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Book review: Die Tunispäckchenmarke und die Palmenstempel

The Tunis Feldpost stamp is one of the classics of WW2 philately. The history behind them and Rommel’s Afrika Korps is fascinating. Not so fascinating is the forgeries of these stamps, which are very common.

One of the resources available to aid the collector of these stamps is the book “Die Tunispäckchenmarke und die Palmenstempel” (BDP Heft 49), which I will review below.

Die Tunispäckchenmarke und die Palmenstempel was published in 1978 (language: German), and is thus no longer obtainable unless you find it in used condition. It can be purchased here for 11EUR.

Although forgeries are covered in the book, it is unfortunately of very limited value in this area. Besides the obvious advice of comparing to known genuine specimens and examining using UV light, very little advice is presented to the reader.

The book show 72 different “Palmenstempel” along with their earliest possible genuine use. This is the most useful information in the book. According to the book, the best method of examining Postal History items is comparing the date of the Feldpost postmark with the Feldpost number. Was that particular unit in Africa at that time?

However, the author believes that this information should not be disclosed to the general public, as will help forgers in the “arms race”. I think this is wrong, and since 1978 the information has luckily been made public. Kannapin is the reference to get. It can be purchased here for 36$.

If you collect Postal History I highly recommend Kannapin’s book.

The different Palmenstempel and their earliest possible genuine use:

Book1-1 Book1-2 Book1-3 Book1-4 Book1-5 Book1-6 Book1-7

 

German Colonies Postmarks: East Africa – Moschi (blue)

Postmark no. 45 (a) of 78 in use in German East Africa. MOSCHI in blue ink. In use from 1898, 17. November 1900 – 28. October 1901, May/November 1904.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • German East Africa 1 – 37
  • German East Africa 39

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

GermanyEastAfricaCancel45a-1

Album Weeds – Hamburg

Most of the forgeries of this country are fairly well done; but this, perhaps, is not so very much to be wondered at, considering that the town was, for years, the manufactory of forgeries for all the world. One thing which makes one set of the perforated forgeries so deceptive is, that the said perforation is most carefully executed; very unlike the careless, badly-done pin-perforation usually to be met with in forged stamps.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg0To avoid unnecessary repetition, I had better state here that most of the Hamburg stamps are watermarked; including the 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9 schilling, and the first type of the Schilling. The watermark, which I here illustrate, is formed by a sort of very enlarged representation of the serpentine perforation of the Finland stamps; that is to say, there is an exceedingly wavy line drawn from one end to the other of each horizontal row of stamps in the sheet. When the stamps are separated, this leaves each one with a sort of magnified horseshoe, or large u upon it, almost as large as the stamp itself, and which may be either with the bend of the U upwards, or inverted. Occasionally, but very rarely, genuine stamps may be found, of the values mentioned above, without watermark; but I think this is only because they have been accidentally impressed upon a part of the paper not containing any portion of the watermark.

On January 1st, 1868, these stamps were superseded by those of the North German Confederation, and the whole of the stock in hand was afterwards sold to a dealer. These remainders may be seen in almost every album, either unused and ungummed, or ornamented with a forged postmark, like No. 1, but with an asterisk before and after the name. The stamps, as issued to the public, had brown gum.

Perforation

Most of the stamps, are found both unperforated, and perforated 13 1/2, according to the date of issue.

Engraving

All the stamps, unless otherwise specified, are engraved in épargne; and, in unused specimens, the large, central figure usually seems to be slightly embossed, as the pressure of the die or cliche has forced the paper up into the hollow of the figure.

Owing to the fact of each value of the genuine being separately engraved, and of there being two or more forgeries of each value, this expose of the Hamburg forgeries has cost me an enormous amount of labor; but I fancy that it will enable any collector to decide for himself, concerning the genuineness, or otherwise, of any of his own specimens.

Paper

The paper of the first issue is fairly thick, hand-made, and white; but the brown gum often gives it a yellowish appearance. The perforated stamps seem to be on a rather thinner paper.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg11/2 Schilling, black.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, unperforated, and perforated 13 1/2, thick or thin wove paper, both watermarked, as mentioned above. There are three long lines of shading (not reckoning the outline) at the end of the scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG; and three similar lines at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G. In the bend or loop of the same scroll above the H, there are eight very short lines; and there are eight lines also in the corresponding bend or loop above the G. The cross-bar of the H is placed centrally between the top and bottom of the letter. The thick part of the tail of the G of this word, just below its cross-stroke, points straight downwards, or only very slightly forwards. The middle of the top outline of the upper scroll, just above the B of HAMBURG, comes very close to the thin, inner outline of the top frame; so that there would be only room to draw one very thin line, between the frame and the nearest part of the scroll. There is one straight line of shading in the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE; and there is a faint, broken indication of a similar line at the other end of the bottom scroll, after the E of POSTMARKE. None of the letters of POSTMARKE touch each other anywhere. In the left-hand bend or loop of the lower scroll, below the P of POSTMARKE, there are eight short lines of shading; and seven similar lines in the bend of the scroll, at the other end, below the E of POSTMARKE. This lower scroll comes very near to the thin, inner outline of the bottom frame, under the M of POSTMARKE; but it does not actually touch it. The E of EIN, in the inscription on the left-hand side of the stamp, does not touch the little trident-shaped ornament below it. In the word HALBER, the A has a very distinct tail, or final upstroke, which is quite half as tall as the letter itself. The L of this word has ridiculously long cross-strokes, both at the top and the bottom ; and the B has a similarly large cross-stroke at the top. The final R is at some distance from the little trident-shaped ornament below it. In the inscription down the right-hand side of the stamp, the S of SCHILLING does not touch the trident-shaped ornament above it.

The cross at the top of the central tower does not touch the lower outline of the name-scroll above it, and its top outline is broken. The ends of the lower scroll, containing the word POSTMARKE, are both at equal distances from their respective sides of the frame.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on medium, very white wove paper; no watermark; nicely perforated 13 1/2. There are two long lines of shading and one short line, at the end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, and one long line and two short ones at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G. In the bend or loop of this scroll, above the H of HAMBURG, there are seven short lines of shading ; and there are seven similar lines in the corresponding bend or loop, at the other end of the scroll, above the G. The cross-bar of the His placed too high up. The thick part of the tail of the G, below the cross-stroke, curls forwards to the right. The middle of the top outline of this upper scroll is at a good distance from the thin, inner outline of the upper frame, above the B; so that two thin lines could be drawn between the frame and the nearest part of the scroll. There is one curved line of shading in the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE; but not the slightest indication of any similar line at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the E of POSTMARKE. In this latter word, the T and M touch at the top, and the letters MARKE all touch each other at the bottom. In the left-hand bend or loop of the lower scroll, below the P of POSTMARKE, there are seven short lines of shading, the outer and inner ones being mere dots; and in the similar loop or bend, at the right-hand end of this scroll, below the E of POSTMARKE, there are six short lines of shading. The middle of this lower scroll almost touches the line below it. The E of EIN, in the inscription down the left-hand side of the stamp, distinctly touches the little trident-shaped ornament below it. The A of HALBER has no tail stroke, being merely like the ordinary, small Roman “a”. The L of this word has a cross-stroke at the top, a little longer than usual, but not notably so, and a very short cross-stroke at the bottom. The top of the B in this same word has hardly any cross-stroke. The bottom of the R of this word almost touches the trident-shaped ornament below it. In the inscription down the right-hand side of the stamp, the S of SCHILLING just touches the trident-shaped ornament above it. The cross at the top of the central tower distinctly touches the outline of the scroll above it, just under the beginning of the B of HAMBURG. The ends of the lower scroll, containing the word POSTMARKS, are not equidistant from their respective ends of the frame, the left-hand end being very much nearer to the side than the right-hand end is.

Second Forgery

This, I think, is an older counterfeit than the one just described, but I have only seen it lately. Lithographed, on thin, soft, laid paper, of a very decidedly yellow tint, unperforated, and badly perforated 12. There are only seven short lines of shading in the bend or loop of the scroll, above the H of HAMBURG; and there are six similar, short lines of shading in the bend or loop, at the other end of the scroll, above the G of HAMBURG. The single line at each end of the POSTMARKE scroll is blotched, so that it touches the end of the scroll. The letters MAR of POSTMARKE all touch each other at the bottom. In the left-hand bend or loop of the lower scroll, below the P of POSTMARKE, there are four long lines of shading and one short one; and in the bend or loop at the opposite end of the scroll, below the E of POSTMARKE, there are six lines of shading, but so very much blotched, that it is possible there may be seven lines. The A of HALBER is an ordinary small “a”, without any tail curling up, and the top-strokes of the H, L, and B are quite small, instead of being abnormally large. The top of the s of SCHILLING just touches the little trident-shaped ornament above it. The cross on the top of the central tower plainly touches the lower outline of the name-scroll, under the B of HAMBURG. The lower scroll is placed too much to the left, so that the end near the P of POSTMARKE touches the side of the stamp, but the other end of the scroll is at some distance from it.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg21 Schilling, brown.

Genuine

Paper and watermark the same as in the 1/2 Schilling. There are three long lines of shading, not reckoning the outline, at the end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, and three long lines and one faint, short one, at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG. In the left-hand bend or loop of the same scroll, above the H of HAMBURG, there are five lines, and the commencement of a sixth; there are also five lines, and part of a sixth, in the corresponding bend or loop, at the other end of the scroll, above the G of HAMBURG. The tail of this G points slightly forward, but it is a long distance from the bottom outline of the scroll. There is a small horizontal line or stroke just above the space between the letters UR of HAMBURG. (This is a good test.) There is one straight line, and a dot as well, at the left-hand end of the lower scroll, before the P of POSTMARKS; and the said line touches the top outline of the scroll. The top of the P does not touch this line. There are six lines and a dot in the bend or loop, below the P of POSTMARKE, and six lines and a dot in the corresponding bend or loop, below the E of POSTMARKE, at the other end of the scroll. None of the letters of this word touch each other anywhere. The o leans over very much to the right; this is so marked as to be noticed instantly. The lower tail of the K lies very close to the perpendicular stroke; hardly slanting out from it at all. This lower tail joins the perpendicular stroke at or near the center of that stroke. The curly ornaments, each side of the word EIN, on the left-hand side of the stamp, do not touch the left border of the frame. The cross on the top of the central tower does not touch the lower outline of the scroll above it. The right-hand star does not touch the top of the tower below it. The upper scroll, containing the word HAMBURG, is nearer to the right side of the frame than to the left; and the lower scroll, containing POSTMARKE, is equidistant from both sides of the frame. The lower outline of this bottom scroll almost touches the bottom of the frame, just under the M of POSTMARKE.

First Forgery

Lithographed; no watermark; paper the same as in the forged 1/2 Schilling; nicely perforated 13 1/2. There are two long lines, and one short one, not reckoning the outline, at the end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG; and three long lines, and a faint, short one, at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG, these latter being almost the same as the genuine. In the left-hand bend or loop of this scroll, above the H, there are only four lines of shading; and, in the corresponding bend or loop, above the G at the other end of the scroll, there are four lines and two dots. The tail of the G curls forward and downward so far that it very nearly touches the lower outline of the scroll, to the right of the G. The letters UR touch each other at the top, and there is no indication of any line or stroke above them. The letters AMB all touch each other at the bottom, though they are all separate in the genuine. There is one straight line at the end of the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, and this line does not touch the top outline of the scroll. The top of the P goes across the top of this line, and touches the left-hand end of the scroll. There are three lines and two dots in the bend or loop, below the P of POSTMARKE; and four lines and three dots in the corresponding bend or loop, at the other end of the scroll, below the E of POSTMARKE. In this word, the T and M touch each other at the top, and the letters MARKE all touch each other at the bottom. The o does not lean over to the right at all; the lower tail of the K spreads out a good way from the perpendicular stroke, and joins it a good deal above the centre. The curly ornaments, each side of the word EIN, on the left-hand side of the stamp, touch the thin, inner line of the left border very distinctly. The cross on the top of the central tower touches the lower outline of the top scroll, just below the middle of the B of HAMBURG. The right-hand star just touches the top of the tower below it. The upper scroll, containing the word HAMBURG, touches the frame on the left-hand side, and is a long way from it on the right-hand side. The lower scroll also touches the left-hand side of the frame, and is a long way from the right-hand side of it. The middle of this lower scroll is rather more distant from the bottom of the frame than the middle of the upper scroll is from the top of the frame; so that the said lower scroll is a good deal further from the bottom than in the genuine.

Second Forgery

This is a very good lithograph. It is printed on very yellowish-white laid, and also on wove paper; no watermark; unperforated, and badly perforated 12. All the lines of shading are very thin and fine; indeed, they are finer than in the genuine. The three long lines of shading at the left-hand end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, are not all parallel with each other, and two out of the three run together at their bases. There are three long lines, and one short one, at the other end of this scroll, to the right of the G, as in the genuine, but they are broken, and rather wavy and indistinct. In the loop above the H of HAMBURG, there are five short lines ; and there are five lines and a dot in the corresponding loop, over the G of HAMBURG, but the latter are very faint. The base of the said G is very ugly, and sticks out to the right, far beyond the rest of the letter. There is no line above the space between the letters UR of HAMBURG. There is one straight line, but no dot, at the left-hand end of the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE; but this line does not even come level with the top of the P, and therefore is a long way from the top outline of the scroll. There are six rather coarse lines (coarse compared with the others before described) in the loop, below the P of POSTMARKE, and six also in the loop, below the E of POSTMARKE. The T of this word has its right-hand cross-bar hanging down lower than the left-hand one; and the letters AR touch each other at the bottom. The O leans over a little to the right, but not markedly so. The lower tail of the K of this word lies close to the perpendicular stroke, as in the genuine, but it joins too high up. The cross on the top of the central tower touches the lower outline of the upper scroll, below the B of HAMBURG. This upper scroll is equidistant from both sides of the frame, but the lower scroll is very much too near to the left side: in the genuine, it is the upper one which is too much to the left, and the lower one which is at equal distances from both sides of the frame. The upper scroll touches the top frame of the stamp, above the B of HAMBURG; and the corresponding part of the lower scroll, below the M of POSTMARKE, is at some little distance from the bottom frame of the stamp.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg32 Schilling, vermilion.

Genuine

Engraving, paper, watermark, etc., exactly the same as in the genuine 1/2 schilling. The three long lines of shading in the left-hand end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, reach quite to the upper, and two of them to the lower outline of the said scroll; and the three similar lines at the other end of the scroll, to the left of the G, are almost as long as the first-named three. In the left-hand bend or loop, at the end of the scroll, above the H of HAMBURG, there are seven lines of shading and a dot; and in the corresponding bend or loop of the scroll, at the other end, above the G of HAMBURG, there are six lines of shading, and part of a seventh. The cross-stroke of the said G is very long, so as to go rather close to the perpendicular line of shading immediately after it. In the left-hand end of the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, there is one line of shading, quite distinct from the outline of the end of the scroll. At the right-hand end of this lower scroll, after the E of POSTMARKE, there is a similar line, quite distinct from the outline of the end of the scroll. The left-hand loop or bend of the lower scroll, below the P of POSTMARKE, contains nine lines and a dot; and the right-hand loop or bend, at the other end of the scroll, below the E of POSTMARKE, contains seven lines and a dot. The letters RKE of POSTMARKE are very close together at the bottom, but do not actually touch each other. The letters WE of the word ZWEI, on the left-hand side of the stamp, do not touch each other; and the curly ornament after ZWEI does not touch the upper scroll, containing the word HAMBURG. The left-hand side of the curly ornament above the A of HAMBURG almost touches the thin, inner line of the top frame; and both sides of the curly ornament above the R of HAMBURG quite touch it.

