There is no stop after the 5, in the lower, left-hand corner, and the head of the 5 is much thinner than the tail. Each of the corner-circles distinctly touches both sides of each corner; indeed, the upper, right-hand circle projects slightly beyond the right side of the stamp.

5 Piastres. First Forgery

Paper, etc., as in the forged 5 Paras. The large, central loop of the middle surcharge is broken at the top, and the left-hand hook has a blunt point, instead of a very sharp one. The lower surcharge is a passable imitation of the genuine. The central design is a flower, with six petals, and the little ring round it is perfectly white, without any shading at all. This is a very easy test. The pearls are much too distinct, and too far apart; there are ten of them in the top of the oval, ten in the bottom of it, twelve on the right-hand side, and ten on the left. In both the lettered circles, there is a stop only after the P. There is no stop after either 5: the upper one is a large, straggling figure, with the tail larger than the head; the lower one is more compact, with head and tail of equal thinness. The corner-circles do not really touch any of the boundary-lines, though there is a blotch to the left of each of those on the left side, which makes them look as though they touched the left-hand outline of the frame.

5 Piastres. Second Forgery

Paper, etc., the same as in the forged 5 Paras. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is opened out into a semicircle, and the left-hand hook is blunt. The lower surcharge is not in the least like the genuine, being a copy of that upon the genuine 10 Piastres. There are only six petals to the central flower, and the ring round it is white, as in the first forgery of this value. The pearled oval has ten pearls at the top, ten at the bottom, thirteen on the right-hand side, and ten on the left-hand side. There is a stop after both P and E, in the upper, left-hand corner, and a stop after the P only, in the lower, right-hand corner. There is a stop after the upper 5, which figure has its head larger than its tail. There is no stop after the lower 5, which figure has its tail very much larger than its head. The head and tail of both these figures are of equal thickness; the corner-circles do not touch the outline of the frame.

5 Piastres. Third Forgery

Paper, etc., the same as in the last forgery. The right-hand end of the middle surcharge is opened out into a semicircle. The large loop, in the center of this surcharge, is broken at the top, and the tail of the left-hand hook is blunt. The central flower has six petals. The ring round it is white, instead of being shaded. There are ten pearls at the top of the pearled oval, nine at the bottom, about twelve on the right-hand side, and ten on the left-hand side. There is a stop after each of the letters P.E., in the upper, left-hand corner; but a stop after the E only, in the lower, right-hand corner. The upper 5 is altogether undecipherable, being blotched into the background. The lower 5 has its tail very sharply pointed, and larger than the head, and thinner. The circles do not touch the out- line of the frame. This is the worst forgery of the lot, and ought not to deceive anybody.

10 Piastres. Genuine

Paper, watermark, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras; middle surcharge exactly the same as the last. The central oval is filled with an arabesque design, but so faint that the details cannot be described. The points of the large corner-triangles do not anything like touch each other, and there is a space of at least a quarter of an inch between them, on each side of the outer oval, and rather less at the top and bottom of it. There is a white stop after both P and E, in both corners, and one also after the upper 10. The letters do not touch the boundary of the little frames containing them. The colour of the stamp is slate.

10 Piastres. Forged

This appears to be from another set. The paper is thicker and smoother, and of a decidedly yellowish tint. The little loop at the right-hand end of the middle surcharge is broken at the top, and the hook at the left-hand end points directly upwards, instead of towards the large, central loop. The top surcharge is not all in one piece. The tail of the magnified comma does not touch the oblique line to the left of it. The central oval is the best test for this forgery, as it is filled simply with crossed, vertical, and horizontal lines, without any arabesque pattern in it at all. The points of the large corner-triangles come very close together; those on the right almost touch, those on the left are nearly as close, but those at the top and bottom are a little further from each other. There is a white stop after the p only, in the top corner, a stop after both p and E, in the lower corner, and the top E touches the outline of the little frame round it. There is no stop after either 10. At a first glance, this forgery looks rather better than the genuine; but the oval of crossed lines will at once betray it. The colour is a greenish neutral tint, not at all like the dull slate of the genuine.

Postmarks

Genuine.—1, 3, 12.
Forged.—1, 37 (no numerals), 52, 101.

 

1867. 5, 10, 20 Paras; 1, 2, 5 Piastres.

Spud_Egypt1 Spud_Egypt2 Spud_Egypt3 Spud_Egypt4 Spud_Egypt5 Spud_Egypt6

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are four types of each value in this issue, distinguished by the position of the pyramid in the central oval, and by the shape of the Arabic letters, but I have not been able to obtain entire sheets of the different values. Some of the forgeries are rather well done, and are considerably more deceptive than the counterfeits of the first issue.

