Album Weeds – Afghanistan

The issues, types, varieties, and values of the Afghan stamps are quite bewildering in their number; and, unless a collector happen to have a pretty deep purse, I am afraid he will be obliged to be content to see a good many blanks in the portion of his album devoted to this State.

Before I begin with the ordinary forgeries, I must mention two stamps which I have come across lately; they are both dated 1280 (1862-3?), and both on yellowish-white laid paper. The one is in bluish purple, with a clumsy white quatrefoil in the centre, and seems to be an impression from a seal. It has seven cuts or scratches, of the color of the impression, right across the stamp, as though the seal or die had been cancelled to render it useless. The other is in bright magenta, and looks more like a lithograph, with native characters in the centre, among which is something that looks like “abasi”; but the (pen-stroke) cancellation comes over it, so I cannot be certain. I do not know anything about these two stamps, but conclude that, if not forgeries, they must be fiscals of some kind, as of course there were no postals so early as 1280.

Issue of 1870-1. Dated 1288.

There are five types of each value on the plate, in addition to one with 15 of the I shahi, and another with 10 of the I shahi, and 5 of the I sunar.

The genuine stamps are all in black, on white laid paper. The only forgery which I possess of this issue is the 1 sunar, and so I will confine myself to the five types of this value.

1 Sunar. Genuine

Type I.—There are 78 black dots in the outer circle. The tiger’s ears are both distinctly above the fringe of hair on the top outline of the head, and the pupils of the eyes are almost central. The scratchy patch of white inside the circle, below the head, reaches up on the right side of the stamp to level with the tiger’s left eye, but on the left side of the stamp it only reaches to the level of the right corner of the mouth.

Type II.—There are 86 black dots in the outer circle. The tiger’s left ear, on the right side of the stamp, is below the level of the fringe of hair on the top of the head. The eyes are looking to the left side of the stamp. The patch of white below the head reaches up to level with the eyes on both sides.

Type III.—There are 84 black dots in the outer circle. The ears project slightly above the fringe of hair at the top of the head. The eyes are looking towards the left side of the stamp. The patch of white below the head is fainter than in the first two types ; it reaches up to the level of the eye on the right side of the stamp, and a little higher than Type I. on the left.

Type IV.—There are 77 black dots in the outer circle. The fringe of hair on the top of the head in this type is almost horizontal, instead of being curved like the other types. The ears have no shading in them, though each contains a black dot or line in all the other types. The eyes look towards the left side of the stamp, but are squinting, i.e., the right eye (left side of the stamp) is much higher than the other. The patch of white below the head reaches to the top of the ear on the right side of the stamp, and to the level of the pupil of the eye on the other side.

Type V.—There are 81 black dots in the outer circle. The ears are very slightly above the level of the fringe of hair. The eyes seem to be both looking downwards. The patch of white in the central circle reaches from level with the top of the head, on the right side of the stamp, round to near the chin on the same side.

1 Sunar. Forged

Coarsely lithographed, on yellowish – white laid paper. A piece is snipped out of my specimen to make it look more genuine, so that some of the black dots in the outer circle are cut away ; but I have calculated that there cannot be more than 66 of them, so this will be an easy test, as there are 77 in the type of the genuine which has fewest (Type IV.). The ear on the right side of the stamp sticks out far above the fringe of hair, and the other ear is altogether absent. The whole of each eye seems to be a black patch, except that the right eye (left side of stamp) has a tiny white speck in the centre. The patch of white below the head is merged into the chin in this forgery, so as to form part of the head.

As to the value, in this and the next issue to be described, I suppose most of my readers are aware that it is found in white, in the central circle, above the tiger’s head. The date is found in the broad lettered circle on the right side of the stamp, opposite the tiger’s left cheek, and (in this issue) immediately after {i.e., to the left of) the L of KABUL, which is a thing like a large fish-hook.

Issue of 1872-3. Dated 1290.

