Forged Stamps of Bahamas

1861. Queen Victoria. One Penny

Genuine vs. Forgeries

Bahamas_1861_QV_1d_Genuine

Genuine

Bahamas_1861_QV_1d_Spiro_Forgery

Spiro forgery

Bahamas_1861_QV_1d_Torres_illustration

Illustration by Plácido Ramón de Torres: Album ilustrado de sellos de correo, Barcelona 1879. Torres sold illustrations to various dealers/forgers from 1864 onwards, as well as made forgeries himself.

1860-1875. Queen Victoria. Four Pence

Genuine vs. Forgeries

Bahamas_QV_4p_Genuine

Genuine

Bahamas_QV_4p_Forgery

Spiro forgery

Bahamas_QV_4p_Forgery2

Forgery

Bahamas_QV_4p_Torres_illustration

Illustration by Plácido Ramón de Torres: Album ilustrado de sellos de correo, Barcelona 1879. Torres sold illustrations to various dealers/forgers from 1864 onwards, as well as made forgeries himself.

1860-1875. Queen Victoria. Six Pence

Genuine vs. Forgeries

Bahamas_1861_QV_6d_Genuine

Genuine SG #19a

Bahamas_QV_6p_Forgery

Forgery

Bahamas_QV_6p_Forgery2

Forgery

Bahamas_1861_QV_6d_Spiro_Forgery

Spiro forgery

1883. Queen Victoria Surcharged

Genuine vs. Forgery

Bahamas_1883_SG12_Genuine

Genuine SG#12

Bahamas_1883_SG12_Bogus

Forged overprint

Bogus bar. Wrong fonts

1863-1898. Queen Victoria. One Shilling

Genuine vs. Forgeries

Bahamas_1861-5_QV_1s_Genuine

Genuine

Bahamas_1861-5_QV_1s_Forgery

Forgery

Bahamas_1865_QV_1s_Spiro_Forgery

Spiro forgery

Bahamas_1865_QV_1s_Torres_illustration

Illustration by Plácido Ramón de Torres: Album ilustrado de sellos de correo, Barcelona 1879. Torres sold illustrations to various dealers/forgers from 1864 onwards, as well as made forgeries himself.

Bahamas_1865_QV_1s_Torres_forgery_blue

Torres forgery

Bahamas_1865_QV_1s_Torres_forgery_green

Torres forgery

Bahamas_1865_QV_1s_Torres_forgery_brown

Torres forgery

1884-1890. Queen Victoria. One Pound

Forgery

Bahamas_QV_1pound_Madame_Joseph_Forgery

Madame Joseph forged postmark on genuine stamp

1902. King Edward VII. Five Shillings

Forgery

Bahamas_King_Edward_5s_Madame_Joseph_Forgery

Madame Joseph forged postmark on genuine stamp

1916-1917. Special Delivery

Forgery

Bahamas_1916-17_Special-Delivery_Forgery

Forgery

1929. 300 Year Anniversary. 3 Shillings

Forgery

Bahamas_1929_3shillings_Madame_Joseph_Forgery

Madame Joseph forged postmark on genuine stamp

Queen Victoria

Spiro produced his forgeries in sheets of 25

Bahamas_1861_1d_Spiro-sheet_Forgery
Bahamas_1861_4d_Spiro-sheet_Forgery
Bahamas_1861_6d_Spiro-sheet_Forgery
Bahamas_1865_1s_Spiro-sheet_Forgery