First Forgery

Lithographed; paper the same as that of the forged 1/2 schilling; no watermark; nicely perforated 13 1/2. The three lines of shading in the left-hand end of the upper scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, are all too short; none of them touch the top outline of the scroll, and only the outside one of the three touches the bottom outline. The three lines at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG, are very much too short, so that their tops are not near the top outline of the scroll. In the left-hand bend or loop, at the end of the scroll, above the H of HAMBURG, there are six lines of shading; and in the corresponding loop, at the other end of the scroll, above the G of HAMBURG, there are ten lines of shading. The cross-stroke of the said G is a long way from the nearest perpendicular line of shading. In the left-hand end of the lower scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, there appears to be a line of shading, but it is blotched into the outline of the end of the scroll almost its whole length. The line at the other end of the scroll, after the E of POSTMARKE, is a little more distinct; but it, also, is blotched into the outline of the end of the scroll, for a good part of its length. The left-hand loop or bend of the lower scroll, below the P of POSTMARKE, contains nine lines; and the corresponding loop or bend at the other end of the scroll, below the E of POSTMARKE, contains eight lines. The letters KE of POSTMARKE distinctly join each other at the bottom, but the R is not particularly close to the K. The letters WE of the word ZWEI, on the left-hand side of the stamp, are joined together at the top; and the curly ornament after ZWEI runs into the lower outline of the upper scroll, containing the word HAMBURG. The left-hand side of the curly ornament, above the A of HAMBURG, does not touch the thin, inner line of the top frame; and the curly ornament above the R of HAMBURG does not touch it either. There is a distinct, horizontal line, above the T of POSTMARKE, which does not appear in the genuine. This forgery is hardly so good as the 1/2 schilling and I schilling previously described; the design being more blotchy.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in better style than the first forgery, on soft, laid paper; no watermark; unperforated, or badly perforated 13. It very probably exists on wove also; but I have not seen the latter. There is, of course, no watermark. The inner line of the three in the scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, is a good deal shorter than the other two, and does not touch either top or bottom outline of the scroll. At the other end of this upper scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG, there are three long lines, and one short one, the latter being extra. In the bend or loop above the H, there are seven short lines, but no dot, and the same in the loop above the G. Part of the single line of shading, at the left-hand end of the lower scroll, before the P of POSTMARKE, is blotched into the outline of the scroll. The similar line, after the E of POSTMARKE, has a curve or wave in it, near the bottom. There are twelve thick, short lines, and a dot in the loop, below the P of this latter word, and nine rather thinner lines in the loop at the other end of the scroll, below the E. The letters RKE of POSTMARKE all touch each other very distinctly at the bottom. The Z of ZWEI has a little stroke projecting from the right side of the top of the up-stroke, and a similar piece projecting from the left side of the bottom of it. There is no trace of these projections in the genuine, which is merely an ordinary Z, like the one here given. The right-hand side of the little curly ornament, over the R of HAMBURG, touches the thin line of the frame above it; and both sides of the similar ornament, above the A of HAMBURG, are at some little distance from the thin line of the top frame. In the genuine, both scrolls are equidistant from both sides of the frame of the stamp; but in this second forgery, the lower scroll is too much to the left; i.e., the left-hand end of it almost touches the side of the frame, and the right-hand end is a good distance from the other side of the frame.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg42 1/2 Schilling, green.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, either on thin, watermarked, wove paper, or on thick, unwatermarked, wove paper, perf. 13 1/2. The two scrolls are both set equidistant from the sides of the frame; the top scroll does not touch the top of the frame, and the bottom scroll does not touch the bottom of the frame. There are three lines and a dot in the end of the top scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, and three lines at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG. There are eight short lines of shading in the bend or loop above the H, and six lines and three dots in the corresponding bend or loop above the G. The single line before the P of POSTMARKE goes right to the top and bottom of the outline of the scroll; and the corresponding line, at the other end of the scroll, does not touch either the E of POSTMARKE, or the top or bottom of the scroll. There are nine or ten short lines in the loop or bend below the P, and eight in the loop below the E; but they are rather blotched in my copies, so that I am not absolutely certain. None of the letters of POSTMARKE touch each other anywhere, and the O is oval, and leans over to the right. The little ornamental curls, above the A and R of HAMBURG, almost touch the thin line of the frame above them; the curls below OS of POSTMARKE almost touch the line below them; the one below K does touch, and the one below R of POSTMARKE nearly touches the bottom of the scroll below the R. The cross on the top of the central tower does not touch the scroll above it. The tail of the G of HAMBURG is short, and does not go near the boundary of the scroll below it. The trident-shaped ornament, below the H of HAMBURG, does not touch the outline of the scroll, under the H.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on wove paper, like that of the first forgery of the 1/2 Schilling; no watermark; nicely perforated 13 1/2. The bottom scroll is equidistant from both sides of the frame, as in the genuine; but the top scroll is too much to the right, and the end of it actually touches the right-hand side of the frame. The top of the top scroll is a long way from the thin outline of the frame above it, and the bottom of the bottom scroll touches the thin outline of the frame below if. There appear to be four long lines and a short one in the top scroll, to the left of the H of HAMBURG, and there are three lines at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the G of HAMBURG; but, in both cases, the lines are much blotched, and are inclined to run together. There are only five short lines in the bend or loop above the H, and six lines and a dot in the corresponding loop above the G; but, in this latter case, the dot is at the outer end, instead of at the inner one. The single line in the bottom scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, does not go right to the top of the scroll, but bends over, so as to join the head of the P. The corresponding line at the other end of the scroll runs, in like manner, into the top of the E of POSTMARKE. There are nine very distinct, short lines in the bend or loop, below the P of POSTMARKE; and eight blotchy and irregular ones in the loop, below the E of POSTMARKE. The letters KE of this word are joined at the bottom, and the o is too round, and very nearly upright. The little, ornamental curls above the HA and RG of HAMBURG are a long way from the thin outline of the frame above them; those below the OS of POSTMARKE are also at a good distance from the thin line of the frame below them, and so is the one below the R of this word; but the one below the K touches the thin line below it very distinctly. The cross on the top of the central tower touches the outline of the scroll above it. The tail of the G of HAMBURG is long, points obliquely down to the right, and runs into the outline of the scroll below it. The trident-shaped ornament, below the H of HAMBURG, touches the outline of the scroll below the H.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on thin laid paper, of a very yellowish tint; no watermark; badly perforated 13. The background is drawn better than that of the preceding forgery, but the large 2 is too long, and touches the outline of the bottom scroll, between OS of POSTMARKE. It is the dark portion of the figure which touches. The top scroll is set too much to the right, but the end of it does not actually touch the right-hand side of the frame. The bottom scroll is set properly. The top of the top scroll touches the thin outline of the frame above it, and the bottom of the bottom scroll almost touches the thin outline of the frame below it. There are ten fine, short lines in the loop or bend, above the H of HAMBURG; and nine in the corresponding loop, above the G of HAMBURG. There are three long lines at each end of this upper scroll. The single line in the bottom scroll, to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, does not go either to the top or bottom of the scroll, and is very much curved ; and the similar line, at the other end of the scroll, to the right of the E of POSTMARKE, goes right to the top and bottom of the scroll. There are nine short lines in the loop below the P, and ten in the loop below the E of POSTMARKE; they are very distinct, and can be easily counted. The letters MARKE are all connected together at the bottom; the O is more like the genuine than the O of the last forgery. The little, ornamental curls above the HA and RG of HAMBURG are a long way from the thin outline of the frame above them; the curls below the OS of POSTMARKE are a long way also from the thin outline of the frame below them; the one below the R of POSTMARKE almost touches the bottom of the scroll below the R, and the one below the K just touches the thin outline of the frame below it. The cross on the top of the central tower touches the outline of the scroll above it. The trident-shaped ornament, below the H of HAMBURG, almost touches the outline of the scroll below the H. The thick outline of the frame is extremely broad in this forgery; quite double the width of either the genuine or the first forgery.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg53 Schilling, blue.

Genuine

Paper and watermark as in the other values. There are four lines, and a distinct dot, before the H of HAMBURG, and four equal, long lines, and one short one, after the G of that word. There are five little lines and a blotch in the loop or bend above the H, and five lines in the loop or bend above the G. There are two lines to the left of the P of POSTMARKE; five or six little dots above the P, and two short lines, and three dots, under the P. There are three short lines under the end of the E of POSTMARKE. In the loop or bend below the P, there are nine short lines, and there are eleven similar lines in the loop or bend under the E, which lines, by the way, are very rarely blotched. The H of HAMBURG has its cross-bar exactly in the middle, the U is slanted a good deal to the right ; the tongue, or central projection of the large 3 is cut off quite square; the E of DREI is the same height as the R and I; the S of SCHILLING does not touch the trident-shaped ornament near it; the O of POSTMARKE is tall and oval, and the T is slanted, so that it is almost parallel with the first stroke of the M which follows it. The blue colour of this stamp has generally a more or less greenish tinge about it; but it is also found in ultramarine.

First Forgery

This is a most remarkably nice-looking stamp; but it is printed on transversely-laid paper, instead of wove; badly perforated 13; no watermark. There are only three lines, and no dot, before the H of HAMBURG, and four varying long ones and a short one after the G. There are six little lines in the loop or bend above the H, and seven in the loop or bend above the G; and all the said lines are very faint and thin. There are three lines to the left of the P of POSTMARKE, six little, upright dashes above the P, and three below it. There are two indistinct lines under the end of the E of POSTMARKE, and two very faint, scratchy lines after the E, instead of the one thick blotchy line of the genuine. In the loop or bend under the P there are twelve short lines, and eleven in the similar loop or bend, under the E of POSTMARKE. The cross-bar of the H of HAMBURG is rather too high up; the O of POSTMARKE is too round, and the bottom of it is considerably above the level of the bottoms of the P and S on each side of it. All the rest of the stamp is an extremely close and successful copy of the genuine. I have only seen this forgery printed in shades of ultramarine-blue.

Second Forgery

This is not nearly so good as the other; it is on stout, very white, unwatermarked wove paper; nicely perforated 13. There are five lines before the H of HAMBURG, and four long lines of different lengths, and one very short one, after the G. There are four very faint lines in the loop or bend above the H, and six thick lines in the bend or loop above the G. There are three lines before the P of POSTMARKE, the inner one being very short; and three indistinct blotches immediately above the P, and none at all below it. There are no dots under the E of POSTMARKE, as the end of that letter runs into the outline of the scroll beneath it. In the loop or bend below the P, there are ten lines, and there are about ten in the similar loop below the E, though these latter are generally so much blotched as to be almost undecipherable. The tongue, or central projection of the large 3 ends in a point; the E of DREI is taller than the letters each side of it. The cross-bar of the H of HAMBURG is very much too high up; the U is slanted over to the right, in a most absurdly exaggerated manner ; and there is a dot above the R, which is not found in the genuine. The S of SCHILLING touches the trident-shaped ornament near it; the O of POSTMARKE is too round, and the T is ridiculously slanted to the right, so that it is not anything like parallel with the first stroke of the M. I have only seen this forgery in very pale and chalky ultramarine.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg64 Schilling, green.

Genuine

Engraving, paper, and watermark as before. There are three almost perpendicular lines before the H of HAMBURG, the outer two reaching from the top to the bottom of the scroll; there are four graduated lines after the G of HAMBURG, the outermost being the longest. There are five lines, and a blotch, in the loop or bend above the H, and six lines in the loop or bend above the G. There are two nearly straight lines before the P of POSTMARKE, and these lines reach almost to the top and bottom of the scroll. There is one long line, with portions of a second, after the E of this latter word, and the long line reaches to the very top and bottom of the scroll. There are either nine or ten short lines in the loop or bend under the P, and ten in the loop under the E of POSTMARKE. The H of HAMBURG is crossed in the centre; the B is nicely drawn, and slopes a good deal over to the left; the U slopes as much the other way; the tail of the G is stumpy, and points directly downwards, and the whole scroll is placed equidistant from both sides of the frame. The cross on the top of the central tower is of a somewhat pattee shape, i.e., the head and arms are slightly wedge-shaped, with the thinnest parts at the center; the two stars have very sharp points, and the lowest point of the right- hand star almost touches the tower below it. The shading below the large 4 does not trespass across the outline of the scroll beneath it; and the shadow of the cross-bar, projecting from the back of the figure, does not reach to the perpendicular outline of the right-hand tower. The T of POSTMARKE leans over very much towards the M; the top of the A is square; the head of the K is much larger than the lower portion of it. The scroll itself is equidistant from both sides of the frame, and the central portion of the scroll, below the M of POSTMARKE, touches the frame below it. The four trident-shaped ornaments all touch the scrolls, below the H and G of HAMBURG, and above the O and K of POSTMARKE respectively. The I of VIER has a very large, round dot, and this dot is not level with the top of the V, but considerably below it. The S of SCHILLING is a long way from the trident-shaped ornament above it, and the dot to each I of this word is lower than the tops of the letters LL.

First Forgery

This is tolerably well done. It is lithographed, on thin, very white wove paper, nicely perforated 13 1/2. There are two very sloping lines before the H of HAMBURG, neither of them touching the upper outline of the scroll; there are five lines after the G of this word, all of different lengths, the outer one being the longest, and the others getting gradually shorter. There are six lines in the bend or loop above the H, and the same number in the bend or loop above the G. There are two very curved lines before the P of POSTMARKE, the outer one being much thicker than the other, and neither of them going near to either the top or bottom of the scroll. There is a short, thick line after the E of POSTMARKS, not reaching to either top or bottom of the scroll. There are ten distinct lines in the loop or bend under the P, and nine in the loop under the E of POSTMARKE. The H of HAMBURG is crossed a little too high up, but not so conspicuously so as in some of the forgeries described before; the B is very clumsy and badly drawn, and it is almost upright; the U does not slope much to the right; and the tail of the G curls forwards, whilst the left-hand side of the scroll almost touches the frame to left of it. The cross on the central tower has perfectly plain and parallel lines, to form the head and arms. Most of the points of the stars are particularly blunt, and neither star touches the tower. The shading below the large 4 joins the outline of the scroll, above the MAR of POSTMARKE, and the shadow of the cross-bar, projecting from the back of the said 4, joins the perpendicular outline of the right-hand tower. The T of POSTMARKE is almost upright, compared with the genuine; the top of the A of this word is very broad, and is cut off quite square; the head of the K is much smaller than the lower portion of it; the middle of the scroll, below the M of POSTMARKS, does not touch the outline of the frame beneath it. One of the four trident-shaped ornaments touches the outline of the scroll, below the G of HAMBURG; the other three ornaments do not touch either of the scrolls. The I of VIER has an oval dot, quite small, and level with the very top of the V. The S of SCHILLING runs into the trident-shaped ornament above it; the dot to each I of this word is level with the tops of the letters LL.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on very yellowish, perpendicularly-laid paper, rather hard and thin; no watermark, unperforated, or perforated 12 1/2. An instant test for this stamp is that the cross on the top of the central tower touches the outline of the scroll, below the B of HAMBURG, which is not the case with either the genuine or the forgery just described. The said cross is of the proper shape. There are three very sloping lines before the H of HAMBURG, none of the three touching either top or bottom of the scroll. There are only three lines after the G of this word. There are four indistinct lines in the loop above the H, and five only in the similar loop above the G. The lines before the P of POSTMARKE are like the genuine; there is only one line after the E of this word. There are only eight lines in the loop or bend under the P, and nine in the loop under the E. There is a flaw or scratch, right through the B of HAMBURG, which is not seen in the genuine; the B is rather clumsy and almost upright; the U slopes a good deal to the right, the G is like the genuine. The points of the stars are almost as sharp as in the genuine, and the lowest point of the right-hand star actually does touch the outline of the tower below it. The shading below the large 4 runs into the outline of the lower scroll, above the letters MAR of POSTMARKE; the shadow of the cross-bar of the 4 is like the genuine. The T of POSTMARKE is very nearly upright; the top of the A is square and broad, as in the first forgery; the scroll is a very little too near to the right-hand side of the frame. The central portion of this lower scroll just touches the frame, under the M of POSTMARKE. The trident-shaped ornaments touch the scrolls, as in the genuine. The dot to the I of VIER is very nearly level with the top of the V. The S of SCHILLING almost touches the trident-shaped ornament above it, and the dot to each I of this word is level with the tops of the letters LL.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg77 Schilling, orange.

Genuine

Engraving, paper, and watermark as before. The upper scroll is too near to the right-hand side of the frame, and the lower scroll is too near to the left-hand side. The left-hand corner of the upper scroll almost touches the thin, inner line of the top of the frame; but the right-hand corner is farther off. There are two distinct, long lines, and the top and bottom portions of a third line, before the H of HAMBURG, and four lines, of varying length and thickness, after the G. The tail of the said G points downwards, or only very slightly forwards. The cross on the central tower is badly drawn, with a squeezed-up look; and the top arm is wedge-shaped, and a long way from the outline of the scroll above it. Neither of the stars touches the battlements. There is a distinct space between the dark bottom of the 7, and the outline of the scroll below it. In the portion of the castle-door, at the side of and below the 7, there are six thick lines of vertical shading, all of different lengths. There is one straight line of shading, before the P of POSTMARKE, which touches the bottom outline of the scroll, but does not reach quite to the top of it. There is also one line after the E of POSTMARKE, which touches the bottom outline of the scroll, and almost touches the top of it. None of the letters touch each other, in either of the scrolls. In the loop or bend, above the H of HAMBURG, there are seven lines of shading, and in the loop above the G there are seven also. In the loop below the P of POSTMARKE there are nine lines, and in the loop below the E there are nine also. There is a sort of tendril of three curls issuing from the outline of the lower left-hand corner of the top scroll, below, and to the left of the H; and there is a tendril of two curls issuing from the outline of the top left-hand corner of the lower scroll, just above the P. This latter tendril is similar in shape and direction to the one above the R of HAMBURG, except that it is smaller, and that both curls are alike. The S and N of SIEBEN and the S of SCHILLING do not touch the trident-shaped ornaments near them; the curled head of the G of SCHILLING does not touch the outline of the upper scroll; and the stop after the G is large, and equidistant between the G and the scroll above it.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in very yellowish-orange, on stout wove paper; no watermark, nicely perforated 13 1/2. The upper scroll is equidistant from both sides of the frame; the lower one is placed like the genuine. The corners of the upper scroll are a long way from the thin, inner line of the frame above them. There is one long line, and one short one, before the H of HAMBURG, and there are four lines, of almost equal length, after the G. The tail of the G points forwards to the right. The cross on the central tower is large, its top and side-arms are perfectly straight, and the top (which is too tall) just touches the scroll under the B of HAMBURG. The lowest point of the left-hand star touches the battlements of the tower below it. The dark bottom of the 7 is blended with the outline of the lower scroll, above the MA of POSTMARKE. There are only three vertical lines of shading to be seen in the portion of the castle-door, visible below and to the left of the 7. There is a thick and very curved line before the P of POSTMARKE, which does not come up level with the top of the P. There is a very short line after the E, which is bent, so that its ends touch the end of the scroll, but not the top or bottom. The letters HAMB of HAMBURG are all joined at the bottom, and so are the letters MARKE of POSTMARKE. There are five blotchy lines in the loop above the H, and six lines and a dot in the loop above the G. In the loop below the P of POSTMARKE, there are five lines, and either ten or eleven in the loop below the E. A very easy test for this forgery is the fact of there being no tendrils issuing from the scrolls, either below the H of HAMBURG or above the P of POSTMARKE, the forger having apparently failed to notice them. The S and N of SIEBEN touch the trident-shaped ornaments near them; the curl proceeding from the head of the G of SCHILLING issues from the top of the head, instead of the right-hand side of it; the said curl almost touches the trident-shaped ornament near it; and the stop after the G touches the tail of the letter, and almost touches the outline of the upper scroll. The lower scroll touches the frame, below the M of POSTMARKE, but it is at some distance from it in the genuine.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on thinnish wove paper, of the same texture as our first 1/2d. newsbands; no watermark, unperforated. The colour is a good imitation of the genuine. The upper scroll is equidistant from both sides of the frame, and the lower scroll touches the left-hand side of the frame. The upper corners of the top scroll are a long way from the inner line of the top of the frame. There are two lines, and the upper portions of two others, before the H of HAMBURG. The tail of the G of this word points forwards to the right. The dark bottom of the 7 just joins the upper outline of the bottom scroll, but not so very much so as in the first forgery. The castle-door shows about five vertical lines of shading, but they are very indistinct. There is one curved line before the P of POSTMARKE, reaching from the top to the bottom of the scroll.

There are eight lines of shading in the loop or bend, above the G of HAMBURG. In the loop below the P of POSTMARKE, there are either six or seven lines of shading; and there are about eleven in the loop below the E. I have only one specimen of this forgery, and the postmark falls upon the two loops just mentioned, so that I have not been able to count the lines with absolute certainty. The tendril-ornament, below the left-hand end of the upper scroll, is like that of the genuine; but the one above the p of POSTMARKE has its stem inclining from right to left, instead of from left to right. The top of the S of SCHILLING touches the trident-shaped ornament near it.

Third Forgery

Nicely lithographed, in the correct shade of orange, on thinnish laid paper; no watermark; unperforated, or perforated 12 1/2. The corners of the upper scroll are a long way from the top frame. There are three lines, of varying lengths, before the H of HAMBURG, and two thick lines after the G. The top of the cross almost touches the scroll under the B. The right-hand star touches the battlements below it. The dark bottom of the 7 blends with the outline of the lower scroll, between the letters MA of POSTMARKE. There is a curved line of shading before the P, and a short, and very faint line after the E; the latter does not reach to either the top or bottom of the scroll. The letters ARKE of POSTMARKE are all joined together at the bottom. There are eight lines in the loop above the H of HAMBURG, and six in the loop above the G. The two ends of the tendril-ornament, above the P of POSTMARKE, are not the least like those of the ornament above the G of HAMBURG; for they turn upwards instead of downwards. The stop after SCHILLING is extremely faint and small.

7 Schilling, mauve.

Genuine

This is exactly like the 7 schilling, orange, in all things but colour.