1 Shahi, black

There are fifteen types on the sheet. My forgery is from Type IV. (i.e., the first stamp in the second row), and I describe with reference to that particular type.

Genuine

Printed in black, on white laid paper. There are 83 black dots in the outer circle. The word of value
above the tiger’s head (shahi) is in two parts, the one to the left being something like a badly-made S, lying almost on its face, and is not broken. There is a round dot above the left eyebrow (right side of the stamp), and another touching the eyebrow. Below the right eye (left side of stamp) there is a small curved line, just touching the side of the nose. Both ears are somewhat pointed. There is no white patch in the pupil of either eye. Of the four large ornaments outside the stamp (top, bottom, right, and left), the one to the left finishes with an arrow, pointing inwards, like the one at the bottom, but with a somewhat longer stem.

Forged

Lithographed, on very thick, very yellowish-white wove paper. There are 84 black dots in the outer circle. The word of value above the tiger’s head is in three parts; that is to say, the character like an S has its upper portion broken away, and separate from the rest of the letter. The dot which touches the eyebrow (right side of stamp) is shown, but the one on the forehead, above the eyebrow, is not visible. The curved line below the right eye (left side of stamp) is also absent. The right ear (left side of stamp) is quite round, the other is even more pointed than the genuine. There is a white patch in the pupil of each eye. The arrow, pointing inwards, outside the bottom of the stamp is like the genuine; but the one on the left side is very much too short, with hardly any stem; whereas the stem of this arrow is the longest in the genuine. Printed on the proper paper, this forgery would be very deceptive.

Issue of 1874-5. Dated 1292.

1 Sunar, black, purple. Genuine

Printed in black or purple, on white laid. There are ten types on the sheet. The forgers have imitated Type I., which I here describe. The outer circle shows signs of the dots being separated by compartments, but the little marks are hardly noticeable. The tiger’s right ear (left side of stamp) is an upright white line, with a hook hanging out of the middle of it. There is a dot in the centre of the left lower eyelid (right side of stamp), almost as large as the pupil above it. The nose is a rough triangle, i.e., there are no outlines running up towards the forehead. The left corner of the mouth (right side of stamp) is not split. The little flower in the lettered circle just below the tiger’s chin appears to have six petals, but they are blotched together a good deal.

First Forgery

Lithographed in black, on very thick, very yellowish-white wove paper. Most of the dots in the outer circle are evidently in separate compartments, though the dividing-lines do not go quite across the white circle, being broken in the middle, so as to appear somewhat like colons. The tiger’s right ear (left side of stamp) is an oblique line, pointing towards the left top corner, and ending in a knob. There is no trace of the hook that the genuine stamp shows. There is no dot in the centre of the left lower eyelid (right side of stamp). The side-outlines of the nose run up to the level of the centre of the eyes. The outer corner of the mouth on the right side of the stamp is split into two lines. The little flower in the lettered circle at the bottom of the stamp shows five petals, and only two of them are joined together.

Second Forgery

This is really a very poor affair, though at first sight it does not look bad. Lithographed in black, on rather thin, tough, bluish-white wove paper. I really do not know which type it is supposed to imitate. The outer circle has oblique clotted lines across it, making it look like a roughly-made rope. This is an easy test. Both ears are very sharply pointed, and the right ear (left side of stamp) is considerably higher than the other. The whole of the right eye (left side of stamp) is one large black dot. There is no dot in the centre of the other eyelid. The side-lines of the nose run up almost to the top of the forehead. The corner of the mouth on the right side of the stamp is split, as in the first forgery. The little flower at the bottom of the stamp is represented by three small white dots. The lettering is very poorly imitated ; evidently the artist had never before tried his hand at oriental characters.

Issue of 1875-6. Dated 1293.