Genuine

All the values are engraved in colour, on hard moderately thick, white wove paper, watermarked with a star over a crescent; perforated 15 x 12 1/2. I have called the design on the s back a “watermark”; but the fact is that this design is impressed after the paper is made, something after the manner of the oval design on the backs of the Swiss stamps of 1862-82; whereas a proper watermark is made in the paper, during the manufacture, before it is quite solidified.

5 Paras. Genuine

The head of the sphinx does not touch the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid, and there is a pretty good space between the head and the said outlines. There are twenty horizontal lines of shading in the left-hand half of the central oval, and only nineteen in the right-hand half. The
point of the pyramid projects very slightly above the topmost line of shading. The dark oval touches the frame to left, to right, and at the top; but not at the bottom. The left shoulder of the sphinx (i.e., to the right of the stamp) has two horizontal lines across it, separating it, as it were, into three divisions; but these divisions are not like steps. The point of the pyramid is rather blunt. The labels at the bottom, containing the figures of value, are very much wider than the width of the side-frames which contain the pillar and “needle”; indeed, they are nearly as wide as the two labels at the top, which contain the word PARA.

5 Paras. First Forgery

I have only one copy of this counterfeit. It is very good, and not common. The specimen is cut closely, so I am not able to say whether it has been perforated or not. Lithographed, on hard, white wove paper, very like that of the genuine, but without any watermark. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-one horizontal lines of shading on the left-hand side of the central oval, and the same number on the right-hand side. The pyramid ends in a tolerably sharp point, which only just comes up as far as the uppermost line of shading, and does not project beyond it. The dark oval touches the frame on the right side, and very nearly touches it on the left; but is at a considerable distance from the top and bottom of the frame. The left shoulder of the sphinx, on the right side of the stamp, is cut into three very distinct steps. The labels at the bottom, containing the figures of value, are as wide in this forgery as in the genuine.

5 Paras. Second Forgery

This is much less like the genuine than the one just described, but is very much more common; in fact, I continually find the whole set of this type in the collections sent to me for opinion.

Lithographed, in reddish-orange, instead of golden-yellow, on thick, rather soft, very white wove paper; no watermark; badly pin-perforated 12 1/2. The head of the sphinx almost touches the outlines of the front face of the pyramid, as in the first forgery. There are twenty-two horizontal lines of shading on the left-hand side of the oval, and twenty-one on the right-hand side. The pyramid is sharply pointed, and the point does not project beyond the topmost line of shading. The left shoulder of the sphinx, on the right-hand side of the stamp, is cut into three distinct steps, as in the first forgery. The great test, however, for this counterfeit is in the fact that the lower labels, which contain the figures of value, are only as wide as the width of the side-frames, which contain the “needle” and the pillar. The dark oval touches the frame on the right side only. The Egyptian inscription in the bottom label is that of the genuine 5 Piastres, to be described hereafter.

10 Paras. Genuine

Perforation, watermark, etc., exactly the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. Indeed, to save trouble and unnecessary repetition, I may say here that all the genuine are alike in these characteristics. The head of the sphinx does not touch the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. In one type, there are twenty horizontal lines of shading on each side of the central oval, behind the pyramid; and in another type, there are twenty on the left-hand side, and nineteen on the right-hand side. In the former type, the point of the pyramid projects considerably beyond the topmost line of shading, and in the other type, it does not project at all—the dark oval touches only the right-hand side of the frame. The left shoulder of the sphinx looks somewhat as though it had been cut into steps, but not so markedly as in the forgery of the 5 Paras. The labels at the bottom are nearly as wide as the corresponding ones at the top. The 1 of 10 in the left-hand label has a distinct side-stroke, exactly like the 1 in the right-hand label. The last character at the left-hand end of the lower inscription does not touch the left-hand side of its containing-frame, but is at a considerable distance from it.

10 Paras. Forged

Lithographed; paper, perforation, etc., the same as in the second forgery of the 5 Paras. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two horizontal lines of shading to the left of the pyramid in the central oval, and the same number on the right-hand side. The point of the pyramid is sharper than in the genuine, and projects very slightly beyond the top- most line of shading behind it. The dark oval touches the frame at the sides only, and not at the top or bottom. The left shoulder of the sphinx is cut into three unmistakable steps. The labels at the bottom are like the genuine. The 1 of the 10 in the left-hand label has no oblique side- stroke; the 1 in the right-hand label is like the genuine. The last character at the left-hand end of the lower inscription touches the left side of its containing-frame. The colour of the genuine stamps varies from lilac to mauve; the forgeries are more of a violet colour.