Thanks to Antonius-Ra for image of genuine 1s stamp

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Literature

For further research

  • Design type A1. 1p “Chalon Head” design, 1859-98. The Serrane Guide/ Stamp Forgeries of the World to 1926, p.16 (Yvert 1,2,5,9,12,14). Reverend R.B. Earée, Album Weeds/ How to Detect Forged Stamps (Third Edition), Vol. 1, pp.63,64. Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries, pp.37,38. J. Dorn (Publisher), The Forged Stamps of all Countries, p.81. Remainders on thinner paper: L.N. and M. Williams, “West Indian Classics: First Bahamas stamps June 1859”, Stamp Magazine (U.K.), Vol. 7 (June 1941): 208;
  • Design type A2. 4p and 6p, new type “Chalon Head” design, 1861-83. The 4p, 1861: Alden C. Johnson, Forgeries Old and New, Vol. 2, p.1. The Serrane Guide/ Stamp Forgeries of the World to 1926, p.16 (Yvert 3,4,6,7,10,13,15). Two forgeries: Reverend R.B. Earée, Album Weeds/ How to Detect Forged Stamps (Third Edition), Vol. 1, pp.64,65. Panes: A.J. Branston, “The Spiro Forgeries of the Bahamas”, The London Philatelist, Vol. 81 (March 1972): 60, continued at (April 1972): 77, and at (May 1972): 102; see also Roy Dehn letter to Editor, The London Philatelist, Vol.81 (August-September 1972): 160. Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries, pp.37,38. J. Dorn (Publisher), The Forged Stamps of all Countries, p.81.
  • Design type A3. 1sh Victoria design, 1863-98. Spiro Brothers forgeries of the 1865 stamp and 1863 stamp: Varro Tyler, Linn’s Focus on Forgeries: A Guide to Forgeries of Common Stamps, Revised, Expanded Edition, p.26. Spiro Brothers and another forgery: Alfred J. Branston, “Is It A Forgery?”, The Stamp Lover, Vol. 76 (April-June, 1984): 44. Alden C. Johnson, Forgeries Old and New, Vol. 2, p.2. The Serrane Guide/ Stamp Forgeries of the World to 1926, p.16 (Yvert 8,11,16). Perforated 13 forgery: Reverend R.B. Earée, Album Weeds/ How to Detect Forged Stamps (Third Edition), Vol. 1, pp.65,66. The 1865 stamp: Paper LVI, Lowell Ragatz (editor), The Spud Papers/ An Illustrated Descriptive Catalog Of Early Philatelic Forgeries, pp.135,36. J. Dorn (Publisher), The Forged Stamps of all Countries, pp.81,79.
  • The 1865 stamp: Alfred J. Branston, “Bahamas 1893 One Shilling”, The Stamp Lover, Vol. 77 (July-September 1985): 237. Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries, pp.37,38.
  • 26. “Fourpence” Provisional issue of 1883. Forged surcharge, and genuine and fraudulent postmarks: Reverend R.B. Earée, Album Weeds/ How to Detect Forged Stamps (Third Edition), Vol. 1, pp.66,67. Alden C. Johnson, Forgeries Old and New, Vol. 2, p.2. Forgeries of basic stamp and surcharge: Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries, pp.37,38.
  • 31,32. 5sh and £1, colored letters, 1884-90. Sperati forgery of the 1£ stamp and fraudulent postmark: British Philatelic Association (Publisher), The Work Of Jean De Sperati, pp.31,32 and Plate 1. Sperati forgery of the 1£ stamp: Robson Lowe, “Sperati and His Craft – IV”, The Philatelist, Vol. 19 (August 1953): 276-78. Cleaned fiscal cancellation: Alden C. Johnson, Forgeries Old and New, Vol. 2, p.2. Cleaned fiscally used £1 stamps with forged postmark dated “AU 29 94“: Scott Classic Specialized Catalog.
  • 36. 3/ Queen’s staircase, 1903. Forged postmark: note, Morris Ludington, British Caribbean Philatelic Journal, Vol.. 28 W.N. 148 (September 1988): 100.
  • 37-43. Edward VII issue, 1902. Sperati forgery of the £1 stamp, and fraudulent postmark: British Philatelic Association (Publisher), The Work Of Jean De Sperati, pp.31,32 and Plate 1; Sperati forgery: Robson Lowe, “Sperati and His Craft – XI”, The Philatelist, Vol. 20 (March 1954): 152-54. Forged postmark dated “2 MAR 10”: Scott Classic Specialized Catalog.
  • 116-29. Columbus Landfall overprint, 1942. David Allan Gee forged overprint. Robson Lowe (editor), The Gee-Ma Forgeries, p.9.
  • Postmarks: H. Moreton, “Some Notes On Bahamas Postmarks”, British Caribbean Philatelic Journal, Vol. 2, w.n.9 (1962): 70,71.
  • Oneglia fraudulent postmark. Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, The Oneglia Engraved Forgeries, p.38.
  • Nine Madame Joseph fraudulent postmarks, Au 29/94 to 1943. Derek Worboys and Roger B. West, Madame Joseph Forged Postmarks, pp.26-28.
  • Pen cancellations indicate revenue use, except for some inter-island mail: Scott Classic Specialized Catalog, notes preceding and following 1.

Source: The Tedesco Index

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