1871. No surcharge; 1d., 3d. & 6d.

One Penny. Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on thin, soft, white wove paper, badly perforated 125, watermarked FIJI POSTAGE through the middle row of stamps in the sheet. The dark shading at the bottom of the crown is in a perfectly straight line. The ends of all the white strokes, forming the letters C R, are tapered off until they are quite fine; but they get wider in the center, as they would in ordinary written capitals, made with pen-and-ink. The central circle is surrounded by sixty white pearls, all circular in shape, and of one uniform size. The bottom of the P of POSTAGE is a little sloped off, so as not to touch the outline of the frame to the left of it. The Y of PENNY has its arms splayed out far too much. The whole of this lower inscription is slightly sunk into the paper, almost as though it had been done with type. The outline of the circle, just inside the pearls, is formed by a very thin, colored line, between two thin, white ones.

One Penny. First Forgery

Lithographed, on very white paper, thicker than the genuine, pin-perforated what seems to be about 15, but so extremely badly done that it is impossible to say what is the proper gauge; no watermark. The dark shading at the bottom of the crown is considerably curved or rounded downwards in the center. The strokes forming the letters C R are, as nearly as possible, the same thickness, throughout their whole length. The central circle contains only fifty-five pearls, and they are oval instead of round, and some of them smaller than the others. The bottom of the P of POSTAGE is joined to the frame to the left of it. The Y of PENNY is of the normal shape; i.e., the arms are not unduly splayed out. As the stamp is a lithograph, I need hardly say that the lower inscription does not show any appearance of being sunk into the paper, but is perfectly flat. The outline of the circle, immediately inside the row of pearls, is composed of one broadish white line only.

One Penny. Second Forgery

This is not nearly so good an imitation as the last. Lithographed, on soft paper, very like that of the genuine; no watermark; perforated 14. The dark shading at the base of the crown is rounded downwards, instead of being in a straight line, and the crown itself is extremely blotchy and indistinct. The letters C R are tapered more like the genuine than the first forgery; but their outline is ragged. There are only fifty-two pearls in the circle, and they are very irregular, both in shape and size. The P of POSTAGE does not touch the side of the frame to the left of it, but the bottom of the letter is not sloped off at all. The T of the; same word is very tall and lanky; the O of ONE is very much smaller than the NE; and the E of PENNY has hardly any indication of a central tongue. This inscription is not sunk into the paper.

Threepence. Genuine

Paper, watermark, perforation, etc., the same as in the genuine one penny. The design of this stamp is different from that of the penny, the circle having sixty-nine dark dice, alternating with sixty-nine light ones, instead of pearls. The crown and the letters C R are the same as in the genuine penny.

Threepence. Forged

Lithographed, on thin, white wove paper, rather harder than the genuine; no watermark; perforated 12 1/2. Except for the inscription— POSTAGE THREE PENCE—this stamp is an exact copy of the first forgery of the penny, having the fifty-five pearls, the rounded base to the crown, the C R in letters of uniform thickness, etc.

Sixpence. Genuine

Paper, watermark, perforation, etc., the same as in the genuine one penny. This stamp again is different from either of the other values.

The outline of the central circle is composed, not of pearls, as in the one penny, nor of little white dice, or rectangles, as in the threepence; but of a pattern of thirty-nine dark zig-zags, on a lighter ground. The base of the crown is straight; the letters C R are tapered nicely at their ends, as before; the lower corners, above POS of POSTAGE, and above NCE of PENCE, contain large triangles, composed of white dots. The ends of the upper label, containing the name, are of peculiar, curly ornaments, in place of the crosses of the one penny and threepence values. The tail of the s of six is drawn considerably too long, as are also the lowest strokes of both the first and second E of PENCE. A hexagon of white lines is visible in the central circle.