20 Paras. Genuine

Watermark, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. There is a distinct space between the head of the sphinx and the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty horizontal lines of shading in the central oval, to the left of the pyramid, and the same number to the right of it. The point of the pyramid is very blunt, and comes just up to the topmost line of shading. The dark oval touches the frame on the right-hand side, and very nearly touches it on the left-hand side; but the top and bottom are at a good distance from the frame. The hieroglyphics on Cleopatra’s needle are so very faint, that they are hardly visible; and the needle appears to be white at a first glance. Pompey’s pillar is very lightly shaded, and the main shaft of it is not put centrally on to the base, but far too much to the left. This is an easy test for the genuine. The white line of the frame, to the right of the pillar, if prolonged down- wards into the lower label, would cut exactly through the o of the 20 in the left-hand, lower label. The shoulder of the left-hand 2 does not project backwards further than just level with the end of the tail.

20 Paras. Forged

Paper, etc., the same as in the second forgery of the 5 Paras. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two horizontal lines to the left of the pyramid, and the same number to the right. The point of the pyramid is very sharp, and the dark part of it comes right up to the very top of the central design, and touches the thin, colored line which runs round it. The dark oval outside this touches the frame to the right and to the left, and almost touches it at the top. The hieroglyphics on Cleopatra’s needle are very dark and heavy. The pillar is very heavily shaded, and it is put centrally on to the base, thus altering the mistake of the en- graver of the genuine. The white line of the frame, to the right of the pillar, if prolonged downwards, would only pass through the left side of the 0 of 20, instead of through the center of it. The shoulder of the left-hand 2 projects backwards, beyond the level of the end of the tail. The originals are in yellowish-green; these forgeries are much darker, and of almost a bluish-green.

1 Piastre. Genuine

There is a good space between the head of the sphinx and the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty horizontal lines of shading in the oval, on each side of the pyramid. The dark oval touches the frame only on the right-hand side. The hieroglyphics on the needle are very faint, and the shading on the pillar is light. One of the easiest tests of the genuine is that the white line, to the left of the E, in the right-hand, upper corner of the stamp, is an exact continuation of the line below it, which forms the left side of the frame of the needle. The figures in the bottom corners are very broad, even broader than the upright strokes of the P and E in the upper corners.

1 Piastre. Forged

Paper, etc., the same as.in the second forgery of the 5 Paras. This is a nice-looking stamp, and very likely to deceive. The head of the sphinx touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two lines of shading in the central oval, to the left of the pyramid, and the same number to the right of it. The dark oval touches the frame to right and left, and almost at the top. The hieroglyphics on the needle are dark and distinct, and the right side of the pillar is heavily shaded. The white line to the left of the E is far too much to the right, and does not form a continuation of the white line to the left of the needle. The figures in the bottom corners are very thin, and much thinner than the upright strokes of the P and E in the upper corners.

2 Piastres. Genuine

Paper, watermark, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 paras. The head of the sphinx does not touch the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty horizontal lines of shading on the left-hand side of the central oval, and nineteen on the right-hand side. The dark oval just touches the frame on the left-hand side, but not on any of the other sides. The white line to the left of the E, in the right-hand, upper corner, forms one continuous line, down to the bottom of the stamp; i.e., it is joined to the line which passes to the left of the needle, as in the genuine 1 Piastre, just described. The tail of each 2 is just about level with the rounded shoulder of the figure; i.e., it does not project further to the right than the shoulder of the letter does. All my copies of this value are rather blotchy, and more heavily printed than the other values. I fancy this may be on account of the blue colour being more difficult to work than the other tints.

2 Piastres. Forged

Paper, etc., the same as in the second forgery of the 5 Paras. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two horizontal lines of shading in the oval, to the left of the pyramid, and the same number to the right of it. The dark oval touches the right side, and almost touches the left side of the frame. The white line to the left of the E is not continuous with the white line to the left of the needle, but a good deal too much to the right of where it ought to be, as in the forged 1 Piastre just described. The body of the right-hand 2 leans forward a little to the left, and the tail of the left-hand 2 projects further to the right than merely level with the rounded shoulder of the figure. The colour of this forgery is exactly the same as that of the genuine.

5 Piastres. Genuine

Paper, watermark, etc., the same as in the genuine 5 Paras. The head of the sphinx does not touch the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are nineteen horizontal lines of shading on the left-hand side of the central oval, and the same number on the right-hand side of it. The dark oval touches the frame at the top only. The white line to the left of the E, in the right-hand upper corner, is continuous with the white line down the left of the needle. The needle and pillar are very lightly shaded, so as to appear almost white.