Forged

This is exactly like the first forgery of the 7 schilling, orange, in all things but colour.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg89 Schilling, orange-yellow.

Genuine

Engraving, paper, watermark, etc., as before. The middle of the upper scroll almost touches the top of the frame, and usually does touch it in heavily-printed copies. The two ends of the said scroll are equidistant from both sides of the frame. The bottom of the lower scroll touches the bottom of the frame; its left-hand end is not parallel with the side of the frame, but slopes considerably, so that the bottom corner of the said left-hand end touches the side-frame, and the upper corner of it is some distance from the side-frame. There are five lines before the H of HAMBURG, the outer four reaching from top to bottom of the scroll, and the lower end of the inner one touching the bottom of the H. There are also five lines after the G; but the center one is broken in the middle, so that only the top and bottom of it can be seen. There are six, and sometimes seven, lines in the loop above the H, and seven in the loop above the G. There are two lines, and parts of two others, before the P of POSTMARKE, and one line, and parts of another, after the E. There are about ten lines in the loop below the P, but some of the inner ones are very indistinct; and there are about fourteen in the loop below the E. The letters of the word POSTMARKE do not touch each other at the bottom. The courses of brickwork can be very distinctly traced, in the hollow of the head of the 9; and there are two very thick, vertical lines between the head and tail of the said 9, where the door of the castle is supposed to be. The shading below the tail of the 9 does not run into the outline of the scroll below it. The cross on the central tower does not touch the scroll above it, and the stem of the cross is absurdly thin—far thinner than the rest of it. The stars are a long way from the towers below them. The first N of NEUN is a good distance from the curly ornament before it, and the final letters, UN, almost touch at the bottom, but not at the top. The lines on the dome of the central tower are set at equal distances from each other, so that all the white spaces are of equal size. The rounded part of the shading at the back of the 9 comes almost to the perpendicular outline of the right-hand tower, and the tail of the said 9 has an inward curl. The central portion of the M of POSTMARKE is cut off square at the bottom.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in yellow, on rather stout, very white wove paper; no watermark; very well perforated 13 1/2; also on very hard wove paper, un- perforated. The middle of the upper scroll is a long way from the inner line of the frame above it; and the scroll is set too much to the left, so that the left-hand end touches the left side of the frame, and the right-hand end is a long way from the right side of the frame. The left-hand end of the lower scroll is almost perfectly parallel with the line of the frame, and does not touch it anywhere. There is a dim, curved blotch before the H of HAMBURG, the bottom of which touches the bottom of the H; there are five lines after the G, the inner one being the shortest, and the central one not broken. The loop above the H contains five very faint lines; and there are seven or eight in the loop above the G. There are two lines before the P of POSTMARKE, one long, and the other very short; and a single line, generally broken, after the E. There are seven lines in the loop below the P, and seven to nine in the loop below the E. I do not attach very much importance to the number of lines in the loops just described, in the case of this 9 schilling value, because I have one or two forgeries in which the lines seem to vary, though all other parts of the design are absolutely alike in the said forgeries; so I expect that heavy or light printing will cause a variation in the number of these little lines. The letters ARKE of the word POSTMARKE all touch each other at the bottom. The courses of brickwork, in the hollow of the head of the 9, are not at all distinct; the vertical lines are tolerably clear, but the horizontal ones are almost invisible. There are four very thick, vertical lines between the head and tail of the 9, where the castle-door is supposed to be. The shading below the tail of the 9 joins the top outline of the bottom scroll, above the letters MA of POSTMARKE. The stem of the cross is as wide as the other parts of it. The left-hand star touches the tower below it. In most copies, the first N of NEUN touches the bottom of the curly ornament before it, and the final letters, UN, usually touch at the top. The lines on the dome of the central tower afford a very good test for this forgery, for the two central ones are too far apart, making a very distinct, triangular white place in the center of the dome. The rounded part of the shading at the back of the 9 is a good distance from the outline of the right-hand tower. The tail of the 9 does not curl inwards, but seems to point upwards, towards the H of HAMBURG. The central portion of the bottom of the M of POSTMARKS ends in a sharp point.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in orange-yellow, on moderately soft and thin, white laid paper, with the laid lines running transversely; no watermark, unperforated. The middle of the upper scroll is at some distance from the top of the frame. The bottom of the lower scroll does not touch the frame below it, and its ends are parallel with the sides of the frame, and do not touch it anywhere. There are three coarse lines before the H of HAMBURG, none of them touching the H. There are also five coarse lines after the G, none of them broken. There are four lines, with a heavy blotch outside them, in the loop above the H; and five lines in the loop above the G. There are six lines, with two blotches outside them, in the loop below the P of POSTMARKE; and eight in the loop below the E. There are two long and thin, vertical lines in the hollow of the head of the 9, to represent the courses of brickwork, and there is only a dark blotch between the head and tail of the 9, where the two thick, vertical lines of the genuine ought to be. The shading below the tail of the 9 joins the top outline of the lower scroll, above letters TMA of POSTMARKE. The cross on the top of the central tower touches the outline of the scroll above it. The central portion of the M of POSTMARKE is rounded at the bottom. All the rest of the stamp is a pretty close copy of the genuine. I think that the easiest test for both these forgeries is in the left-hand end of the lower scroll, which is almost exactly parallel with the side of the frame instead of sloping.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg91864. 1 1/4 Schilling, lilac.

This stamp was lithographed, as was also the 2 1/2 Schilling, similar type, hereafter described. Westoby says that the probable reason for resorting to lithography was because the stamps were wanted immediately. The values were required, owing to an alteration in the postal rates to Schleswig-Holstein.

Genuine

Lithographed, in various shades of lilac, grey-lilac, greenish-grey, yellowish-grey, dull blue, violet, and red-lilac, on white wove paper, watermarked as before, unperforated, and perforated 13 1/2. As the stamps are only lithographs, they are, of course, very inferior to the engraved ones; but some of the earlier specimens are tolerably clear. The perforated ones usually look as though the stone from which they were printed was quite worn out. There is a stop after POSTMARKE, and the A of this word has a stroke across its top, as well as the usual cross-bar in the center. The outline of the label, between POSTMARKE and the base of the castle, is formed of one single line. The two stars are very nearly the same size, though the left-hand one has a point more than the right-hand one. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower have eight points; those of the central tower have eight points also; whilst those of the left-hand tower, when they can be seen above the large figure 1—which is only in very clear specimens—have seven. The right-hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with ten oblique lines, not very nicely drawn. The line between the two halves of the door is white, but the similar line on the right-hand side, which represents the archway, is shaded with transverse strokes at intervals, by way of imitating the brickwork. The white space under the words EIN U. EIN VIERTEL is about half as wide as the breadth of the fraction-line of the J. The groundwork, behind the castle, is composed of perpendicular lines, crossed by oblique lines, running down from left to right.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in dull mauve, on very thin, soft, transversely-laid paper; no watermark, unperforated. There is no stop after POSTMARKE, and the A of that word has no stroke across its top, and hardly any central cross-bar. The line separating the POSTMARKE label from the base of the castle is double, for the part on which the castle stands, and single for the rest of its length, on each side. The right-hand star is very much smaller than the left-hand one, being hardly half as large. The battlements on the top of the right-hand tower have only six points; the other towers, in my single specimen of this forgery, are obliterated by the postmark, so that I cannot say how many points their battlements show. The battlements of the said right-hand tower are very nicely drawn—much better than in the genuine stamp. There are only eight oblique lines of shading on the right-hand half of the door of the castle. The outline of the archway, to the right of the door, is white, without any transverse strokes. The white space, under the words EIN u. EIN VIERTEL, is very narrow, only about one-fourth as wide as the breadth of the white fraction-line of the 1/4. The groundwork, behind the castle, is composed of vertical lines of shading, crossed by horizontal, instead of oblique lines; and the said horizontal lines only show here and there. The paper alone is quite enough to condemn this stamp instantly, for, of course, no genuine Hamburg stamp was ever printed on laid paper.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in dull, neutral-tinted violet, on yellowish-white laid paper, thicker than in the first forgery, unperforated, no watermark. There is no stop after POSTMARKE; and the A of that word, though it has some indication of a stroke across its top, has no cross-bar in its center. The outline of the label, between POSTMARKS and the base of the castle, is double, in the part on which the castle stands, and single on each side of it. The right-hand star is hardly half the size of the left- hand one. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower have only six points ; those at the top of the central tower have nine ; and the large figure I hides most of those at the top of the left-hand tower. The right- hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with eight oblique lines. The outline of the archway, to the right of the door, is white, without any cross-strokes upon it. The white space, under the words EIN U. EIN VIERTEL, is very narrow, but a trifle wider than in the first forgery. The groundwork, behind the castle, is shaded with vertical lines only.

These two forgeries, as will be seen by the above description, are very much alike; but this one has the lettering larger and more distinct, in the words EIN U. EIN VIERTEL.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in very bright red-mauve, on stout, white wove paper; no watermark; nicely perforated 13 1/2. I consider this stamp decidedly deceptive; it is much the best of the trio. There is no stop after POSTMARKE; the A of that word has no stroke across its top, and that part of the line on which the castle stands is double, as in the other forgeries. The right-hand star is nearly as large as the left-hand one. There are eight points on the battlements, at the top of the left-hand tower, eight at the top of the central tower, and seven at the top of the left-hand one.

The right-hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with eight thick, oblique lines, very distinct. The archway to the right of the door is quite white; the wide space, below the words EIN U. EIN VIERTEL, is very white and prominent; it is very nearly as broad as the white fraction- line of the J, and strikes the eye at once. The groundwork, behind the castle, is shaded with vertical lines, crossed by oblique ones, just like the genuine.

I think our young friends will have to be careful lest they be taken in by this counterfeit. I do not know how the perforation is managed; but it is quite1 as regular as the genuine, though not the proper gauge.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg101864. 2 1/2 Schilling, green.

Genuine

Lithographed, on white wove, watermarked paper, unperforated, or perforated 13 1/2. The three complete courses of brickwork at the base of the castle are all of exactly the same height or thickness. The thin lines below POSTMARKE, to the left of ZWEI u. EIN HALB., to the right of SCHILLING, and above HAMBURG, are all very close to the thick lines of the frame outside them, so that in almost all the genuine, they are blotched together for more or less of their length. The groundwork, behind the castle, is composed of vertical lines, crossed by oblique ones, running down from left to right, as in the genuine 1 1/4 schilling; but in the great majority of specimens, these lines are set so very close together that the background appears to be solid. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower have six points, and those at the top of the central tower have eight. The right-hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with twelve oblique lines, running down from right to left; and some very clear copies show also six very thin lines, running down the other way, crossing from left to right. The stop after SCHILLING is equally distant from the G and from the end of the containing-label.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on very thin, soft, yellowish-white wove paper; no watermark; unperforated. The uppermost of the three complete courses of brickwork at the base of the castle is slightly lower or thinner than the other two below it. The thin line below POSTMARKE is very close to the thick line of the frame below it, and they touch in several places, as in most of the genuine stamps; but the other, similar lines, to the left of ZWEI U. EIN HALB., to the right of SCHILLING, and above HAMBURG, are a good deal further from the thick lines of the frame outside them. The groundwork behind the castle is composed of vertical lines of shading; but the greater part of it is run together, into a solid blotch of colour. The battlements, in my single specimen, are hidden by the postmark, so that I have not been able to count them. The right-hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with ten oblique lines, running down from right to left, and crossed by seven thick lines, running down from left to right. The stop after SCHILLING is a good deal nearer to the end of the label than to the G.

Second Forgery

This is not nearly so close a copy of the genuine as the forgery just described, and yet at the first glance it looks much better than the other. It is lithographed, on very white, medium wove paper; no watermark, very nicely perforated 13 1/2. The lowest of the three complete courses of brickwork at the base of the castle is quite twice as high or thick as the other two above it. This is very clear, and will serve as an easy test for this forgery. The thin lines below POSTMARKE, to the left of ZWEI U. EIN HALB., to the right of SCHILLING, and above HAMBURG, are at a con- siderable distance from the thick lines of the frame outside them, so that they do not touch in any part; indeed, there would be plenty of room to draw another thin line between each of them and the frame. The groundwork behind the castle is composed of vertical lines, shaded with oblique lines, running down from left to right; these lines are all rather coarse, and some little distance apart. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower have seven points ; those at the top of the central tower have eight. The right-hand half of the door of the castle is shaded with eight oblique lines, running down from right to left, crossed.by eight similar lines running down from left to right; these are so far apart as to give the appearance of lattice-work, rather than shading. The stop after SCHILLING almost touches the end of the label, and is a long way from the G.

Album_Weeds_Hamburg111866. 1 1/4 Schilling, embossed, lilac, rose.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on thin, unwatermarked wove paper, rouletted 10. The central figures of value are embossed; and unused specimens show, very distinctly, a sort of shading of white embossed lines, running obliquely down the centre of each numeral, from right to left. In used specimens, the lines only show on the large figure 1. There are sixteen courses of masonry, from the base of the left-hand tower, above the O of POSTMARKE, to the central battlements of the said tower; and fifteen frrom the base of the right-hand tower, above the E of POSTMARKE, to the central battlements of this right-hand tower. The courses of masonry in this latter tower are not nearly so distinct or so easily counted as in the left-hand one. The lettering of the inscriptions is all evidently sunken, as though impressed by types. The H of HAMBURG has its cross-bar exactly in the centre, and the two halves of the B are the same size. The A of POSTMARKE has its cross-bar very nearly in the centre. The stars over the towers have long points, especially the left-hand one. There are some star-like ornaments, dividing the various inscriptions from each other; each of them is composed of six wedge-shaped pieces, arranged point to point, with a coloured centre, which shows a white dot in the middle of it. There are four complete rows of masonry to be seen,

between the base of the castle and the bottom of the large figure 1, which does not encroach upon the stones of the upper row. There is a thin, perpendicular line drawn down, through the centre of the head of the G of SCHILLING.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in pale red-lilac, on very yellowish-white transversely-laid paper, thicker than the genuine; unperforated. The whole stamp is, of course, quite flat, showing no sign of any embossing, or of the sunken lettering. There are fifteen courses of masonry, from the base of the left-hand tower to its central battlements; and thirteen similar courses, from the base of the right-hand tower to its central battlements. Both are very easy to count; the right-hand ones quite as much so as the left-hand ones. The cross-bar of the H of HAMBURG is too high up, being distinctly above the center of the letter; and the B is clumsy, having its upper half larger than the lower one. The cross-bar of the A of POSTMARKE is very much too low down—almost at the bottom of the letter. The stars above the towers have most of their points rather blunt, especially the lower ones. The star-like ornaments, between the various inscriptions, are composed of little balls on thin stems, the stems joining a little ring of colour, which has a white center. The upper one of the four rows of masonry, to be seen below the base of the large figure i, is partly hidden by the base of the said figure, as as to make those stones narrower than the others.

This is not at all a bad-looking forgery, and might deceive a good many. I possess a copy of the genuine which has been doctored in some mysterious way, so as to change the colour of the stamp to brown, and that of the paper to a very brilliant sulphur-yellow.

Second Forgery

This is a retouched reprint, so I prefer to reckon it with the forgeries. Embossed, as before, rouletted 10, also There is no line through the head of the G of SCHILLING ; and the centre of each star is of solid colour, instead of showing a white dot. There are other differences, but these will be sufficient for the detection of this touched-up reprint.

1866, 1 1/2 Schilling, bright rose.

Genuine

Nicely engraved in épargne, on thinnish, white wove paper, unwatermarked, rouletted 10. The central figures are embossed, and shaded with oblique, white embossed lines, as in the genuine 1 1/4 Schilling, and the lettering is slightly sunken. There are, as before, sixteen courses of masonry, from the base of the left-hand tower up to the central battlements of it. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower show seven points; those at the top of the central tower show nine; and those at the top of the left-hand tower have seven. The bottom of the left-hand half of the door of the castle can just be seen, below the base of the large figure 1; it is shaded with oblique lines, running the opposite way from those which shade the right-hand half. The tail of the G of SCHILLING hardly touches the inner frame-line; and there is a very short line in the head of the said G.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in dull pink, on pale buff-coloured, transversely-laid paper, unperforated. The whole stamp is quite flat, showing no signs either of the embossed figures or of the sunken letterings. There are only thirteen courses of masonry to be seen, from the base of the left-hand tower up to its central battlements. The battlements at the top of the right-hand tower have six indistinct points; those at the top of the central tower have eight distinct ones; and those at the top of the left- hand tower have five. The bottom of the left-hand half of the door of the castle, which shows below the base of the large figure i, merely looks like one of the bricks, as it is not shaded at all.

Second Forgery

This is another touched-up reprint. Embossed, like the genuine, rouletted 10, also 8 1/2. The tail of the G of SCHILLING plainly touches the inner frame-line, and the line through the head of the said G is a good deal longer than in the original. The paper of this touched-up reprint is thicker than the genuine, so that the colour of the impression does not show through, though it does show through very distinctly in the genuine.

Postmarks

Genuine.—1, 80 (with the bars about 5 mm. apart); also 98, with four bars; also the same, but with the bars wavy. This last is only seen on the early issues. Also 29, in blue or black.

Forged.—98, with four bars; also 1, but with an asterisk each side of the name. (This cancellation is commonly to be met with on the remainders, as it was supposed to enhance their value) I have seen it dated 6/1/66; 3/9/67; 15/8/67 & 27/8/67.

Reprints

I think I ought to say a few words about these. So far as I know, the stamps of the 1859 type have not been reprinted; the unused ones so common being, as I said, remainders, sold to a dealer when the Hamburg stamps became obsolete. The 1 1/4 and 2 1/2 Sch. of 1864 were reprinted in 1872, and later, on stout, white, wove paper, no watermark, unperforated, roughly perforated 13 1/2, and clean-cut 11 1/2, with white or yellowish-white gum. Of the embossed stamps of 1866, the earliest reprints date from 1872, but these (which were retouched) I have already described as forgeries.