Shahi, Sunar, Abasi, 4 Rupee, 1 Rupee, black, purple

These are very scarce stamps, being priced at from £10 to £50. The sheet is arranged according to the cut here given, i.e., 12 types of the shahi, 3 of the sunar, 3 of the abasi, 3 of the 1/2 rupee, and 3 of the 1 rupee. My forgeries are all of the J and 1 rupee, and were made by photolithography in Paris. The 1/2 rupee stamps are imitated from Type I. of that value, No. 16 on the sheet, and the 1 rupee from Type II. of that value, No. 8 on the sheet, so I will describe from these types.

1/2 Rupee. Genuine. Type I

Printed in black or purple, on white laid paper. There is a small piece broken out of the inner white ring on the left side, near the tiger’s right cheek, and there is an oval white dot, just at that spot, between the ring and the tiger’s cheek, as though the broken piece had been pushed inside the ring; but the white dot is not big enough to fill up the gap in the ring, supposing it to be replaced. The colored line, separating the tiger’s chin from the white circle, is continuous. The left outline of the nose (right side of stamp) is decidedly higher than the other, and runs up almost to the level of the white part of the eye, while the other outline does not go near the other eye. There is a well defined upright stroke in the nose, near the point.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in black and in purple, on thick, very hard, white laid paper. The inner white ring has apparently been cut through obliquely on the left side, and then the lower end of the oblique cut bent in, till it nearly touches the cheek. If the piece were supposed to be bent back again, it would more than fill up the gap. This piece is not separate from the rest of the ring. The colored line separating the tiger’s chin from the bottom of the white ring is broken in two places, so that, in those two places, the ring and the chin join. Both outlines of the sides of the nose are about the same height, so that the one on the right side of the face (left side of stamp) reaches quite up to the level of the right lower eyelid. There is usually not the faintest trace of a line in the point of the nose, though one of my specimens shows an extremely faint indication of a line. This is a very good imitation.

Second Forgery

This is not nearly so good as the one just described. Lithographed, in very bright red-mauve, on very thick, hard, yellowish-white wove paper. The break in the ring is more like the genuine than that in the first forgery ; but the ring itself is far too thin, being not half the breadth of the ring of the genuine. The hair on the top of the head is not like any type of the genuine, being composed of strong wavy lines, instead of the inconspicuous dots and scratches of the genuine. The nose is well imitated, though the little line near the point is quite perpendicular, instead of being slightly oblique. The lettering is all very thin and scratchy, and the ” q ” of the date is inverted. The outer ring is much too full of colour. I do not think this forgery is likely to deceive.

Same Issue. 1 Rupee, Type II., black, purple.

Genuine

Printed, as before, on white laid paper. Both eyes are looking inwards and upwards : the pupils can be plainly seen. The right outline of the nose (left side of stamp) runs up to very near the eye, but does not touch it. There is an exceedingly faint white line between the cheek and the ring, on the right side of the stamp, and almost parallel with the curve of the cheek. I expect that this will be entirely absent in heavily-printed copies. There are a few dots, by way of eyebrows, but no A-shaped mark.

Forged

Lithographed in purple, on thick, hard, white laid paper. Each eye is one large colored blotch, without pupils. The right outline of the nose (left side of stamp) runs up to the eye, and joins it. There is a very distinct white line running up between the cheek and the white ring on the right side of the stamp. Above the left eye (right side of stamp) there is a dark mark like a A, touching the eye. This is a good forgery.
Issue of 1876. Dated 1293. 1 Shahi, 1 Sunar, 1 Abasi, 4 Rupee, 1 Rupee.
There are five sets, in different colors, grey, purple, black, green, and yellow-brown, for the different districts. I have only the forgery of the i shahi, grey, and only one type of the genuine, from which to describe. There is one plate with 24 of the 1 shahi, and another plate with 6 of the I shahi, 12 of the I sunar, 3 of the £ rupee, and 3 of the 1 rupee.

