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.

To 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On January 1st, 1868, these stamps were superseded by those of the North German Confederation, and the whole of the stock in hand was afterwards sold to a dealer.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.

1/2 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.

1 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.

2 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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.

7 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.

9 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.

1864. 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.

1864. 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.

1866. 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

1852. 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.

1852. 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.

1852. 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.

1853. 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.

1853. 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.

1862 & 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.

1864. 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

See also —> Spud Papers – Braunschweig (Brunswick)