 

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

Album Weeds – Braunschweig (Brunswick)

Spud_Braunschweig11852. 1 Silbergroschen, rose.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, on thick, white wove paper, unwatermarked, backed with rose-colourecl gum. The outer frame of the stamp is composed of two lines, not at all blotched together, the outer one very much thicker than the inner one. The impression is frequently poor; that is to say, the vertical lines in the central oval are often not complete, some of them being only drawn part of the way, or else broken. None of the letters touch each other anywhere. The central oval has its outline formed by two thin lines, part of the way; i.e., from about the end of the tail, over the back, round to about level with the eyes of the horse; all the rest of the outline of the oval is quite solid, formed by the two thin lines being merged into one thick one. The little dark cross on the top of the crown is moderately distinct, and it just touches the inner outline of the oval above it. This cross rests on an oval white orb, which has an oval ring of colour in its center. On the crown, below the orb, are two ovals, very similar to the orb in all respects. At the base of the crown are four very small white pearls, but these are very difficult to see, as the band forming the base of the crown is generally more or less blotched. The crown touches the mane of the horse. There are 19 vertical lines of shading in the left side of the oval, counting along the top outline as far as the cross and 17 lines in the right side of the oval, counting from the other side of the cross; or, reckoning 3 lines as hidden by the cross, there would be 37 in all. (There is, at the left-hand end of the oval, in most copies, a portion of another vertical line, joined to the end of the oval, but I do not reckon this.) The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not touch the outline of the oval on either side. Below this piece of ground, between it and the lower outline of the oval, are a number of short, vertical lines of shading, of varying lengths, intended for the lower ends of the long vertical lines spoken of above. There are about 18 of them, but some are mere dots. The seventh, eighth, and ninth of these, counting from the left, break into the outline of the piece of ground above them. The eye, nostril, and mouth of the horse are tolerably distinct; the line forming the front curve of the shoulder is well marked, and there is a long, curved line running up the neck, not parallel with •either outline of the neck. The point of the horse’s nose comes between the sixth and seventh of the vertical lines, counting from the left; and the front hoof touches the first vertical line. The tail ends between the first and second vertical lines from the right.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on thick, hard, very white wove paper; white gum. In the word BRAUNSCHWEIG, the letters RA touch each other at the bottom, and WE, and sometimes HWE, touch each other at the top. The letters GR. in the lower label also touch each other at the bottom. There is a thick vertical line at the top of the crown, to represent the cross, but its cross-bar seems to form a part of the orb. The orb on which it rests is circular, with a crescent-shaped line of shading in the center of it. The middle of the crown does not show the two oval openings. There are five pearls at the base of the crown, four of them being very distinct. There are 20 vertical lines of shading in the left side of the oval, as far as the cross, and 18 similar lines in the right side of the oval. The piece of ground on which the horse stands is joined to the outline of the oval on the right. There are 20 short, vertical lines below the piece of ground, but none of them break through the outline of the said piece of ground. The nostril and mouth of the horse are generally one blotch. The point of its nose touches the seventh vertical line from the left, and the front hoof comes between the first and second vertical lines. The end of the tail touches the first vertical line on the right. The front outline of the neck looks rather ragged, and the line of shading, running up the neck, is very nearly parallel to the front outline of the neck. The tail of the R of GR. runs into the stop after it, though it does not do so in the genuine.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on thin, rather hard, white wove paper; white gum. On the left side of the stamp, the two lines of the outer frame are both of the same thickness, and on the other three sides also there is very little difference in the thickness of the two lines. Instead of a cross on the crown, there is a little ball, and the orb is round, with a white center, and no ring in it. Below the orb there is a white, upright oblong, which is not seen in the genuine. The oval openings in the crown are absent, and the pearls at the base of the crown are undecipherable. The crown only just touches the mane of the horse. There are 18 vertical lines on the left side of the oval, as far as the ball, and 15 on the right side of it. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the oval on the left side, but not on the right. There are no short vertical lines below this piece of ground, but the lower outline of it is interrupted in the center, and shows there four tiny, vertical lines, which have no business there. There is no dark line to mark the rounded curve of the shoulder, and no line up the neck. The point of the horse’s nose breaks the sixth vertical line from the left, and the front hoof comes between the first and second lines, the first line not coming down to touch the hoof. The tail does not quite touch the first line on the right. This forgery is better executed than the first, though the details are not so correct.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in rose, and also in vermilion, on medium, white or yellowish-white wove paper; white gum. The two lines of the frame are rather blotched together at the top, and, all round, there is not sufficient difference between them in thickness. The two outlines of the oval are separate most of the way round, being only merged into one solid line, from below the hind feet of the horse to about level with the knees of the fore-legs. In the word BRAUNSCHWEIG, the letters RA are joined at the bottom, and HVVE at the top. The orb on the crown has an oblong, white patch in its center, and there is no cross on the top of the orb, but merely a very small, dark lump. In the center of the crown there are two large, distinct white pearls, to represent the oval openings of the genuine. There are four small white pearls at the base of the crown. The crown itself does not touch the horse’s mane. As the lump or blotch, intended for the cross, does not touch the outline of the oval above it, the vertical lines of shading in the oval can be counted all the way round, and there are 42 of them. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the oval on the right, but not on the left. There are 21 short vertical lines below this piece of ground, but none of them break through the lower outline of the piece of ground. The horse has a distinct, round eye, but there is no mouth or nostril. The bottom of the mane, where it lies on the back of the horse, is a blotchy lump of colour. The point of the nose touches the ninth line from the left. The front hoof touches the third vertical line, and is curved too much inwards. The end of the tail touches the fourth line from the right. It will be seen that this forgery is very different from the genuine.

Fourth Forgery

This, except that it is too pale, is very like the genuine in general appearance. Lithographed, on medium, white wove paper; white gum The two outlines of the frame are somewhat blotched together at the top. The outline of the central oval is solid, nearly all the way round. The orb is circular, with a white center, and no oval ring in it. The crown is very light in colour, and its details are not to be deciphered; indeed, it is invisible at a first glance, whereas, in the genuine, it is the darkest object in the oval. It does not touch the horse’s mane. There are 18 vertical lines of shading to the left of the cross, and 16 to the right of it. The ground on which the horse stands appears to touch the oval both sides, and the short lines below it are so broken and imperfect that they cannot be counted. I ought to add that this arises from imperfect inking of the stone, so the lines may be all right, as far as I know. The front of the shoulder is formed by a short, oblique line, not curved as the genuine is, and there is no line up the neck. The point of the horse’s nose touches the eighth line from the left; the front of the leg (the hoof is curled inwards) touches the third line from the left, and the tail touches the third line from the right.

Fifth Forgery

Engraved in epargné (probably an electrotype), on thick, white wove paper; yellowish-brown gum. The two lines forming the frame are blotched together the whole way round, and, as far as I can make out, the inner line is thicker than the outer one. All the colored parts of this forgery are deeply sunk into the paper, far more so than the genuine. In my specimen, the upper outline of the lower scroll, which contains EIN SLLB. GR., is broken nearly all the way along; but this is only from absence of ink, as the sunken impression of the die can plainly be seen, though the ink has failed. The outline of the oval is solid all the way round, and, at the bottom, it is evidently composed of one thin line, though in the genuine, and in all the other forgeries, it is, at this part, a thick line, formed by the two thin lines being merged together. As far as I can make out, there are 18 lines to the left of the cross, and 15 to the right of it. There is no line up the neck of the horse. The piece of ground on which he stands touches the oval both sides, and there are no vertical lines below the said piece of ground. I cannot give any further details, as my specimen is so extremely faint.

Spud_Braunschweig21852. 2 Sgr., blue.

Genuine

Paper, engraving, gum, etc., as in the genuine 1 Sgr. The outer frame is also the same as in the genuine 1 Sgr. The bottoms of the R and A of BRAUNSCHWEIG generally touch each other, but not always. The two nullities of the central oval are merged into one solid line, from about level with the back of the horse, round underneath, to about the tenth line from (he left; that is to say, perpendicularly above the eye of the horse. The rest of the outline, as before, is composed of two separate lines. The cross on the crown is the same as before, but the oval ring in 1 lie center of the orb appears to be here only a curved or crescent-shaped line, instead of a complete ring. The base of the crown contains an upright diamond, with a transverse diamond on each side of it. These are fairly distinct. The crown touches the mane of the horse. There are 22 vertical lines of shading on the left side of the oval, as far as the cross, and 18 similar lines from the cross to the right side of the oval; or 43 in all, if we suppose that 3 lines are hidden by the cross. The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not really touch the outline of the oval either side, though it goes very close to it on the right side. Below the piece of ground, between it and the lower outline of the oval, there are 22 very short, vertical lines, some being mere dots, as before. The eye, nostril, and mouth of the horse are moderately distinct; the line forming the curve of the shoulder is thick and heavy, and there is usually a line, running up the neck, which is very nearly parallel with the curve of the back of the neck. The point of the horse’s nose comes between the seventh and eighth of the vertical lines, counting from the left. The front hoof comes between the first and second lines, and sometimes it also touches the outline of the oval. The tail ends at the third vertical line from the right. The G of BRAUNSCHWEIG, and the G of GR. are both exactly alike, and the tail of each points downwards, and not forwards.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on thick, hard, very white wove paper; white gum. This is the same as the first forgery of the 1 sgr., and the tests for that counterfeit apply to this one. The tail of the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG curls forwards, and the tail of the G of GR. is bent forwards at a right angle, so as nearly to touch the R.

Second Forgery

Poorly lithographed, on thick, hard, yellowish-white wove paper, white gum. The inner line of the frame of the stamp is so very thin that, in some places, it is almost invisible. The R and A of BRAUNSCHWEIG are very distinctly joined together at the bottom. The oval, as far as I can make out, is composed of one single, thin line at the top, two thin lines at the right side, and one thick line at the bottom and left side, being very thick indeed at the bottom. The top of the crown is postmarked in my copy, so that I am unable to tell the shape of the cross; but it does not touch the upper outline of the oval, and the orb appears to be merely a shapeless, white blotch. The crown itself, as far as it is visible beneath the postmark on my specimen, is very dark and shapeless, with a white center. The cross, as I have said, does not touch the top of the oval, therefore the vertical lines can be counted all the way across from left to right, and there are 35 of them. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the oval, very distinctly, both sides. Of the short lines beneath the piece of ground, only about three or four can be seen in my specimen, and they are so exceedingly faint that I could only make them out with the microscope. The eye and nostril of the horse are tolerably distinct, but the mouth is hardly visible. The line forming the inner curve of the shoulder is very short and thick, and there is no line running up the neck; but, per contra, there is a short, thick vertical line, with a dot to the left of it, in the neck, just opposite to the point where the outline of the neck joins that of the back. The nose of the horse touches the sixth vertical line from the left. The front hoof touches the first line on the left. I ought to add that there is a blue line, apparently a scratch on the stone, which runs right across the stamp, from above the U of BRAUNSCHWEIG, through the left-hand end of the oval and the Z of ZWEI, to the bottom, and this line covers the place where the first vertical line of the oval ought to be. This long line is, of course, not to be seen in the genuine, or, indeed, in any other counterfeit. The tail ends at the third vertical line from the right.

Third Forgery

Engraved in epargné, on very yellowish-white wove paper, thick and hard, with yellowish gum. The outer line of the frame is irregular in thickness, and, on the right side, there are portions of it that are as thin as the inner line. The inner line is broken at the left lower corner, i.e., the left side and the bottom do not join. The R and A of BRAUNSCHWEIG appear to touch at the bottom. The lettering is all slightly sunk into the paper. The crown is not nearly so dark as in the genuine; it is too indistinct to show details, but the base is evidently a plain white band. It does not touch the mane of the horse. There are 18 vertical lines to the left of the cross, and 16 to right of it. The piece of ground on which the horse stands appears to touch the outline of the containing-oval at both ends, and the horse’s left heel touches the outline of the oval, though it does not do so in the genuine. The central oval is one solid line all the way round. There are about 17 short vertical lines under the piece of ground, between it and the bottom outline of the oval. The mouth and nostril of the horse are one indistinct blotch. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is a shapeless blotch, and there is no line up the neck. The point of the horse’s nose touches the eighth line from the left; the front hoof (very much curled in) touches the third line from the left, and the tail ends at the third line from the right. There is one very easy test for this forgery. In the genuine, the “2” in each side-oval has a perfectly straight foot, with a little oblique line sticking up from the end of it. In this counterfeit, the foot of each “2” is curved, i.e., it has a wave in it.

Fourth Forgery

This stamp appears to be a lithographic transfer of the counterfeit just described. Lithographed, on thick, very hard wove paper. The gum is rose-tinted, and the tint has very slightly colored the stamp all through, so that it is pinkish-white. The tests are the same as in the third forgery; and, in addition, the cross-bar to the A of BRAUNSCHWEIG is not horizontal, but slopes down very much to the left. The cross-bar to the tail of the G of this word is so long, that it touches the inside of the body of the letter.

Fifth Forgery

Lithographed, on thick, very hard, yellowish-white or bluish-white wove paper. There is a scratch in the U and a stop after the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG, which are not found in the genuine. The thin, inner line of the frame is absent, part of the way along the top and the left side. The crown is a fair imitation of the genuine ; but the base of the crown bears a very tiny, white dot, with a pearl to the left of it, and a rather shapeless, white oblong to the right of it. In some copies, the said base appears to show a blotch at each end, and two colored dots in the center, the rest being white. It is quite impossible to count the vertical lines in the oval, as more than half of them are defective, or all together missing. The left-hand end of the piece of ground on which the horse stands just touches the outline of the oval, and the horse’s hind hoof touches the outline on the right side. Below the piece of ground, and between it and the bottom outline of the oval, there are only a few remnants of the short, vertical lines, which cannot be counted. The eye and nostril of the horse are fairly distinct, but the mouth is very faint. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is very thin, and there is no line running up the neck. The end of the tail goes beyond the last visible vertical line in the oval in my specimen, but there is room to the right of this for at least two other lines, so there may be more in a perfect copy, for anything that I know. This forgery, despite all the tests given, is fairly deceptive. The B of BRAUNSCHWEIG, which is a good deal too large in all the other counterfeits, is very like the genuine in this forgery. Perhaps the easiest test is the position of the cross on the crown. In the genuine, it is under the space between SC of BRAUNSCHWEIG, but in this forgery, it is under the beginning of the C.

Spud_Braunschweig31852. 3 Sgr., vermilion.

Genuine

Paper, engraving, gum, etc., the same as in the genuine 1 and 2 Sgr. None of the letters touch each other. The outline of the central oval is almost exactly the same as in the genuine 1 Sgr. The crown, orb, and cross are similar to those of the genuine 1 Sgr., but the ornaments on the base of the crown are seldom distinct enough to be made out. The crown does not seem to touch the mane of the horse. There are 19 vertical lines of shading in the oval, to the left of the cross, and 17 to the right of it, just as in the genuine 1 Sgr. This does not include the short portion of a line to the very left of the oval, which is visible in some copies, but not in others. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches, by means of a dark prolongation of the lower line, the outline of the oval to the left, but it does not touch to the right. There are 17 short, vertical lines below the piece of ground. The eye, nostril, and mouth of the horse are tolerably distinct. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is strongly bent, somewhat like a sickle. There is a rather short line up the neck, which does not follow either outline of the neck. The point of the horse’s nose comes between the sixth and seventh line from the left, as in the 1 Sgr. The front hoof also touches the first vertical line, and the tail touches the second line from the right. There are five sloping lines of shading before the B, and two after the G, of BRAUNSCHWEIG, three long lines and a short one before the D of DREI, and one long one after GR. The stop after SILB. and the stop after GR. are both at the same distance from their respective words.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in carmine, on medium, white wove paper, white gum This is very like the first forgery of the 1 Sgr., with altered value. The tail of the G of GR. is like the genuine in this forgery. There are two long lines and one short one after the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG, two long ones and a couple of dots like a colon, before the D of DREI, and two long ones and a broken one after GR.

Second Forgery

This is much the same as the third forgery of the 1 Silbergroschen. Lithographed, in pale rose, on thick, hard, yellowish-white wove paper, rose gum. The letters RA of BRAUNSCHWEIG are joined at the bottom, and HWE at the top. The two outlines of the central oval are separate for most of the way round, as in the forgery named. The crown is also the same as in the said forgery. There are 43 vertical lines in the oval, and most of them have been drawn too long, so that they trespass, more or less, across the two outlines of the containing-oval, especially under the H and E of BRAUNSCHWEIG. The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not touch the oval either side. There are 21 short, vertical lines below the piece of ground. There is a slight indication of an eye, but the mouth and nose of the horse are not visible. There are three converging lines where the left front leg joins the body, and the line up the neck is very long and very thin. The point of the nose touches the ninth line from the left, the front hoof touches the third line from the left, and the tail ends at the third line from the right. By the way, I ought to mention that the last vertical line to the right is almost merged into the outline of the oval. There are four long, sloping lines, with another line crossing one of them obliquely, before the B of BRAUNSCHWEIG, and five short ones, of varying length, after the G. In all my specimens, the lines before the D of DREI are ail blotched into a solid mass of colour; and there are two long lines, and two short ones, after GR. The stop after SILB. is much smaller than the one after GR., and the latter is farther away from its word than the former is. Each “3” is tall and narrow, unlike the sturdy numerals of the genuine.

1853. Black impression, on colored paper.

The stamps are the same as the first issue, except that they are printed in black, on unwatermarked, colored paper, instead of in colour on white; thus the tests given for the first issue (save as regards the paper) will serve for these.

Spud_Braunschweig41853. 1 Silbergroschen.

Genuine

Engraved, as before, in epargné, on yellow or orange-yellow wove paper, watermarked with a framed post-horn. The watermark is an easy test for all the stamps of this issue, as it is always plainly visible, and the forgers have not yet imitated it.

First Forgery

Nicely lithographed, in black, on yellow, orange, buff, or yellow-brown wove paper; no watermark. The paper is a little thinner than the genuine, and the colour of the yellow is a very exact imitation of the genuine; but that of the orange lacks the sort of brownish shade which the genuine has. This counterfeit is exactly the same type as the first forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1853. I have a specimen in which the tail of the R of GR does not touch the stop after it. There are five lines, instead of six, before the B of BRAUNSCHWEIG; three, instead of four, after the G; and five, instead of four, before the E of EIN.

Second Forgery

This is a new type. Lithographed, in black, on primrose-yellow paper, thin and moderately soft; no watermark. The tail of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG turns up, as it does in very good copies of the genuine. The outline of the central oval is one thick line, all the way round. The cross on the crown is represented by a black, wedge-shaped lump, which runs down so as to obscure the right half of the orb. There seem to be three ovals in the body of the crown, but they are very blotchy. Near the base of the crown is a transverse, yellow line, and, above it, two very faint yellow dots, close together. The cross does not touch the top of the oval, so the vertical lines in the oval can be counted all the way round; there are 38 of them. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the oval on the right, but not on the left. Below this piece of ground, and between it and the bottom of the oval, there are 20 short, vertical lines, some of them being mere dots. The lower outline of the piece of ground is very uneven and wavy. The horse has an open eye, the mouth is very small, and the nostril is invisible; the animal has a Roman nose, which gives it a ridiculous appearance. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is very thick, and the line up the neck follows the curve of the back of the neck, and touches the outline of the front of the neck, by the corner of the lower jaw. The point of the horse’s nose touches the seventh vertical line from the left, the front hoof touches the second line from the left, and the tail touches the third line from the right. There are only three lines, instead of six, before the B of BRAUNSCHWEIG; two lines, instead of four, after the G; and no lines at all before EIN. The words EIN SILB. GR. are in very small letters, and nearer to the bottom than to the top outline of the containing-scroll.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in black, on rather thin, yellow wove paper; no watermark. This is very much the same as the third forgery of the I Silber- groschen of the first issue, except, of course, as regards the colored paper.