1 Shahi. Genuine

Lithographed, on rather thick, white laid paper. The catalogues generally give the color as being grey; but I should rather call it a sort of neutral tint, of a bluish cast. The outer border of the stamp is a white ring, dotted at tolerably close, but irregular intervals, with colored blotches. The tiger has very distinct eyebrows, composed of dots; and his face has a number of spots on it.

Forged

Lithographed, on thin yellowish-white wove paper. The color is what I should call a dark grey, quite different from that of the genuine. The outer border of the stamp is a rope the strands being quite distinct. These strands do not at all resemble the dots on the genuine. The tiger has no eyebrows, and his face is not spotty. There are, of course, a good many other little differences, but I think the ones I have here given will enable anyone to detect the counterfeit. It came out in 1877, so the forgers must have set to work almost immediately upon the appearance of the stamp, and I am afraid their handiwork had a considerable sale ; for the counterfeit is tolerably well done, and the genuine stamps had been in the market but a very little while, before these impostors came over from Germany.

Issue of 1876-7. Dated ’94.

There are the same five values, each in five different colors, as before. The plate consists of 25 of the 1 shahi, 3 of the 1 sunar, 3 of the 1 abasi, 2 of the 1/2 rupee, and 2 of the 1 rupee.

1 Shahi. Genuine

I only possess one specimen of the 1 shahi, but I think that will be sufficient to allow me to deal with the forgery. Lithographed, in grey, purple, black, green, or brown, according to the district
for which it is intended, on white laid paper. The tiger’s face is decidedly more than 6 mm. across at the broadest part, and both eyes show plenty of white. The white ring round the face is about broad enough to allow two lines to be drawn in it (it is about 3 mm. broad). The inscriptions are in characters that are not nearly so thick as the width of the white line round the face. The tail of the I of S H A H I (a thing like a badly-formed 5 at the bottom of the stamp) does not go near the first letter of the word to left of it. (It will be remembered that all these characters read from right to left.) The outline of the whole stamp is thin.

Forged

Lithographed, in carmine, on white laid paper, extremely thick and hard. The tiger’s face is much too small, and only measures 5 mm. across. The left eye (right side of stamp) is a solid blotch of color, and the right eye is nearly so, only showing a tiny speck of white. The white ring round the face is extremely thin, being a mere white thread, and there is a wide gap in it at the bottom, for very nearly a quarter of the way round. It would be utterly impossible to draw a line along it without completely obliterating it. All the inscriptions are very thick and clumsy, very much thicker than the white ring. The tail of the I of SHAHI is joined to the letter to left of it. The outline of the whole stamp is thick, being quite 1/2 mm. broad. The date-figures are very poorly imitated. The “q” is something like an ordinary “7,” with the head turned to the right; the “p” is a thick, clumsy “v,” and there is a dot after it.

Issue of April, 1878. Dated ’95.

Five values, in five colors, as before. One plate contains 40 of the 1 shahi; another plate has 30 of the 1 sunar, 6 of the 1 abasi, 2 of the 1/2 rupee, and 2 of the 1 rupee. I possess a forgery of what is presumably intended for the 1 shahi, black, but it is a poor imitation. Unfortunately, I have only one type of the genuine from which to describe.

1 Shahi. Genuine

Lithographed in grey, black, purple, green, or yellow-brown, on white laid paper. There is a thick blotch of color, outside the tiger’s face, extending from somewhere about the middle of the right cheek (left side of stamp) round below the chin, and to about level with the mouth on the other side. The face measures about 8 1/2 mm. across in the broadest part, and the eyes have large, solid black pupils, looking upwards. The date and value are quite as distinct a§ in the illustration above, and there is no mistaking them. The nose of the tiger is broad and three-lobed at the end. The stamp is circular.