5 Piastres. First Forgery

This is printed on thick paper, like the first forgery of the 5 Paras. My only copy is cut close, so that I cannot tell the perforation. There is no watermark. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two out- lines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two horizontal lines of shading in the oval, on the left of the pyramid, and the same number to the right of it. The dark oval touches the frame on the right, and almost on the left. The white line forming the left side of the frame of the needle does not correspond either with the line to the left of the E, in the upper, right-hand corner, or with the similar line to the left of the 5, in the lower, right-hand corner, being too much to the left of both of them. This is an easy test for this forgery. The inscription in the lower label is the same as that on the genuine; the little frames in the bottom corners, containing the figures of value, are also about the same width as in the genuine.

5 Piastres. Second Forgery

Paper, etc., the same as in the second forgery of the 5 Paras. This is not nearly so good as the last, though much more common. The head of the sphinx almost touches the two outlines of the front face of the pyramid. There are twenty-two lines of shading in the central oval, on each side of the pyramid. The dark oval touches the frame to right and left, but not at the top or bottom. The white line down by the left-hand side of the needle is not continuous with the similar white line, to the left of the E, in the upper, right-hand corner; but is set too much to the left. The easiest test of this forgery is in the fact that the forgers have made the lower labels, which bear the figures of value, twice as wide as the upper labels, which bear the letters P, E. In fact, the lower labels in this stamp have been copied from the genuine 5 Paras value, which has them broad. There is also another error, not so obvious; for the inscription at the bottom is the same as that on the genuine 5 paras, instead of that on the 5 Piastres; and the second forgery of the 5 Paras, described above, has the inscription which ought to appear on this value, so that the forgers have evidently mixed up the two values. The proper inscription, in the lower label of the genuine 5 Paras, is in three separate words, or sets of characters; whilst the proper inscription, in the lower label of the genuine 5 Piastres, is in five separate words, or sets of characters; but the two, as I have said, are just reversed in these two forgeries.

Spud_Egypt71872. 5, 10, 20 Paras; 1, 2, 2 1/2, 5 Piastres.

The stamps of the 1867 issue are not what would be considered marvels of beauty; but they are very superior to the set now to be described. Some of the later copies of the 1872 issue are so extremely bad as to be almost undecipherable, and look as though they had been boiled for an hour or two, after being printed. Fortunately for me, the general differences between the genuine and forged are so well marked that I shall be able to describe the whole set at once, instead of having to take each value separately, as in the issues already dissected.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on thick, rough, rather hard, yellowish-white wove paper; watermarked—or rather impressed at the back—with a star over a crescent; and machine-perforated 12 1/2, 13 1/2, and compound. The 10 Paras, and the 1 and 5 Piastres, were also issued unperforated in 1873; these latter are rare. There are four white stripes in the hair on the head of the sphinx, three of them being particularly distinct. The ear is small, and the top of it is level with the eyebrow. There is a distinct white line, running almost across the stamp, near the top, forming the lower outline of the label containing the Egyptian inscription; and there is a similar, distinct white line, running almost across the stamp, near the bottom, forming the upper outline of the frame containing POSTE, etc. The right side of the top stroke of the T of POSTE is altogether wanting; the inscription thus reading POSTE KHEDEUIE EGIZIANE. The A of this latter word is a distinct A, and not an R. There is hardly any indication of a dark line round the broad, white outline of the central oval. The P of POSTE is almost invariably jammed against the side of the frame to left of it.

Forged

Lithographed, on paper very similar to the. genuine, but smoother and whiter; no watermark; pin-perforated 11. There are five white stripes in the hair on the head of the sphinx, four of them being particularly distinct. The top of the ear is placed much too low, being hardly level with the bottom of the eye. The whole ear is apparently like a large S, curling down into the back of the neck. There is the faintest possible indication of a white line, to form the lower outline of the upper label, which contains the Egyptian inscription; and there is no white line at all, to form the upper outline of the label at the bottom, containing POSTE, etc. The T of POSTE is shaped like an ordinary capital T, and the A of EGIZIANE is changed into an R; thus the whole inscription reads POSTE KHEDEUIE EGIZIRNE. There is a wide, dark line, surrounding the white outline of the central oval. There is a good space between the P of POSTE, and the upright line of the frame to the left of it.

 

From: ‘Album Weeds’, 3rd edition by R. B. Eareé. 1906

 

See alsoLup

 

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