Spud_Braunschweig51853. 2 Sgr., black on blue.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, usually rather heavily printed, in black, on thick, blue wove paper, watermarked with a posthorn. The design is the same as that of the 2 Sgr. of the first issue.

Forged

I have only one type of forgery, and only two specimens of it in my possession, so it would appear that this value has not been so often forged as the others. It is nicely lithographed, in black, on blue paper, a little lighter in tint than that of the genuine; no watermark. The type is just the same as that of the first forgery of the 2 Sgr. of 1852, except that I can only make out 17 instead of 18 vertical lines in the oval, to the right of the cross.

1853. 3 Sgr., black on rose.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, in black, on moderately thick, pale rose wove paper; watermarked with a post-horn. The type is similar to that of the genuine 3 Sgr. of 1852.

First Forgery

Poorly lithographed, in black, on medium wove paper, of a peculiar magenta-pink shade; i.e., pink with a shade of blue in it. There is no watermark. This is the same type as the first forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in black, on thick rose paper, very like that of the genuine, no watermark. It is the same type as the third forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

1856. Same design. 1 Sgr., black on brown.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, on rather soft, brown wove paper; watermarked with a post-horn. I have only one specimen by me at this moment, and it appears to be on rather thinner paper than those hitherto described. None of the letters touch each other anywhere. The tail of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG curls up. There are only two lines of shading on the scroll, immediately to the left of the G of that word, and neither of them touches the top outline of the scroll. The tail of the G of PFENNIG is very different from that of the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG. In the side-ovals, the 1 does not touch the fraction-line, and the 4 does not touch the outline of the oval in either case. The outline of the central oval is solid, from level with the nose of the horse, round below, to level with the lowest point of the tail. The base of the crown bears three jewels; a sort of pearl in the center, with a half-diamond to the left, and a long horizontal line to the right. There are six pearls on each of the side-arches of the crown. There are 20 vertical lines in the oval to the left of the cross, and 16 to the right of it, the sixteenth or outer one being extremely short, and very close to the outer edge of the oval. The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not touch the outline of the oval on either side. There must be about 22 vertical lines between the piece of ground and the lower outline of the oval; but my copy is imperfect here, so I cannot say exactly. The head of the horse is rather thick and clumsy, but with a nice, small eye. The line up the neck is extremely short, being not much more than an oblong dot. The point of the horse’s nose touches the eighth line from the left. The point of the tail, which is not outlined, breaks into the third line from the right.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in black, on thick, brown wove paper; no watermark. This is exactly the same type as the first forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in black, on medium, pale brown wove paper, of a slightly redder tint than that of the genuine. This is exactly the same type as the third forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in black, on stout, hard, brown wove paper, very like the genuine in colour; no watermark. The letters RAU of BRAUNSCHWEIG all touch at their bases. There are three lines of shading to the right of the G; all three of them touch the upper outline of the scroll, and the inner one is short, close to the G, and curved, like a comma without a head. The tail of the G of PFENNIG and that of the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG are both alike. In each of the little side-ovals, the foot- stroke of the 1 touches the fraction-line, and the 4 touches the outline of the oval. The outline of the central oval is solid, from about level with the horse’s ears, round below, to level with the middle of the tail. The base of the crown bears four nearly square pearls. The right side-arch has its outline formed by thick black shading; the left arch has three pearls, apparently arranged as a trefoil. There are 20 vertical lines to the left of the cross, as in the genuine, and 17 to the right of it, the last short line to the right being undecipherable. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the outline of the oval to the right. Only about 17 short lines can be seen, between the lower outline of the oval and the bottom of the piece of ground, and the stamp is very blotch) all about the hind feet of the horse. The head of the horse is slim, but the eye is a large black patch. The line up the neck is long, occupying more than half of the distance. The point of the horse’s nose just touches the seventh line from the left. The end of the tail, which is outlined, touches the first line from the right.

1856 & 1864. Same design. 1/2 Sgr., black on white.

Engraved in epargné, on thick, yellowish-white wove paper, watermarked with a post-horn. None of the letters touch each other any- where; but the left side of the footstroke of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG is particularly long, and very nearly touches the base of the B. The tail of the R curls upwards, and the foot of the A is a good distance from the base of the U. There are only two short, vertical lines of shading in the scroll, after the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG; and these two lines do not touch either the top or bottom outline of the scroll. In the lower scroll, there are two curved lines of shading before the v of VIER; the outer one is very much longer than the other, and it is joined to the head of the V. At the other end of this scroll there are two lines of shading after the PF. The points of this lower scroll are a long way from the bottom of the stamp. In heavily-printed copies, the outline of the central oval is blotched into one thick, solid line, nearly all the way round; but lighter specimens show the lines double for very nearly the whole of the upper half of the oval. There are six pearls at the base of the crown, and six on each of the side-arches. There are 18 vertical lines in the oval, to the left of the cross, and 15 on the right side. The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not touch the oval on either side. There are 18 short, vertical lines between the piece of ground and the outline of the oval below it. The head of the horse is thick and clumsy; the mouth can be seen, but not the nostril, and the eye is distinct. The short, curved line, forming the curve of the shoulder, is well marked, and the line running up the neck is broken in the middle, making it two short pieces, which follow, more or less, the curve of the outline of the back of the neck. The point of the horse’s nose touches the seventh line from the left, and the point of the front hoof comes between the first and second lines from the left. The tail ends with the last line but one on the right, its tip not being outlined.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on medium, rather soft, very white wove paper, no water-mark. The left side of the foot-stroke of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG is very short, and does not go near to the base of the B; the tail of the said R touches the base of the A, and the A and U are extremely close together at their bases, so as to almost touch. There are three lines of shading after the G—two long ones and one short one—and the long ones reach very nearly from the top to the bottom outline of the scroll. In the lower scroll there are three lines before VIER, and three after PF. None of the lines touch the V. The points of this lower scroll almost touch the outline of the frame below them. The outline of the central oval is very distinctly solid, from level with the point of the horse’s tail, round the bottom of the oval, to rather above the level of his nose. The base of the crown shows five pearls, which are easier to see than in the genuine. There seem to be four pearls on the left arch of the said crown, and none at all on the right arch. There are 20 lines in the oval, to the left of the cross, and 18 to the right of it. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the outline of the oval on the right side. There are 19 or 20 short, vertical lines below this piece of ground, between it and the bottom of the oval. The whole front of the horse’s nose is one large black blotch, so that the details of nose and mouth are obliterated. There is a line joining the corner of the eye with the base of the ear. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is weak and too short; and the line running up the neck is not broken in the middle, and is not parallel with either the front or back curve of the neck. The point of the horse’s nose just touches the seventh line from the left, and the tail seems to reach to the very edge of the oval, the tip being outlined.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on thick, very yellowish-white wove paper, no watermark. The first stroke of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG is slightly crooked, and the left side of its foot-stroke does not go near the B; indeed, there is hardly any sign of a foot-stroke on that side. There are indications of four broken lines of shading after the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG, and five, instead of three, before the B. In the lower scroll, there are indications of three lines after the PF., they are hardly more than dots. The outline of the central oval is plainly double in the top half, almost from fraction to fraction. The crown is covered by the postmark in my single specimen, so that I can give no details. The vertical lines in the oval are very thin, faint and broken, but there seem to be 20 to left of the cross, and there are 17 to right of it. The piece of ground on which the horse stands is formed by two parallel, straight lines, stretching from one outline of the oval to the other, with three rocks piled on them. The short, vertical lines below the piece of ground are almost invisible; I can only trace portions of three lines. The head of the horse is rather like that of a greyhound with open mouth, and it seems to have a sort of ghastly grin. The upper jaw ends in a sharp point, without any nostril. The thin line up the neck reaches down to the left fore-leg. The point of the front hoof comes between the second and third lines from the left. The tip of the tail is outlined, and it touches the fourth line from the right. The cross on the top of the crown is very conspicuous in this forgery.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on rather thick, hard, very white wove paper with a regular grain, no watermark. The foot-stroke of the R of BRAUNSCHWEIG is short, and does not go near the B. The top of the G does not come forward enough, and the tail of that letter curls forwards, so as to touch the line of shading to right of it. In the lower scroll, there are no lines at all before VIER, and the stop after PF. is a long way from the first line of shading after it, instead of almost touching it. The outline of the central oval is quite solid all the way round. I can only see five pearls at the base of the crown, but there is a black blotch in my specimen, large enough to cover two more pearls. There are 20 strong lines in the oval, to left of the cross (which is only a black lump) and 17 to right of it. The head of the horse is a little like that of a sheep; the mouth is a small, wedge-shaped gap, and there is a very prominent eyebrow. There are 19 short, vertical lines between the piece of ground and the bottom of the oval. The point of the front hoof touches the second line from the left. The tip of the tail is scarcely outlined, and it comes between the third and fourth lines from the right.

Fourth Forgery

This is altogether bogus. It is nicely lithographed, in black, on deep rose paper, thick, soft, and without gum, no watermark. Of course, in this form, the colored paper instantly condemns it; but, in case it has been, or should be, printed on white paper, I give the following tests of the design. The first two letters of the name are RB instead of BR, and the bases of the B and A are joined together. There is only one line of shading after the G, and the tail of the said G hangs down, so as to touch the bottom outline of the scroll. In the lower scroll, there are three vertical lines before the v of VIER, and the innermost line touches the middle of the V. There are two lines at the other end of the scroll, after the PF, as in the genuine; but the inner one touches the bottom outline of the scroll, and the outer one touches the top outline, which is not the case in the genuine. The outline of the central oval is perfectly solid all the way round. The crown is very different from the genuine, having a knob on the top of the orb instead of a cross. There is a white blotch, instead of pearls, along the base, and the pearls on the side-arches are black, and not to be counted. The knob does not quite touch the outline of the oval above it. There are 18 vertical lines in the oval, to the left of the knob, and 15 to the right of it, as in the genuine; but the right-hand end-line is very short, and does not touch either the top or bottom of the oval. The piece of ground on which the horse stands touches the oval on the right. There arc 19 short lines between it and the outline of the oval below it. The nose of the horse comes between the sixth and seventh lines from the left; it looks very like the head of a Shetland pony ; the mouth is long, but the nostril is invisible. There are some dots running obliquely across the center of the neck, down from right to left, but there is no line running up the neck, as the genuine has. The line forming the curve of the shoulder is quite as thick as one of the legs; i.e., twice as thick as in the genuine. The point of the front hoof very nearly touches the first vertical line on the left, and the tail ends at the third line from the right. Despite all these differences, this stamp, if printed on white paper, would be deceptive.

1857. 4/4 Sgr., black on brown.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, in black, on thick brown paper, watermarked with a post-horn. This watermark, being the same as before, can only be shown by the four stamps. I describe the stamp as a whole, but it must be remembered that it really consist of four small ones, joined together in one frame. The thin, inner line of the left-hand frame, if prolonged upwards, would pass exactly along the center of the vertical stroke of the P of the left upper POSTMARKE. This said line is very distinctly broken, or interrupted, to allow a passage for the tail of the G of the upper PFENNIGE; and similarly for the tails of the F and G of the lower PFENNIGE, all of which go through it. The inner line of the frame on the right side of the stamp is also broken or interrupted, to allow a passage for the F and G of the upper PFENNIGE, and the G of the lower PFENNIGE. The line down the middle of the stamp is not broken anywhere. None of the crosses on the crowns touch the outlines above them. The interior outlines of the side-arches on all the four crowns are formed by black lines, separated by a space from the pearls on the said arches, and there is a stop after each GUTE GR.; while the tail of the small G of the upper right hand GUTE GR. has lost its “kern”, or little ball at the end of the tail. There is a stop after the right bottom POSTMARKE. The E of the right top POSTMARKE is very close to the tail of the 3 to the right of it, so that the kern to the tail of the 3 would serve very well as the stop after the said POSTMARKE. The fraction-line of the lower right-hand J very nearly touches the lower outline of the containing-oval. If we suppose each oval to be divided into two by the fraction-line in it, then it will be seen that the half containing the little 4 is, in each case, considerably thicker in its outline than the half containing the little 1. The cross on the left upper crown points between the letters M and A of POSTMARKE.

Forged

This is decidedly poor. It is lithographed, on brownish-white, or greyish-white wove paper, moderately thick, no watermark. The thin, inner line of the left-hand frame, if prolonged upwards, would pass very nearly clear to the left of the vertical stroke of the P of the left upper POSTMARKE. This line is broken for the tail of the G of the lower PFENNIGE, but it is simply drawn through the F of that word, and also through the tail of the G of the upper PFENNIGE. The inner line of the right-hand frame is only broken for the tail of the lower right-hand PFENNIGE. The line down the middle of the stamp is broken between the two lower ovals. The cross on the left lower crown touches the out- line above it. There is no separate, inner outline to the side-arches of the four crowns. The right lower GUTE GR. has no stop after it, and there is no stop after the right bottom POSTMARKE. The small G of the right upper GUTE GR. looks very like a Q. The tail of the 3 at the right top corner of the stamp is distinctly lower than the level of the bottom of the E of the right upper POSTMARKE, SO that the ball of the tail of the said 3 is at some distance from the E, and could not serve as a stop to the POSTMARKE. Both lower fraction-lines touch the bottom outlines of their containing-ovals, and the right upper fraction-line very nearly touches the top of its containing-oval. The outlines of all four ovals are, as nearly as possible, the same thickness all the way round. The cross on the left upper crown points to the last limb of the M of POSTMARKE.

Spud_Braunschweig71862 & 1864. 3 Sgr., rose on white; watermark Post-horn.

Genuine

My young readers will please note that this stamp has the post-horn watermark, and therefore need never be confounded with the first issue. It is engraved in epargné, on medium, white wove paper. The tests for the genuine 3 Sgr. of the first issue will serve for this.

Forged

Lithographed, on thick, very white wove paper, no watermark, unperforated. The type is the same as that of the first forgery of the 3 Sgr. of 1852.

1863 & 1864. 4 Sgr., black on green; watermark Post-horn.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, in black, on medium to thinnish, green wove paper, watermarked with a post-horn. The outer frame of the stamp is, as in all the other values, composed of a thick and a thin line. None of the letters touch each other anywhere. The horse’s hoof comes between the first and second vertical lines of shading from the left, not counting the tiny line, close to the edge of the oval, which is sometimes visible. The nose touches the seventh line. There are 20 lines to the left of the cross, and 16 to the right of it, not reckoning the said tiny line. The cross itself is very different from that in all the rest of the stamps, both it and the crown having been entirely re-drawn. The said cross is a slim, but very broad, cross pattée, and it breaks through the inner line of the oval, and is joined to the outer line. The arches of the crown have oblong or triangular blotches, instead of the pearls; and the blotches on the outer arches are drawn standing out, as a sort of prickly fringe. The whole of the lower half of the outline of the central oval is one solid line. The piece of ground on which the horse stands does not touch the oval on either side, and there are 19 or 20 short, vertical lines between it and the bottom outline of the oval. Of the little black upright ovals, the one on the left is decidedly nearer to the central oval than to the frame; but the one on the right is about equidistant from the central oval and the frame. The fraction-line of the 1/2 is very distinct, and rather short, so that it does not anything like touch the sides of the containing-oval. The G of GR. is very slim, but nicely shaped, and there is a distinct stop after the R, not touching the R. The diaeresis over the U of FUNF does not touch the outline of the scroll above it; the G of PFENNIG has a curiously-shaped tail, which curls forward, so as very nearly to touch the stop after that word, and the said stop is hardly visible, as it is almost entirely hidden by the vertical lines of shading in the end of the scroll.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on rather thick, coarse, green wove paper, no watermark. The inner line of the frame is so very thin that it is almost invisible on the left side. In the word BRAUNSCHWEIG, the R and A are joined at the bottom, and the w and E are joined at the top. The horse’s hoof touches the third line from the left. The nose of the horse touches the ninth line from the left. The crown has a sort of lump on the top of it, and the lump does not touch the top of the oval. There are 42 lines in the oval altogether. The horse’s tail touches the fourth, instead of the third line, from the right. The crown is the same as in the third forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852. The only portion of the outline of the central oval which is solid is that part immediately under the piece of ground on which the horse stands; all the rest is composed of two lines. The hindmost hoof of the horse seems just to touch the outline of the oval to the right. There are 21 short lines, between the piece of ground and the bottom outline of the oval. Of the little black ovals, the one on the left is nearer to the thin outline of the frame than to the outline of the central oval; and the one on the right is very much nearer to the central oval than to the outline of the frame. The fraction-line of the 1/2 goes rather close to both sides of the oval. The G of GR, is almost equally thick all the way round; whereas, in the genuine, it is merely a hair-line at the top and bottom, getting gradually thicker in the middle. The foot of the R is lower than that of the G, and there is no stop after the R. The diaeresis over the U of FUNF touches the outline of the scroll above it, and there seem to be three dots instead of two. The G of PFENNIG has an ordinary tail, which does not go near the stop, and the stop is not covered by the shading, there being only one line which touches it.

Second Forgery

This is a frightful thing. Very badly lithographed, on thin, soft, apple-green wove paper, showing very coarse and distinct meshes of the wire-gauze on which it was made. There is, of course, no watermark. On the left side, the two outlines of the frame are very nearly of equal thickness. The RA and WE of BRAUNSCHWEIG touch each other, as in the first forgery. The horse’s hoof, which is very much curved downwards, touches the third line from the left; the nose touches the ninth line. There are 42 lines in the oval altogether; as the crown, which is like that of the first forgery, does not touch the top of the oval. The outline of the central oval is solid, from level with the horse’s chest to above the P of PFENNIG; then it is double above the E, and then solid again to above the second N. The piece of ground seems to touch the oval both sides, and there are 20 or 21 lines between it and the bottom outline of the oval. The position of the little black ovals is the same as in the first forgery. The fraction-line of the i goes near to the right edge of the oval, but not to the left one. The G of GR. is a clumsy imitation of the genuine, and the stop after the R is joined to the base of the R. The diaeresis over the U of FUNF is joined to the outline of the scroll above it. The G of PFENNIG has an ordinary tail and a broken head. There is no stop after the G. This counterfeit is not likely to deceive.

Third Forgery

This is, if possible, worse than the last. Very badly lithographed: paper the same as in the second forgery, but lighter in shade. There is no watermark. Both outlines of the frame are almost equal in thickness on the left side. The R and A of BRAUNSCHWEIG touch each other at the bottom, and the first four letters of that word touch the outline of the scroll, either above or below, or both. The horse’s hoof touches the third line from the left, and the nose, as far as I can make out through the post- mark, touches the eighth line. The ninth and tenth lines are drawn right through the nose. There seem to be 37 lines in the oval altogether. I cannot say anything as to the shape of the crown, as the postmark just covers it. The outline of the central oval is solid all the way round. The horse’s tail apparently touches the third line from the right. I can say nothing further of the central oval, as it is so faint and indistinct. The black oval on the left very nearly touches the outline to the left of it, and the similar oval on the right very nearly touches the outline to the right of it. The fraction-line of the J is so thin, as to be almost invisible. The G of GR. is somewhat like that of the second forgery, but with a larger and better head; the foot of the R is much lower than that of the G, and there is only a very faint indication of a stop after the R. The diaeresis over the U of FUNF does not touch the outline of the scroll above it. The G of PFENNIG and the stop after it are the same as in the first forgery. This is one of the coarsest forgeries that I have ever seen, and hardly deserving of description.