Forged

I do not think this is very likely to deceive. Typographed, in grayish black, on medium, white wove paper. There is no black blotch outside the tiger’s face, but there is a small one on the face, at the edge of the right cheek (left side of the stamp), and another at the corner of the mouth on the same side. The face measures about 9 1/2 mm. across the widest part, making the whole head look very much larger than the genuine. The eyes are white, with a tiny horizontal black line by way of pupil to each. The date is ” q 1 o,” the ” q ” being very badly made. The value is quite unreadable; indeed, the whole of the lettering is a mere caricature of the genuine. The nose of the tiger is long, narrow, bent to the left, and with a slanting tip.

Issue of June, 1878. Dated ’95

Of this issue I have not yet seen any forgery. There is only the one value (1 shahi), printed in grey, purple, green, yellow, or black, for the different districts, on white laid paper.

Issues of 1880-90. Dated 1298 (irqA).

1 Abasi, 2 Abasi, 1 Rupee

There are many varieties of these three values, in the way of paper and color. I am afraid I shall have to give the list, though it is rather long. Thin white laid bâtonné: i a., 2 a., i r., violet; ditto, violet-black; ditto, black; ditto, pink. White wove bâtonné : i a., 2 a., i r. Thin white wove: i a., rose; I a., 2 a., 1 r., purple. Thin colored wove: 1 a., purple on green; ditto, red on blue; ditto, red on green. Colored laid bâtonné: 1 a., purple on yellow; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., red on yellow. White laid bâtonné: 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., brown; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., carmine. Thin colored wove : 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., red on yellow; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., carmine on rose; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., red on orange; 1 a., carmine on rose; ditto, lilac on rose; ditto, violet on pale blue. Colored laid bâtonné: 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., lake on green; 2 a., red on yellow; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., violet on lilac. Thin colored wove: 1 a., black on magenta; 1 a., claret on orange. Colored laid bâtonné: 1 a., black on lavender; 1 a., puce on green; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., black on pink. Thin colored laid paper: 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., black on pink; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., brown on yellow; 1 a., 2 a., 1 r., blue on green. Ordinary white laid : 1 a., lake ; 2 a., lake-red.

1 Abasi. Genuine

Paper and color as above, according to the variety. All the dots in the inner and outer circle are oblongs, with straight (i.e., not rounded) ends. There are 50 of them round the inner circle,
and 97 in the outer one, and none of them touch the outlines of the circles. In the centre of the
stamp the top character is like a shepherd’s crook or a fish hook, lying horizontally, with the crook to the left, and the bend of the hook quite distinct and thick. (The illustration does not show the
bend.) The central character is all in one piece. The left hand end of the lowest character turns
round, so as to point perpendicularly upwards, and, in its broadest part, it is almost as wide as the white ring outside it. This lowest character, as a whole (it signifies “one”), looks a little like a badly-made “5,” lying almost on its back, with no head, but with an extra projection at the shoulder. It is all in one piece.

First Forgery

Lithographed, in black and in purple, on medium, white wove, and also in purple, on orange wove paper. All the dots in the two circles are either rounded or pointed at the ends, and the majority of them are ovals. There are 49 of them in the inner circle, and 91 in the outer one, and several touch the outlines of the inner circle, and a number touch the outlines of the outer circle. In this outer circle, also, a number of the dots are joined together, as though the ink had run. The top character in the centre is an almost straight horizontal line. Above it may be seen a short wavy white line, which, in the genuine, is the point of the hook or crook ; but, in this forgery, and in the illustration above, the horizontal line does not bend round to join it. The central character is in three parts. The horizontal part of the lowest character is broken in the middle, and the left-hand end points slantingly up to the left, instead of perpendicularly upwards. This horizontal part is very much narrower than the width of the ring outside it.

Second Forgery

Lithographed in rose, on thin, orange laid paper. The dots in the two circles are more like the shape of the genuine ones in this forgery. There are 47 in the inner circle. I have not been able to count the dots in the outer circle, as my specimen is blotched, but I fancy there are more than in the genuine, and several of them touch the outlines of the outer circle. The top character in the centre of the stamp is merely a horizontal line, as in the first forgery, with the little wavy line above the left-hand end of it, as before ; but it gets fully as broad as the genuine at the left hand, though not turning up into a hook. The central character is in two pieces. The lowest character is also in two pieces, and has no resemblance to a “5.”

