The reader will understand that the forgeries now to be described are counterfeits of the Azores surcharges, on genuine Portuguese stamps. Issue of 1868-70. Surcharge, Type 1; 14×3 mm. Imperf., or perf. 12 1/2 The surcharge is in black, except the 5 reis of 1870, perf. 12%, which has it in carmine. Values up to […]
The genuine Liberian stamps are quite gems in their way, and it has therefore always been a matter of difficulty to produce successful imitations of these labels. By far the best facsimiles have emanated from the establishment of Messrs. Spiro; those by other persons being simply execrable. In the originals, a separate die was engraved […]
Issue of 1850. 2 kr., black. This is the only value of which I possess forgeries, though I have seen a coarse imitation of the 9 kr., of which I did not take any notes at the time. Genuine Engraved in épargne, on hand-made, grayish-white wove paper, thin or thick. There is a hyphen […]
Issue of 1858. 5, 10, 15 Centavos. From the coarse design of the originals, it might be thought that the forgers would turn out a good imitation of them; but, as will be seen by the following description, it would appear that even badly-made stamps are not always easy to counterfeit, though some of the […]
Issue of 1868. 24, 5, 10 c., 1 Peso. All the stamps of this issue are very scarce, and I do not think they have been extensively forged. At present I have only come across counterfeits of the 5c. and 10c. 5 c. Genuine Lithographed, on white wove paper; imperforated. The letters MB of COLOMBIA […]
1863-86. One Penny. There are several varieties of this stamp: 1863, small star, rough perf. 14 to 16, lilac-rose, dull rose, vermilion; 1873, CC, perf. 12 1/2, lake, scarlet; 1873, CC, perf. 14, lake, lake-rose; 1884, CA, perf. 12, carmine-red; 1886, CA, perf. 14, carmine-red, rose. The stamp which the forgers have tried to imitate […]
Issues of 1870-1885 The above are the issues of the Crown type, as catalogued by Gibbons. In the 1881 issue there are two types of the 50 reis, blue—one with an almost straight neck to the 5, and the other with a slanting neck. I cannot say whether the forgers have imitated […]
Issue of 1870-71 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20 & 25 Centimes. Perf. 13,5 x 14,5. The normal type has the points of the burelé or network upwards; the scarcer type has the points downwards. As the stamps were printed at two operations—the burelé first, and the lettering and numerals afterwards—it sometimes […]
The issues, types, varieties, and values of the Afghan stamps are quite bewildering in their number; and, unless a collector happen to have a pretty deep purse, I am afraid he will be obliged to be content to see a good many blanks in the portion of his album devoted to this State. Before I […]