Spud_Braunschweig81864. 1 Sgr., yellow, orange-yellow, on white.

Genuine

Engraved in epargné, in yellow or orange-yellow, on thick, white wove paper; watermark post-horn. The type is the same as that of the genuine 1 Sgr. of 1852. The execution is always very faulty, being blurred and indistinct, so that the details of the design are very difficult to make out.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in yellow, on medium, white wove paper, no watermark, unperforated. The type is exactly the same as that of the first forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

Second Forgery

Badly lithographed, in yellow, on thick, white wove paper, no watermark, unperforated. The outer frame of the stamp appears to consist of three lines, all blotched together into one very thick line. The outline of the central oval is formed of one thick line, all the way round. There is no line running up the horse’s neck; the front hoof appears to touch the third vertical line from the left. There are about 17 vertical lines to the left of the cross, and the horse’s nose touches the eighth line from the left. There are no vertical lines under the piece of ground, between it and the bottom outline of the oval; and the bottom of the tail of the G of BRAUNSCHWEIG touches the outline of the scroll below it. The stamp is so badly printed that I have not been able to make out any other details.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in ochre-yellow, on stout, vertically-laid white paper, the laid lines being very unusually close together. I suppose I need not say that no Brunswick stamp was ever issued on laid paper. The type of the stamp is exactly the same as that of the third forgery of the 1 Sgr. of 1852.

Postmarks

Genuine.—29, 30, 71; also one similar to 34, but with an open space in the center.

Forged.—Similar to 96, but very much larger; also imitations of the genuine; also 1.

 

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

 

LupSee also —> Spud Papers – Braunschweig (Brunswick)

 

 

German Colonies Postmarks: China – Feldpost (Peking)

Feldpost postmark no. 9 of 17 in use in China. K. D. FELD-POSTSTATION No 2. In use from 11. September 1900 – 31. August 1901.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • V. 37 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 45 – 51 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 54 – 57 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 59 – 65 (Vorläufer)
  • China 1 – 6
  • China 8 – 27
  • Kiautschou 5 – 17

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

Genuine example:

GermanyChinaFeldpostCancel9

German Colonies Postmarks: China – Feldpost (Paotingfu)

Feldpost postmark no. 14 of 17 in use in China. K. D. FELD-POSTSTATION No 7. In use from 2. November 1900 – 25. July 1901.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • V. 45 – 51 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 54 – 57 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 59 – 65 (Vorläufer)
  • China 1 – 6
  • China 15 – 27

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

Genuine example:

GermanyChinaFeldpostCancel14

German Colonies Postmarks: South West Africa – Otyimbingue

Postmark no. 120 of 170 in use in South West Africa. OTYIMBINGUE DEUTSCH SüDWEST-AFRIKA. In use from 7. July 1888 – March 1892.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • V. 37 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 39 – 51 (Vorläufer)

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

Genuine example:

GermanySWAfricaCancel120-1

Album Weeds – Bremen

Album_Weeds_Bremen1 Album_Weeds_Bremen21863 & 1866. 2 Grote. Red, orange.

Genuine

Lithographed, on thin, porous, soft, white wove paper, perqe en scie, or machine-perforated 13, according to the date of issue. The quatrefoil, punched out of the center of the handle of the key, is dark. The point of the key does not touch the outline of the oval containing it. The central oval is surrounded by 24 rays of white, in the shape of sugar-loaves, each having a dark spot at its point, making the sugar-loaves appear to be split or cleft at the end. The ornamental engine-turning of the oval which bears the inscription BREMEN, ZWEI GROTE, touches the inner line of the frame at the left side near AD of STADT, and almost touches at the right side, near the M of AMI. It does not touch at the top or the bottom. There is a large, shaded white stop after the word GROTE. The outer edge of this same engine-turned oval is scalloped; there are 48 scallops, all of equal size and shape, and easy to count. The letters, hyphens, and stop of the inscription STADT-POST-AMT., are each and all ornamented with a white outline round them, and the outlines of the various letters, etc., do not run into, or touch each other. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key touches the thirteenth vertical line of shading in the central oval, counting from the left. The knob, which is white, is quite distinct; but the lines require a microscope. The engraver’s “secret marks” are coloured dots. There is one of these dots in the middle of the head of the P of POST; one in the top hollow of the S, and another in the bottom hollow of the S of that word; one in the center of the bottom half of the A of AMT; two in the S of STADT, the same as in the S of POST, and one in the A of STADT, the same as in the A of AMT. The stop after AMT is very nearly square.

First Forgery

Very coarsely lithographed, in dark, reddish-orange or orange-brown, on thin, white wove paper, imperforated, or badly pin-perforated 13 x 12 1/2. The quatrefoil, punched out of the handle of the key, is white, with a dark outline. The point of the key touches the outline of the containing- oval. The said oval is surrounded by 19 white rays, in the form of pyramids, sharply pointed, of different sizes, and without the dark spots at their points. The border of the imitation engine-turning of the central design touches at the top, under POST, and also at the bottom, but not at either of the sides. This border is very irregular; the scallops are of various shapes and sizes, and quite uncountable. There is usually a dim blotch to be seen after GROTE; but it is not in the least like the square, shaded white stop of the genuine. The outlines of the letters, etc., of STADT-POST-AMT., all either touch or run into one another. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key touches the eighth vertical line of shading in the central oval, counting from the left. There is a dot in the lower half of the S of POST, but the other dots are absent. I do not think this forgery at all deceptive; though it is commonly to be found in small albums. It is coarsely done; whereas there is not a coarse line about the genuine.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on rather hard, stout, shiny, white wove paper, the face of which is coloured a very pale lemon-yellow. The orange is more yellow than in the genuine; and the stamp is very nicely machine-perforated 12 1/2. The quatrefoil, punched out of the handle of the key, is dark, as in the genuine. The dark outline of the point of the key seems to almost touch the outline of the containing-oval. Only two out of the 24 sugar-loaf-shaped white rays round this central oval have their points cleft, i.e., one just to the left of the bottom, and one just to the right of the top. The rest are plain, and all of them are too broad. The two bottom rays are jammed very close together. The scalloped border of the inscribed oval does not touch the frame anywhere, though it is very near to it, just to the right of the A of STADT. There are 49 scallops round this oval, and they are not all of equal size; being very large to the right of the O of GROTE, and very small to the left of the B of BREMEN. There is not the faintest indication of a stop after GROTE. The outlines of the letters of STADT-POST-AMT., hardly touch or run into each other at all; though the letters AD of STADT are joined together at the bottom. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key is extremely indistinct, and quite dark; it seems to touch the twelfth vertical line in the oval; but the said lines are all so indistinct, being so very close together, that, even with the strongest power of my microscope, I have not been able to decide positively. This central oval appears to be the darkest part of the stamp, in consequence of the closeness of the vertical lines; but, in the genuine, the engine-turned oval, containing BREMEN ZWEI GROTE is the darkest portion. The A of STADT has a blotch in its top half, and a small dash in the bottom half, and the head of the P of POST has some indications of a dot in it; the rest of the secret marks are absent. The stop after AMT is a hyphen, in an oblong frame.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on thin, rather soft, unsurfaced wove paper, perf. about 15 1/2 (my specimen is imperfect, and I cannot be sure of the gauge). The quatrefoil in the key is dark, like the genuine. The point of the key plainly touches the oval outside of it. The bases of the sugar-loaf-shaped rays do not all touch each other; indeed, there is an absurdly large space between the one which points to the A of STADT and its neighbor, which points to the D of that word. This is an easy test. The scalloped outline of the oval, containing BREMEN ZWEI GROTE, does not touch the frame outside it anywhere. This scalloped outline, in the genuine, is formed by interlacing crescents; but, in this forgery, many of them appear to be merely white triangles. The lettering of the inscription STADT POST AMT is a good deal too small, the dark part of the letters (not including the lines round them) being only i mm. high, instead of about 1 1/4 mm. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key touches the tenth vertical line of shading in the central oval, counting from the left. There is a coloured dot in the head of the S of STADT, but I cannot make out any others. The stop after AMT is circular, and placed very much to one side of the center of its (circular) frame.

Fourth Forgery

This is much the best, and might easily deceive. Very nicely lithographed, on thin, white wove paper, perf. 15 1/2, or on somewhat thicker paper, perf. 12 1/2. The point of the key seems to just touch the dark outline of the oval round it. The top sugar-loaf is not cleft, and the one to the right of the bottom one has only very slight indications of being split. The scalloped oval only touches the frame on the left side, where two scallops touch it, under the A of STADT. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key touches the eleventh vertical line of shading in the central oval, counting from the left. There is a coloured dot in the lower half of the A of STADT, but the other secret marks are absent. There is a coloured mark, like a flaw, at the top of the tail of the S of POST, outside the outline.

Postmarks

These are generally in black, but may occasionally be found in blue.

Genuine.—1, 29 (date in centre, VEGESACK at the bottom, between the circles, and a little key, between two parentheses, at the top, between the circles), 71. Also an oblong like 71, but with rounded corners.

Also BREMEN BAHNHOF in a sort of ellipse. Also the word FRANKO, in very large capitals, without frame. Also 5, with numerals 303 in centre. Also TT and date in a circle. Also BREMEN TH. & TX. I have mentioned here all the postmarks that I have heard of; but of course not all of them are to be found on the 2 Grote. I give them all together, to save repetition.

First Forgery.—71.

Second Forgery.—71. Also five parallel bars, thick, and close together.

Third Forgery.—71.

Fourth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Album_Weeds_Bremen3 Album_Weeds_Bremen4 Album_Weeds_Bremen51855, 1863 & 1866-67. 3 Grote, black on blue.

This stamp was employed to frank letters between Bremen, Bremerhafen, and Vegesack. There are three types, which may be distinguished by the vertical lines in the oval ornament, below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN. Type I. has one vertical line in the oval, Type II. has two lines, and Type III. has three lines. The following is a fuller description of the differences between the three types.

Type I

There is a single vertical line in the oval, below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN, and the top of the oval is closed. There is a black dot above the crown, touching the very center of the top of the central trefoil. The middle jewel in the base of the crown is a pearl, not a diamond. The top of the key does not touch the top outline of the shield. There are 18 vertical lines in the shield, counting the thin, left-hand outline of the shield, but not the thick, right-hand outline, and most of these lines have been drawn very slightly too long, so that the ends of them can just be seen above the top outline of the shield. The last line to the right goes very close to the thick outline of the shield. The shaded bottom point of the shield is exactly centrally above a little round ornament, which has a black dot in it. The shield does not touch the outline of the ornamental frame of the left-hand 3.

Type II

There are two vertical lines in the oval, below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN, and the top of the oval is almost closed. The black dot, above the top of the central trefoil on the crown, is a little too much to the left. The middle jewel in the base of the crown is a pearl, but it is not quite so round as in Type I. The key just touches the center of the top outline of the shield. There are the same number of vertical lines in the shield as in Type I., but the last line to the right is further off from the right-hand outline. The ends of some of the lines can be seen above the top outline of the shield, as in Type I. The shaded, bottom point of the shield points far to the right of the center of the circular ornament below it. This ornament is considerably larger than in Type I., and has a small circle in its center, with a vertical line in it. The left side of the shield touches the ornamental frame of the left-hand 3.

Type III

There are three vertical lines in the oval below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN, and the top of the oval is widely open. The black dot, on the top of the central trefoil, is too much to the left.

The middle jewel on the base of the crown is an unmistakable diamond, and the one to left of it is a pearl, instead of a diamond. The one to right of it is also very nearly circular, instead of diamond-shaped. The top of the key, as in Type I., does not touch the top outline of the shield. There are 19 vertical lines in the shield, counting as before, and the nineteenth is exceedingly close to the thick, right-hand outline, so that, in heavily-printed copies, it will probably be invisible. None of these lines show above the top of the shield. The shaded, bottom point of the shield is exactly central above the circular ornament. The said ornament, by the way, in this third type, is more an upright oval than a true circle. It contains another oval, with a vertical line in its center. The shield does not touch the outline of the ornamental frame of the left-hand 3.

Genuine

Lithographed, on blue laid paper; the laid lines may be either horizontal or vertical, but I think the horizontal lines are much more usually to be met with than the vertical ones. The varieties of type and perforation are as already described. The tests now to be given are common to all three types, unless otherwise mentioned. The wards of the key are like two T’s, placed back to back. The three lobes of each of the trefoils on the crown are all of about equal size. The top of the T of AMT does not touch the M. There is a tiny circle, or pearl, in the horizontally-shaded part of the upper, and also of the lower limb of each large 3, i.e., two in each numeral. The left lower knob of the handle of the key touches the ninth vertical line of shading in the shield, counting the thin, left-hand outline.

First Forgery

I think this is meant for Type II., but it is a poor imitation. Badly lithographed, on medium, hard, bluish-lavender or neutral-tinted wove paper, unperforated, or pin-perf. 13. The wards of the key are like two E’S, placed back to back. The upper lobe of each trefoil is larger than the other two lobes. The top of the T of AMT is joined to the M. The two little circles, in the top and bottom of the body of each large 3, are absent. The left lower knob of the handle of the key comes between the tenth and eleventh of the vertical lines of shading in the shield, counting the thin, left-hand outline of the shield. The oval below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN appears to be widely open, and to contain two vertical lines, but I cannot be positive, as, in my only three specimens, the postmark happens to obscure this test in all. There is no black dot at the top of the central trefoil on the crown. The jewels on the base of the crown are all diamonds, and there seems to be a dot in the right-hand one. There are 21 vertical lines of shading in the shield, counting the left-hand outline, and the last line, each side, goes very close to the outline, thus differing from all three types of the genuine. The fourth line from the right has been drawn too long, and projects considerably above the top of the shield. The top of the key does not touch the center of the top of the shield. Four vertical lines of the background can be seen through the quatrefoil in the handle of the key. The shaded, lower point of the shield, and the circular ornament below it, are as in the genuine Type II. The left side of the shield does not touch the ornamental oval, round the large left-hand 3.

Second Forgery

This is an extremely nice-looking counterfeit, and I fancy it has had a large sale. It is probably quite modern, as I do not remember seeing it until after the second edition of this book was published (1892). Very well lithographed, on blue laid paper. All my specimens have the laid lines horizontal. It is copied from Type II. The stamps may be found imperforate, percé en scie, or perf. 125. The little oval, below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN, containing the two vertical lines, is quite closed. There is no black dot above the point of the central trefoil of the crown. The central jewel on the base of the crown is a perfectly circular pearl. The corner-point of the key touches the center of the top outline of the shield, as in the genuine Type II.; but there are only seven of the vertical lines of the shield (counting the thin left-hand outline) to be seen to left of this point, reckoning along the top line of the shield. In the genuine Type II., eight lines can be seen. None of these lines project above the top of the shield. The shaded bottom point of the shield is only slightly to the right of the center of the little circular ornament below it. The ring round the barrel of the key is decidedly wider than the corresponding rings round the projecting knobs of the handle; though they are all of equal width in the genuine stamps of all three types. There is one easy test in the little black outlines, below the letters of the word BREMEN. In the genuine Type II., there is one of these lines (like an _|) under the right foot of the M, another similar but longer one under the whole of the E, another similar one under the left foot of the N, and one (shaped like a _|) beginning under the right foot of the N. These are all quite separate from one another in the genuine. In this forgery all these lines run together into one unbroken piece.

Third Forgery

According to the lines in the shield, this should be Type III., but according to the oval below the M, it is Type I. Fairly lithographed, on blue wove paper, rather thin, nicely perf. 12 1/2. There is no black dot above the crown. An easy test for this forgery is that all the jewels in the base of the crown are pearls. The top corner of the key, at the center of the top of the shield, touches the tenth line from the left (counting the left-hand outline) instead of the ninth. There are 21 lines in the shield, instead of 18, counting as before. The third and tenth lines from the left show above the top outline of the shield. The last line to the left goes very close to the outline, as in Type III. of the genuine. The shield touches the ornamental oval, round the large, left-hand 3. The right upper knob of the handle of the key touches the thick black outline to right of it; this is not the case with any of the genuine types. There is a very fine hair-line, joining the tops of the letters T AMT, and a similar line, connecting the bottoms of AMT. They look like guides for drawing the letters.

Fourth Forgery

This is an imitation of Type III. Nicely lithographed, on thick, hard, vertically-laid blue paper, percé en scie. There is no black dot above the point of the central trefoil. There are only 18 vertical lines in the shield, instead of 19, counting the left-hand outline. The line which shows very close to the right-hand outline, in Type III. of the genuine, is absent in this forgery. The shield just touches the ornamental oval, round the large, left-hand 3. I cannot see any other very salient points of difference between this forgery and the genuine Type III., but hope these tests will be sufficient.

Fifth Forgery

This is not like any of the genuine types. Lithographed, on blue wove paper, unperforated. The two T’S in the wards of the key are not alike; in the lower T, the hanging ends are split or double. There is no dot above the point of the central trefoil. The circles in the large numerals are absent. There are only 16 vertical lines in the shield, and the last two to the left are close together, as they are in Type III. The left lower knob of the key touches the eighth line from the left. The oval below the M of BREMEN contains four vertical lines. There is no black dot above the top of the central trefoil on the crown. The jewels on the base of the crown are like Type III. None of the lines of the shield show above the top outline. Four lines can be seen through the quatrefoil of the key, and three of them slant down from left to right, instead of being vertical. The shaded point, at the bottom of the shield, actually touches the circular ornament below it, and the said ornament contains three vertical lines. The left side of the shield is firmly joined to the ornamental frame of the large, left-hand 3. There are no circles in either 3.

Sixth Forgery

This has the oval of Type I., but the shield is more like Type III. Lithographed, on blue wove paper, perf. 12 1/2. The letters of STADTPOST BREMEN are only 1 mm. high, instead of 1 1/2 mm. The left outline of the shield is thicker than in any of the stamps yet described, all of which have the said line exactly the same thickness as the lines in the shield. Including this line, there are 21 in the shield, the last to the left being exceedingly close to the outline, closer than in Type III. of the genuine. The left lower knob of the key touches the eleventh line from the left. Three lines can be seen through the quatrefoil of the handle. The oval, below the first stroke of the M of BREMEN, is closed, as in Type I., but it seems to have two broken lines in it, with a dot below the space between them. There is no black dot above the central trefoil on the crown. The jewels on the base of the crown are altogether shapeless, except one to the left of the center, which is more or less circular. The shaded corner of the key does not quite touch the center of the top outline of the shield; it touches either the tenth or eleventh line in the shield, counting from the left. None of the lines project above the top outline of the shield. Two vertical lines, and a part of a third, can be seen through the quatrefoil, in the handle of the key. The shaded, lower point of the shield is the same as in Type I., but the little circular ornament below it contains a perfectly distinct, vertical line. The left side of the shield is firmly joined to the ornamental oval and the large, left-hand 3.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

First Forgery.—71.