Third Forgery

Lithographed in carmine, on lilac laid bâtonné paper. There are 46 dots in the inner ring, several of them wedge-shaped, and many of them touching either the inner or the outer outline. There is a small break in the outer edge of this inner ring, to the left of the top, the ring being narrower to the left, and wider to the right of the small break. The outer ring contains 96 dots; many of them touch the outer outline, and a few touch the inner outline of the ring ; some of them to the right are wedge-shaped, and most of them are decidedly longer than the genuine. The centre of the stamp is almost exactly like the second forgery, except that the lowest character is in one piece.

Same Issue. 2 Abasi. Genuine

Varieties as described at the beginning of this issue. There are 43 dots in the inner ring, and 84 in the outer one. They are mostly square- ended oblongs, and none of them touch the outlines of the containing rings. The top character in the centre of the stamp is the shepherd’s crook, as before, and above it, almost touching the end of the crook, there is a very distinct asterisk or floret, composed of 7 white balls, arranged round a central ball. The tail of the lowest character to left in the circle almost touches the shepherd’s crook. This character, by the way, is “abasi,” and the two comma-like characters to right of it (“two”) have their heads exactly level with each other.

Forged

Lithographed in carmine, on thin, green wove paper. There are 46 dots in the inner ring, and 90 (as far as I can make out) in the outer one. The dots are much larger than in the genuine, so that, in the outer ring, some of them stretch right across, from outline to outline, and many others touch the outer outline. Some of the dots in the inner ring are long, narrow wedges, but hardly any of them seem to quite touch one of the outlines of the said inner ring. The top character in the centre of the stamp is a hook, and the point is even longer than in the genuine, but I cannot see any trace of the floret, which is so conspicuous in the genuine. The tail of the lowest character to the left is short, and, though it turns up, it does not go anywhere near the hook above it. The head of the right-hand comma appears to be split, and it is decidedly above the level of the left-hand comma.

Same Issue. 1 Rupee. Genuine

Paper and color as above. There are 48 dots in the inner ring, and 90 in the outer one, and they are nearly all square-ended as before, and none of them touch the outlines of the rings. The top character in the centre of the stamp is a horizontal wavy line, and just above it there is a little floret. The bottom character is almost exactly the same as in the genuine 1 abasi.

Forged

Lithographed in red-purple, on stout, white wove paper. There are 46 dots in the inner ring, many touching the outer outline, and two or three going right across. One or two have their bottom ends joined, making a sort of U, and one has a line joining the centers of two dots, making a sort of H; several are wedge-shaped, and all are much too long’. The outer ring contains 97 dots ; many of these are wedge- shaped, and several go right across the width of the ring, touching both outlines. The top character in the centre of the stamp is a slightly wavy line, but it slants down decidedly to the left, instead of being horizontal. There is no floret above this line. The bottom character is in two parts—the right-hand end is far too upright, and the left-hand end points to the left, instead of curving up so as to point perpendicularly upwards.

Postmarks

Genuine.—The usual cancellation of the Afghan stamps consists in a small piece being torn or cut out of the stamp itself, with or without a daub of red or blue ink, apparently smeared on with the finger. Some of the early issues have the smear completely covering the stamp. The following quotation from Mr. Pemberton’s Handbook explains how this curious canceling is done :
“A native generally takes his letter to the post-office, with money for a stamp (he does not keep any by him); the stamp-seller takes the letter and money, and, having first torn a piece out of the stamp with his finger and thumb, he puts it on the letter, and the operation is complete. This barbaric mutilation commenced in 1871, and has continued till now ; though it is true that the small stamps oftener have a triangular piece snipped out, presumably because there is not sufficient of them to begin tearing at.”

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