Second Forgery.—Uncancelled, but more frequently with a horizontal blue pencil-line.

Third Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Fourth Forgery.—71.

Fifth Forgery.—71.

Sixth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Album_Weeds_Bremen6 Album_Weeds_Bremen7 Album_Weeds_Bremen81856, 1862 & 1866-67. 5 Grote. Black on rose.

This stamp was issued for letters to Hamburg. There is a good deal of variety in the colour of the paper. I have seen it in pale rose, pale flesh-colour, and even in a sort of salmon-colour. The tint was, as Mr. Westoby says, very liable to fade; and I fancy the stamps, as issued, were generally of a far deeper colour than the tints which we now see; though, occasionally, unused specimens that have been kept from the light are of a fairly deep rose. There are two types, and they are not very hard to distinguish. Here are some of the salient points:

Type I

The right upright-stroke of the M of MARKE is very little higher than the left one. The point of the central trefoil on the crown does not go centrally into the wedge-shaped opening in the scroll above it, but is too much to the left, so as to graze the left side of the opening. In the central shield, the last vertical line to the left goes very close to the thick, left-hand outline of the shield. The lowest row of waves or semicircles, at the foot of the stamp, shows II 3/4 complete semicircles, the three-quarter semicircle being at the left-hand end. The base of the crown touches one of the semi- circles, in the row which runs between it and the top of the shield.

Type II

The right upright-stroke of the M of MARKE is taller than the left stroke, to quite a ridiculous extent. The point of the central trefoil on the crown goes centrally into the wedge-shaped opening in the scroll above it, not touching either side. In the central shield, the last vertical line to the right is very close to the thin, right-hand inner outline of the shield. The lowest row of waves, at the bottom of the stamp, has eleven perfect semicircles, with a half-semicircle at each end. The base of the crown does not touch the row of semicircles resting on the top of the shield, and the semicircles in this row are much smaller than in Type I. The diamond, to right of the central one, on the base of the crown, contains a black dot. There are many other differences, but these will be sufficient to identify the two types.

Genuine

Lithographed, in black, on rose wove paper, varieties and types as above. The details here given are common to both types of the genuine, unless specially mentioned. The quatrefoil, punched out of the handle of the key, does not show any little circle in its center, and two of the vertical lines of shading of the shield can be clearly seen through the aperture of the said quatrefoil. In Type I., there is a double knob at the end of each of the three projections of the handle of the key; in Type II., the projection to the right has only one knob, but the other two are double, that is to say, one behind the other. There are two rings on the barrel of the key, where it joins the ornamental part of the handle. There is one row of waves or semicircles to be seen, between the top of the shield and the base of the crown. The diamonds along the base of the crown have no shading in them, but, in Type II., the right-hand diamond has a black, elongated dot in its center. The shading, like a fringe, at the back of the left-hand 5, does not touch the outline of the containing-oval anywhere. The same may be said of the right-hand 5 in Type I.; but in Type II., the fringe of lines just grazes the outline of the oval in two places, i.e., at the right-hand of the top of the 5, and near the bend, at the bottom of the figure. The letters AN of FRANCO just touch, at the bottom of Type I., and are firmly joined together in Type II. FRANCO and MARKE are both at the same distance from the bottoms of their containing-labels. In the shaded ornament at the top of the stamp, above the center of the FRANCO MARKE scroll, there are 30 vertical lines of shading of various lengths in Type I., and 28 similar lines in Type II. In Type I., there are 27 short lines of fringe round the right side of the left-hand 5, and 23 round the right side of the right-hand 5. In Type II., there are about 25 lines of fringe to the left-hand 5, and 26 to the right-hand 5.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on pink, pinkish-buff, and also on a sort of drab wove paper, unperforated, or perf. I2 3/4. The shield is imitated from Type II., with one of the vertical lines very close to the thin, right-hand inner outline. There is only a single knob at the end of each of the three projections of the handle of the key, and only one ring round the barrel, where it joins the handle. The base of the crown comes very close to the top of the shield, and there is no row of waves or semicircles between the shield and the crown. The right-hand diamond on the base of the crown is shaded by vertical lines; the left-hand diamond is similarly shaded, and the central diamond contains a dot. The fringe of shading round each 5 is firmly joined to the outline of the containing-oval. This is an easy test, FRANCO is too near the bottom of its label, and MARKE is too high up. The M of this latter word has both its outer limbs of equal length, though, as I have before stated, Type II., which this forgery purports to imitate, has the right-hand part of the M very much too tall. The ornament at the center of the top of the stamp contains 29 vertical lines of shading, of various lengths. The fringe to the left-hand 5 has only 17 lines, and that of the right-hand 5 has 19.

Second Forgery

This is an imitation of Type II. Lithographed, on tolerably deep rose wove paper, badly pin-perf., the gauge not countable in my specimen. There is a little black circle in the center of the quatrefoil in the handle of the key, and none of the vertical lines of shading show through the quatrefoil. There is a single round knob at the end of each of the side- projections of the handle of the key, and a sort of pointed knob at the end of the handle. The right-hand diamond in the base of the crown bears a dot, as in the genuine Type II. The fringe of the numeral does not touch the containing-oval anywhere, either in the right-hand or left- hand 5, though the fringe does touch slightly in the right-hand 5 of the genuine. The letters AN of FRANCO do not touch each other at the bottom. There are 33 vertical lines of shading in the curly ornament at the very top of the stamp. The fringe to the left-hand 5 contains 22 lines, and the fringe to the right-hand 5 has about 21, but these latter are not very plain in my specimens.

Third Forgery

This is also an imitation of Type II. Lithographed, on deep rose paper, nicely perf. 15 1/2. The right-hand projection of the handle of the key shows one knob; the other two projections have two knobs each. The bottoms of the letters AN of FRANCO just touch, but they are not so plainly joined together as in the genuine Type II. There are only 26 lines in the fringe to the left-hand 5, and about 26 to the right-hand 5; the latter being rather blotched in my single specimen. In the genuine stamp, the central diamond in the base of the crown is, as nearly as possible, centrally under the central trefoil, but in this forgery, the diamond is decidedly too much to the right. My specimen has a very evident flaw in the top outline of the stamp, above the A of FRANCO, but I am unable to say whether this is always the case or not. I hope, however, that the flaw may always exist, as this is a very dangerous forgery, being carefully copied from Type II., even to the four little black dots, outside the four corners of the stamp. If it were not for the perforation, it might deceive anybody.

Fourth Forgery

This is an imitation of Type I. Lithographed, on deep rose wove paper, perf. 16. The two rings on the barrel of the key, next to the handle, are equal in size, but in the genuine Type I., the ring nearest the handle is larger than the other, as though the barrel were thicker there {I mean that the one ring is of greater circumference than the other.) In this forgery, both rings are practically of equal circumference. The base of the crown touches two (instead of one) of the waves or semicircles, between it and the top of the shield. An easy test for this forgery is, that the right-hand diamond on the circlet of the crown is not a diamond at all, but a perfectly circular pearl. The letters AN of FRANCO do not touch each other anywhere. There are 35 vertical lines of shading in the shaded ornament at the center of the top of the stamp. The fringes to the two numerals seem to be the same as in the genuine Type I. There are no dots outside the corners of the stamp.

Fifth Forgery

Lithographed, on very deep rose wove paper. It is not a pure rose, but has a trace of blue in it, like magenta has. I think this is intended for Type II., but the right-hand line in the shield is not so near the thin right-hand border-line as it is in the genuine, though the trefoil on the top of the crown goes centrally into the wedge-shaped opening above it, as in Type II. The upper point of the said trefoil, however, is not truly circular, but is slightly cut away on its right side. Of the two vertical lines of shading, seen through the quatrefoil of the handle of the key, the left-hand line is blotched against the side of the quatrefoil, so as to be practically invisible. (It can be easily seen in the genuine.) There is only one knob on the right-hand projection of the key-handle. The dot in the right-hand diamond on the crown is perfectly circular, instead of being like a short hyphen. Five or six lines of the fringe of the left- hand 5 touch the outline of the oval, and twelve of the lines of the fringe of the right-hand 5 are firmly joined to the outline of the oval. This is an easy test. The letters AN of FRANCO do not touch each other. MARKE is further from the outline below it than FRANCO is. There are 33 vertical lines of shading in the scroll-ornament, at the top of the stamp. There seem to be 28 lines of fringe round the left-hand 5, and 22 round the right-hand 5, but they are difficult to count, some of them being blotched. There are no dots outside the corners of the stamp.

Sixth Forgery

Lithographed, on buff paper, very nicely perf. 12 1/2. The perforation is the best thing about the stamp, which is a very poor imitation. It is intended to represent Type II. The projections of the handle of the key show single knobs, with a ring round, near the knob, as in the 3 Grote, instead of double knobs. The letters AN of FRANCO are not joined together. There is no row of waves or semicircles, between the top of the shield and the base of the crown. The central diamond on the crown is almost oval in shape, and the right-hand diamond is very small, and has no dot in it. The fringe of shading of each 5 is firmly joined to the outline of its containing-oval. The letters AN of FRANCO do not touch each other. The shaded ornament in the center of the top of the stamp does not touch the inner outline of the frame above it, though, in both types of the genuine, its central point touches the out- line. This said ornament is shaded by 35 vertical lines, many of them being broken and imperfect. The M of MARKE is of normal shape, and not like the deformed letter of the genuine Type II. I have not been able to count the lines of fringe to the numerals, they are so blotchy.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

First Forgery.—71.

Second Forgery.—71.

Third Forgery.—71.

Fourth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Fifth Forgery.—Uncancelled. Also a line in blue pencil. This, by the way, is often found on various old German stamps of different States, but I never saw it on a Bremen stamp.

Sixth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Album_Weeds_Bremen91860 & 1866-67. 7 Grote, black on yellow.

This stamp was issued for postage to Lübeck and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. There is only one type.

Genuine

Lithographed, on yellow wove paper, varieties as above. There are 18 lines of shading on the shield, not counting the thin, inner boundary-line on the right-hand side; and the first and last of these lines are very close to their respective sides of the shield. Most of the lines have been drawn too high, and show above the thick, inner outline of the top of the shield. The top end of the key is cut off square, instead of being a circle. There are 27 vertical lines in the shaded ornament at the center of the top of the stamp, and the central one of these lines is drawn up through the inner boundary-line at the top of the stamp, and joins the thick outline above it. This line is quite vertical. Outside the stamp, at each corner, there is a little three-lobed ornament, with a dot outside it; the dot in the left top corner does not touch the ornament. The fringe of shading to each 7 only touches the outline of the containing-oval in one little spot, at the back of the shoulder of each numeral. There are 29 lines in the fringe of the left-hand 7, and about 28 in that of the right-hand 7. There is one clear line of shading on the shield to the left of the point of the key. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key touches the fifth line of shading on the key, from the left. The right-hand knob touches the inner outline of the shield. Four of the vertical lines of the shield can be seen in the quatrefoil, in the handle of the key, but they are sometimes rather blotched. There is a trefoil-ornament at each end of the FRANCO MARKE label; the top lobe of the left-hand trefoil just touches the inner outline of the stamp to left of it, and two lobes of the right-hand trefoil touch the right-hand, inner outline. There are two of the vertical lines of shading of the top central ornament, which cut through the left top corner of the M of MARKE. The five jewels of the crown are all fairly diamond-shaped, and each diamond has a black dot in it, except the one to the right of the central one, which has two dots. There is a tiny, thin, slanting line or dash, crossing the outline, below the I of SIEBEN, and another similar dash below the B of that word. These are really portions of the wavy lines of the background, which show through. All these wavy lines, by the way, are in tall, sharply-pointed waves. There are nine waves in the lowest line at the bottom of the stamp.

First Forgery

This is extremely good, though the paper is too pale, being of a sulphur-yellow colour. Lithographed, on pale yellow wove paper, thinner, but harder than the genuine, unperforated, or perf. 13. There are only 17 lines of shading in the shield, not counting the thin, inner right- hand outline. The central vertical line of shading in the ornament at the top of the stamp is drawn up too high, as in the genuine, but it slants to the right, instead of going vertically across the border. The barrel of the key has no line joining the wards, though, in the genuine, the right-hand edge of the barrel is outlined. The dot outside the left top corner of the stamp plainly touches the little ornament. There are 29 lines in the fringe of the left-hand 7, and 28 in that of the right-hand 7. The upper lobe of the trefoil, at the left-hand end of the FRANCO label, does not touch the border-line to left of it. The two jewels to right of the center one, on the base of the crown, are more like pearls than diamonds, and have no dot in them. The wavy lines do not trespass across the border, under SIEBEN. It will be understood that, in the other points not mentioned, this forgery agrees with the genuine.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on thin, yellow wove paper, rather darker than the first forgery, unperforated. There are 16 lines in the shield, not counting the right-hand boundary-line, and the right-hand line is exceedingly close to the said boundary-line, like the genuine, but is very crooked in its center. The left-hand line is not close to the boundary-line. None of these lines show above the thick, top outline of the shield. There are 34 vertical lines of shading in the floral ornament, at the center of the top of the stamp. The central one of these lines does not trespass across the border above it. The dot, outside the left top corner of the stamp, is too large, and it is triangular in shape, instead of nearly circular. It is a good deal farther from the ornament than even in the genuine. The fringe of lines to the left-hand 7 does not touch the oval anywhere, and there are about 27 lines in the said fringe, but some of them are blotched in my specimen, so I cannot be quite sure of the number. The fringe of the right-hand 7 contains 25 lines. The corner of the barrel of the key just touches the first line of shading” in the shield. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key comes between the third and fourth lines of the shield, counting from the left. This ought to be an easy test. The right-hand knob is some distance from the right-hand outline of the shield, so that two of the lines of the shield can be seen between it and the outline. Instead of the four lines of the background, shown in the genuine, there is a little circle in the center of the quatrefoil, in the handle of the key. This is another easy test. The trefoils at the two ends of the FRANCO MARKE label do not touch the borders of the stamp. The top left corner of the M of MARKE is not cut through by any lines of shading. There is a dot in the central diamond on the base of the crown, and a very tiny one in the right-hand diamond, but none in the others. None of the wavy lines cut through the outline under SIEBEN. The lowest line of waves, at the bottom of the stamp, shows waves, instead of 9.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on fairly stout, yellow wove paper, only a very little lighter than the genuine, unperforated. There are only 13 vertical lines in the shield, not counting the thin, right-hand outline, and the outer ones are not near the sides of the shield. None of them show above the top outline. The top of the key is not cut off square, but ends in a circle. There are either 27 or 28 vertical lines of shading in the floral ornament at the centre of the top of the stamp, and the central one of these lines does not trespass across the outline above it. The dot in the left top corner touches its ornament. In the genuine stamps, all four of the corner-ornaments, outside the frame, are shaded with vertical lines. In this forgery the two top ornaments are shaded with lines which point towards the center of the stamp, the one in the left bottom corner has vertical shading, and the shading of the one in the right bottom corner slopes obliquely down to the left. The fringe of shading of each 7 touches the containing-oval, not only at the top right corner, but also round the bottom; there are only 19 lines in the fringe of the left-hand 7, and 18 in the other. The left-hand knob on the handle of the key comes between the second and third lines in the shield, and the right-hand knob is so far from the right-hand outline of the shield that there is one line of the shield to be seen between the knob and the outline. The trefoil-ornament at the left-hand end of the FRANCO MARKE label does not touch the frame anywhere, and the dark shading of the upper lobe of the right-hand trefoil just touches the right- hand border of the frame. There is no serif to the top left corner of the M of MARKE, and so, of course, there are no lines cutting through it. The three central jewels on the base of the crown are roughly-drawn ovals; the middle one and the one to the right of it have dots in them; the two outside ones are half-diamonds. The wavy lines of the back- ground do not trespass across the border, below SIEBEN. There are 9 1/4 waves in the lowest line, at the bottom of the stamp.

Fourth Forgery

Lithographed, on thickish, yellow wove paper, about the colour of the genuine, perf. 12 1/2. This is a very poor counterfeit, compared with some of the others. There are 19 lines in the shield, with the commencement of a twentieth in the left top corner. These, as before, do not include the thin, right-hand outline. None of these lines show above the thick, top outline of the shield. There are only 26 vertical lines of shading in the ornament at the center of the top of the stamp, and the central one of these lines does not trespass across the boundary-line above it; indeed, the central portion of this ornament, which, in the genuine, is the tallest part of the ornament, and touches the inner outline of the top of the frame, is, in this forgery, not so tall as the portions each side of it, and does not touch the outline above it. The fringe of shading at the back of the top of the left-hand 7 does not touch the outline of the containing-oval, but it almost touches at the bottom. The top line of the fringe of the right-hand 7 touches the outline. In the left-hand 7, there are about 22 lines of fringe; in the right-hand 7 there are about 23. There is no complete line on the shield, to the left of the point of the key; only the commencement of a line. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key comes between the fifth and sixth lines of shading of the shield. The postmark obscures the right-hand knob in my specimen, but I think there is a clear line of shading between it and the right-hand outline of the shield. The two upper lobes of the trefoil to the left of FRANCO touch the border, and the central lobe of the trefoil to the right of MARKE touches the border. There are no lines of shading cutting across the serif of the left top corner of the M of MARKE. There are no dots in the jewels on the crown, and the one to right of the center is an almost perfectly circular pearl. Several of the wavy lines of the back- ground trespass across the border, under the first half of SIEBEN, and some of the lines Can even be traced right through the letters SI. All the lines of the background are low waves, not the tall, sharp peaks of the genuine. There seem to be or 10 waves in the lowest line, at the bottom of the stamp.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

First Forgery. —Uncancelled.

Second Forgery.—71.

Third Forgery.—71.

Fourth Forgery.—71.

Album_Weeds_Bremen11 Album_Weeds_Bremen121861 & 1866-67. 10 Grote, black on white.

This stamp was issued for postage to Holland. There is only One type.

 

Genuine

Lithographed, on fairly stout, greyish-white wove paper, varieties as above. There are 27 lines in the oval shield. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key comes between the ninth and tenth of these lines from the left; the right-hand knob touches the fourth line from the right. A few of the lines have been drawn a little too high, and show above the top outline of the oval, especially the
first and fourth on the right side. The eleventh line from the left can generally be seen through the upper wards of the key. Five vertical lines, and indications of a sixth, are visible in the quatrefoil, in the handle of the key. The bottom knob of the key does not touch the outline of the containing-oval below it, and the line of shading under the center of the bottom of the knob trespasses a little across the outline below it. The wards of the key do not touch the outline of the barrel to left of them. In the lace-work pattern round the outside of the shield, each rosette shows four rows of holes in it. The top and bottom rosettes are joined to their neighbors by two imperfect white links of chain; all the others are joined by three links. The lattice-work lines of the oval which contains BREMEN ZEHN GROTE have been drawn too high above the BR, and go right across both white outlines. One of them also cuts into the right top half of the B, and another into the right top half of the R, making a black dot in the head of each letter. Another of these lines cuts into the upper part of the left-hand end of the E of ZEHN, and two into the top of the G of GROTE. In the left upper 10, the 1 has a white projection in the center of its left-hand edge, and the o is broken at the top. In the right upper 10, the 1 generally shows a tiny black dot near the top, and the 0 has a long curved line of shading inside its left half. In the left bottom 10, the serif at the head of the 1 is divided from the body of the numeral by a thin black line; that is to say, the left outline of the numeral is carried up unbroken to the top, across the serif. The trefoil-ornament, outside the left top corner of the stamp, contains seven radiating black lines, the third from the left being very long; the trefoil in the right top corner has five lines, two of them very short; the trefoil in the left bottom corner has six lines; and that in the right bottom corner also has six. There is a line all round the outside of the stamp, f mm. from the nearest point.

First Forgery

Very nicely lithographed, on fairly thick, extremely white wove paper, perf. 12 1/2, also pin-perf. about 17. The left-hand knob of the shield touches the tenth line from the left. None of the lines of the shield trespass across the outline, and none of them show through the upper wards of the key. The lattice-work lines show across the boundary, above the BR of BREMEN, but they are much fainter than in the genuine. There is no dot either in the B or in the R of this word, or in the E of ZEHN, and only one occasionally visible in the neck of the G of GROTE. There is no white projection in the center of the left-hand outline of the 1 in the left top corner, and the o is not broken at the top. In the right-hand upper 10 there is no dot in the 1, and the 0 is either unshaded, or shows only a short vertical line in the left side, instead of a long line, following the curve of the numeral from top to bottom. The serif of the 1 in the left bottom corner is not cut off from the body of the numeral. The radiating lines in the trefoils, outside the corners of the stamp, are: Left upper trefoil, 6 (the third line from the left being no longer than the fourth or fifth); right upper trefoil, 4, besides a base-line; left lower trefoil, 5; right lower trefoil, 5, and a base-line. There is no line round the outside of the stamp.

Second Forgery

Coarsely lithographed, on medium, yellowish-white wove paper, badly pin-perf. about 12, also badly pin-perf. to a much smaller, but uncountable gauge. The left-hand knob of the key touches the tenth vertical line in the shield. The line opposite the top point of the key generally trespasses across the boundary-line above it, under the center of the top rosette. None of the lines show through the wards of the key. In the quatrefoil of the key, the fourth line from the right is very crooked, instead of vertical. The line of the shield, under the center of the end knob of the key, does not trespass across the boundary-line below it. A prolongation of the T-like, lower wards of the key touches the outline of the barrel to left of it, and, in some specimens, the same is the case with the upper wards. There are only three rows of holes in each rosette. The top rosette seems to be joined to each of its neighbors by a single white link, and the two above the Z of ZEHN are joined together by two links only. The lattice-work lines do not trespass across either of the white outlines, above the BR of BREMEN, and there is no dot in either the B or the R, or in any of the lower letters. The 1 of the 10 in the left top corner has no white projection, and the 0 is not broken at the top. In the right upper 10, the 1 has no dot, and there is no shading in the 0. In the left lower 10, the serif of the 1 has no line, dividing it from the numeral. The radiating lines in the four corner-trefoils are: Left upper trefoil, 4; right upper one, 3 or 4 (they are blotched); left lower one, 3; right lower one, 5. The line round the stamp is a full millimeter from the nearest part of the stamp itself.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on thin, yellowish-white wove paper, pin-perf. 16. There are only 26 lines in the shield. The left-hand knob of the key touches the ninth line from the left, and the shading of the right-hand knob comes between the third and fourth lines from the right. Nearly all the lines show more or less above the outline of the top of the shield. Two or three of the lines can be seen through the wards of the key. The shadow of the bottom knob of the key touches the outline below it. One line of shading, just below this knob, can be seen, projecting slightly downwards, about as much as in the genuine. The top rosette is joined to its left-hand neighbor by one entire link, instead of two imperfect ones, and the lowest rosette is joined to its right-hand neighbor by one link. The lattice-work lines show faintly across the inner white line, above the BR of BREMEN, but they do not cross the outer one. There is no dot in any of the letters. In the left upper 10, there is no white projection from the center of the left-hand outline, and the top of the o is not broken. In the right upper 10, there is no dot in the 1, and no line of shading in the 0. In the left bottom 10, the serif is not cut off from the rest of the 1. The radiating lines in the four corner-trefoils are: Left upper trefoil, 6; right upper one, 2 and a dot; left lower one, 4; right lower one, 4. There is no line round the stamp.

Fourth Forgery

Lithographed, on fairly stout, very yellowish-white wove paper, very nicely perf. 12 1/2. There are only 24 lines in the shield. The left-hand knob of the handle of the key comes between the eighth and ninth lines from the left. None of the lines project beyond the upper outline, but in my single specimen, the fifteenth line from the left projects obliquely across the boundary-line of the bottom of the shield, slanting down from right to left. None of the lines show through the wards of the key. I can only make out three vertical lines in the quatrefoil of the handle of the key. The bottom knob touches the outline below it, and there is no line to be seen below the center of this knob. A prolongation of each of the wards of the key touches the outline of the barrel, to left of them. The rosette to left of the topmost one only shows three rows of holes. The top rosette is joined to its right-hand neighbor without any link between them, so far as I can see; and the same is the case with the bottom one and its right-hand neighbor. The others have one, two, and parts of three links, respectively, but none of them have three perfect links. There are a few very faint indications of the lattice-work lines across the white boundary-lines above the RE of BREMEN; there is a very slight indentation of the top of the B; the R does not seem to have any dot; and the only mark that I can see in any of the lower letters is a small, oblique scratch, near the lower part of the left side of the E of ZEHN. The I of the left upper 10 shows no white projection, and the top of the 0 is not broken. In the right upper 10, there is no dot in the I, and no shading in the 0. The serif is not cutoff in the left lower X. The radiating lines in the four corner-trefoils are: Left upper trefoil, 4; right upper one, 5; left lower one, 5; right lower one, 3 and a dot. There is no line outside the stamp.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

First Forgery.—Uncancelled, or a blue pencil-line.

Second Forgery.—71.

Third Forgery.—71.

Fourth Forgery.—71.

Album_Weeds_Bremen13 Album_Weeds_Bremen14 Album_Weeds_Bremen151861, 1863 & 1866-67. 5 Silber Groschen, green on white.

This value was to frank postage to England. There is only one type

Genuine

Lithographed, in olive-green (1861), sea-green and yellow-green (1863), yellow-green, 1866-7; varieties as above. The paper is tolerably thick, white, or yellowish-white wove, and usually with a shiny surface. The top end of the barrel of the key is a circle. The wards of the key are like two E’S, with very long central tongues, placed back to back; but there is only one of the forgeries which does not imitate this. The ornamental border or frame of the shield has many projections from it, and there is a coloured dot in the projection over the 5, and a similar dot in the projection over the R, of 5 SGR. The trefoil at the top of the shield does not touch the outline above it, under the M of BREMEN. There are 59 vertical lines behind the shield, counting along the top. Most of these lines project above the boundary-line under BREMEN; indeed, in good copies, one of them cuts into the bottom of the first E of that word. The top outline of the head of the 5 is only very slightly concave, and the end of the tail of this numeral is a large round ball. There is a line of shading down the center of the right leg of the right-hand V. The sides of the frame, containing the hanging drapery and curly scrolls, are shaded with broad, horizontal green lines, and not solid. The stop after SGR is quite square. The ball in the right top corner of the stamp has a complete green ring in it. The trefoil-ornament at the top of the stamp is included within thirteen of the vertical lines of the back- ground; it touches the first of these, and the thirteenth, on the right, is outside the shadow on the right side, not touching it. The bottom of the G of SGR rests on the line below it. In the unperforated issue, there is a thin line round the stamp, about 1 mm. from the outline. The quatrefoil in the handle of the key is 1 3/4 mm. across in its widest part.

First Forgery

Nicely lithographed, in olive-green, yellowish-green, green, or a green so very yellow as to be almost greenish-yellow, rather than yellow-green, on thin, white wove paper, unperforated, percé en scie, or pin-perf. 12 1/2. The paper is to be found both shiny and dull. The top end of the key is cut off square, or rather, slightly rounded. There are no dots in the projections of the frame of the shield, above the 5 and the R of 5 SGR. The lines of the background do not project above the outline under BREMEN. The top outline of the head of the 5 is extremely concave. There is no line of shading in the right leg of the right-hand V. The shading in the ball, at the right top corner of the stamp, is a green crescent, instead of a ring. In the unperforated stamp, there is no line round the outside of the frame. The ornamental frame of the shield only touches the outline on the right side, though, in the genuine, it touches on the left side as well. This is a capital forgery; the crescent in the ball in the right top corner is the easiest test.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, in yellow-green, or bright green, on thick, non-surfaced white wove paper, unperforated. The two dots are absent in the two projections of the frame of the shield, above the 5 and the R of 5 SGR. The trefoil at the top of the shield touches the outline of the frame above it, under the first stroke of the M of BREMEN. The lines can, therefore, not be counted, but they do not trespass above the boundary-line, under BREMEN. There is no shading along the right limb of the right-hand V. The stop after SGR. is circular. The ball in the right top corner of the stamp contains a badly-formed crescent, instead of a circle. The lower end of the 5 is not a ball. My copies are rather closely cut, so I cannot say whether there is a line round the stamp or not. The quatrefoil in the handle of the key is too small, being only about 1 3/4 mm. across its widest part. The top end of the key is cut off rounded, but shows no circle.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, in rather dark yellow-green, on very thin, rather shiny, white wove paper, unperforated. The end of the barrel of the key is a circle in this forgery, like the genuine. The wards of the key are joined together by a line, along the barrel of the key. The projection of the frame of the shield, over the R of 5 SGR., has a dot in it, as in the genuine; and I think the one over the 5 also has a dot, but I am not sure, as my only two specimens have this particular spot hidden by the postmark. The top of the trefoil very nearly touches the top of the stamp; so nearly, that the lines cannot be counted above it. One or two of the lines project very slightly above the boundary-line, below BREMEN, but this is hardly noticeable. The top of the head of the 5 has a very jaunty, upward curve. There is a line along the right limb of the right-hand V, but it is near the inner edge, instead of along the center. The horizontal green lines in the side-frames are, in some parts, so close together as to appear almost solid. The stop after SGR. is something between an oval and a transverse oblong. The ball in the right top corner of the stamp contains a crescent, instead of a circle. The lower end of the 5 is not a ball. The G of SGR. not only rests on the line beneath it, but goes slightly through the line. There is no line round the stamp. The quatrefoil in the handle of the key is too large, being 2 mm. across at the widest part.

Fourth Forgery

Lithographed, in very yellow-green, on thick, rather hard, unsurfaced, yellowish-white wove paper, unperforated. The top of the barrel of the key is cut off square. There are no dots in the projections of the frame of the shield, above the 5 and R of 5 SGR. There are about 62 vertical lines in the background, behind the shield. Some of them project slightly beyond the outline above them, under the name, but not nearly so much as in the genuine; nor does one of them touch the first E of BREMEN. The top of the 5 slopes slightly down to the right, instead of curving upwards to the right. There is no line of shading in the right-hand V. The upper part of the right-hand frame is quite solid, though the horizontal green lines can be seen lower down. The stop after the SGR. is an oval, which slopes up a little to the right. The ball in the right top corner of the stamp contains a crescent, instead of a circle. The trefoil-ornament at the top of the stamp is contained between eleven lines of the background, touching both. The lower end of the 5 is a ball, like the genuine, only it curls inwards, instead of pointing upwards. The quatrefoil in the handle of the key is too large, being very nearly 2 mm. across.

Fifth Forgery

This is a mere caricature. It is very coarsely lithographed, in black, on thin, very yellowish-white wove paper, unperforated. A very few words will suffice to describe it, in case it should exist in the proper colour. The wards of the key are formed by four small black squares, placed a little distance apart, so as to make a white cross on a black ground. The trefoil-ornament touches the outline above it. The balls in the frames are of solid black.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

First Forgery.—71.

Second Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Third Forgery.—71. Also a long, broad, horizontal bar, with several short, broad, vertical bars each side of it.

Fourth Forgery.—71.

Fifth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Envelopes

1857. 1 Grote, black on blue; black on white.

These envelopes are hand-stamped; and, like all hand-stamps, are hardly ever seen as absolutely perfect impressions.

Genuine

Hand-stamped in black, on white wove, blue wove, white laid (?), and also on blue ornamental, or fancy paper, with wavy laid lines. I have had but one of the latter, and I got it, in 1869, from a Bremen friend, who was a collector. My only entire specimen, given me by a collector in Berlin, is 149 x 82 mm., with “long gum.” It is struck in the left upper corner of the envelope, and has FRANCO printed in the left lower corner, in Roman capitals, 3 1/2 mm. high. There is a large stop after BREMEN, almost level with the middle of the N, instead of level with its foot, and the edge of the stop is barely 1/4 mm. from the side of the N. The shield measures 6 mm. from side to side, and very nearly 6 mm. vertically, from the top outline to the point at the bottom. The letters TAD of STADT are all joined together at the bottom. The tail of the R of BREMEN curls up, considerably higher than the foot of the following E. STADT POST AMT is in letters 1 3/4 mm. high, and BREMEN is in letters 1 1/2 mm. high. The jewels on the base of the crown are small, circular black dots, to represent pearls. In all my specimens, these are smudged, so that I am not able to count them, but there are at least nine pearls, and possibly more. By reason of the smudging, I cannot give any details of the key in the shield. The top edge of each side-flap of the envelope is cut in a straight line, while the bottom edge of each of the said side-flaps is rounded. In my list of the various papers I have mentioned white laid, with a “?”, as I am not sure that it exists. My present specimens are all on white wove. The bottom point of the shield is over the end of the E of BREMEN.

First Forgery

This is struck in the right top corner of the envelope, and the word FRANCO is absent. I have two entire specimens; one is on thin, white laid paper, 151 1/2 x 80 1/2 mm., and the other on stout, blue wove, 149 1/2 x 81 1/2 mm. In each case, the top edge of each side-flap is rounded, like the bottom edge. Both my specimens have “long gum,” like the genuine. The stop after BREMEN is small, and 3/4 mm. distant from the N. It is quite circular, though the genuine stamps, in both my specimens, show the said stop quite oval, probably from the movement of the hand in stamping. In this forgery, the stop is only a shade above the level of the foot of the N. The shield is 5 3/4 mm. across, and slightly more than mm. from the top outline to the bottom point. The A and D of STADT do not touch at the bottom. There are only five jewels on the base of the crown, three in the center of the band, and one at each edge. A very easy test for this forgery is the position of the bottom point of the shield, which is just above the first vertical stroke of the M, instead of the end of the E of BREMEN. The ornaments on the top of the crown are apparently trefoils; in the genuine they are meant for strawberry- leaves. In anticipation of possible criticism, I may say here that, though for the convenience of non-heraldic readers, I have spoken, throughout my description of the Bremen stamps, of “crown” and “trefoils,” it is really a ducal coronet, with the usual strawberry-leaves.

Second Forgery

I have only cut specimens of this, so cannot say anything as to size of envelope, presence or absence of FRANCO, etc. This is not at all a bad imitation. It is on greyish-white wove paper. The edge of the stop is rather more than J mm. from the N of BREMEN, and it is about the same height as in the genuine. The outline of the shield is very thin; it measures a shade under 6 mm. across, and 5 3/4 mm. from top to point. The point, by the way, hardly projects at all below the bottom outline, and it is a good deal to the left of the center of the bottom of the shield, instead of being central. It comes over the end of the E of BREMEN, as in the genuine. The tail of the R of this word does not curl up at all. The base of the crown is blotched, but among the blotches can be seen three small dots, one at each end of the band, and one in the center. The wards of the key show a white cross, which is not visible in the genuine. My specimen shows a long dash, joining the tops of the M and E of BREMEN.

Third Forgery

I have only cut specimens of this. It is on blue wove, and also on thick, white wove paper, the latter of an exceedingly coarse graining.

There is a small round stop after BREMEN, 3/4 mm. from the N. The shield is barely 5 1/2 mm. across, and 6 mm. from top outline to bottom point. The said point is above the end of the E, as in the genuine. None of the letters of the inscription touch each other anywhere, though the bottoms of the A and D of STADT are very close together. The tail of the R of BREMEN does not curl up at all. The letters of STADT POST AMT are decidedly too small, being only 1 1/4 mm. high, instead of 1 3/4 mm., and those of BREMEN are 1 1/2 mm. high, like the genuine. The band of the crown contains something which looks like 6 1/2 diamonds, joined together.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before. The only used specimen at present in my possession has BREMEN 5 * 8 in the frame.

First Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Second Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Third Forgery.—5, 98.

Post Office Seal.

A circular stamp, with scalloped edge, containing crowned arms in center, and the legend STADT-POST-AMT BREMEN, is occasionally found in old collections. It is on greenish-blue wove paper, water- marked with wavy lines, and gummed. This is only a seal of the Bremen Post Office, for official correspondence, etc. Such things are very common in Germany, and are called “Oblaten” (wafers). They are used by firms, companies, official bodies, etc., instead of regular wax seals, and even those from post offices, like the one here described, are not stamps in any sense of the word, or even franks.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

German Colonies Postmarks: Togo – Lome

Postmark no. 14 of 25 in use in Togo. LOME TOGOGEBIET. In use from 1. March 1890 – 6. August 1914.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • V. 37 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 39 – 51 (Vorläufer)
  • Togo 1 – 19
  • Togo 21 & 22

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

Genuine example:

GermanyTogoCancel14-1

German Colonies Postmarks: China – Peking

Postmark no. 12 of 36 in use in China. PEKING DEUTSCHE POST. In use from 14. November 1900 – 15. March 1917. In November 1900 the colour is violet-black.

Seen on the following stamps (Michel no.):

  • V. 37 (Vorläufer)
  • V. 45 – 51 (Vorläufer)
  • China 1 -6
  • China 8 – 47
  • Kiautschou 5 – 17

Source: Die Postwertzeichen und Entwertungen der Deutschen Postanstalten in den Schutzgebieten und im Ausland, 3. edition by Albert Friedemann.

Genuine example:

GermanyChinaCancel12-1