Sixpence. First Forgery

Lithographed, on white wove paper, similar to that of the genuine, but harder; no watermark; perforated 12. The forgers have copied nearly the whole of this stamp from the forged one penny. The outline of the circle contains fifty-five pearls, instead of the zig-zag line of the genuine. The base of the crown is rounded downwards. The letters C R are of uniform thickness throughout, instead of being tapered at their ends. The triangles, above POS of POSTAGE;, and above ENCE of PENCE, are formed each of one broad, white line, instead of dots. This is very conspicuous. The ends of the upper label are copied from the genuine sixpence. Each E of PENCE is of the normal shape, as is also the S of Six, though they are very much out of shape in the genuine. There is no hexagon in the central circle.

Sixpence. Second Forgery

Electrotyped, in a sort of violet-carmine, on stout, green wove paper, no watermark, perf. 9 1/2! The central circle is bounded by zig-zags, as in the genuine, and four out of the six white lines of the hexagon in the said circle are visible. The bottom part of the crown is rounded, but not so much so as in the first forgery. After the paper and perforation, the easiest test for this counterfeit is the white band at the base of the crown. In the genuine (in all issues and values) this white band is ornamented with five ermine-spots or “tails”; each represented by a sort of small >, lying on its side, with the sharp point to the right. In the forgery, this band is plain white, without any ermine spots. I never saw this forgery until 1891.

1872. Same stamps surcharged 2, 6 & 12 Cents.

These are exactly the same as the genuine stamps described above, except that the one penny is surcharged in black TWO CENTS, the threepence is surcharged SIX CENTS, and the sixpence
is surcharged TWELVE CENTS.

First Forgery

These will easily be detected, as they are simply the first set of forgeries just described, with the surcharge added. Both the above-described forgeries of the one penny value are found with the TWO CENTS surcharge.

Second Forgery

These are very much more dangerous, being’ the genuine stamps of the 1871 set, with forged surcharge. I am sorry to say that they passed through my hands at a time when I had no opportunity of taking notes of the surcharge; but, as far as I remember, the types used to print the surcharge on the forgeries were well-nigh identical with those used for the genuine; so that collectors would do well to make quite sure of the source whence those offered to them for sale were procured.

1875. 2c., 6c„ 12c., with “V.R.”

There are two varieties of the “V.R.” surcharge; the one in Roman capitals, and the other in (so-called) “Gothic” letters. They are usually divided in the catalogs, as though they were distinct issues; but, as a matter of fact, both of them (together with many sub-varieties) are found on the same sheet.
Roman V.R.; 2c., 6c. & 12c.

Genuine

From the center of the V to the center of the R, there is a distance of 4 millimeters; and, from the center of the stop after the V to the center of the stop after the R, there is also a distance of 4 millimeters. The stops are large.

Forged

The letters are a great deal too far apart. From the center of the V to that of the R, the distance is very nearly 8 1/2 millimeters, and there is also a distance of 8 1/2 millimeters between the two stops. The said stops are very small, and the one after the V is placed rather below the level of the bottom of the letter.

“Gothic” V.R.; 2c, 6c. & 12c.

Genuine

The center of the letters, V.R., are 4 1/2 millimeters apart, and the centers of the stops are 4 1/2 millimeters apart. The little cross-strokes in the sides of the V are level with each other; and the side-lines are broken to allow of the admission of the said cross-strokes. The vertical, first stroke of the R is similarly broken in the center, to allow the thick cross-stroke to pass through it. The top of this vertical stroke projects only very slightly to the left. The rounded part of the head of the R has a projection to the right. In normal copies, the stops are nicely-shaped diamonds, with concave sides; both being the same size and shape.

Forged

The centers of the letters, V.R., are very nearly 6 millimeters apart, and the centers of the stops are 5 1/2 millimeters apart. The cross-stroke in the left side of the V is decidedly higher than the other. The whole letter is in one piece, so that there is no break for the admission of the cross-strokes. (The same is the case with the R.) The top of the first, or vertical, stroke of the R projects considerably to the left, in the shape of a clumsy blotch. The rounded part of the head of the R is like that of an ordinary Roman R, without any projection. The stops are very shapeless, the one after the V being considerably larger than the other.

1882. Five Shillings, black and salmon-red.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on medium, white wove paper, perf. 10. There are eleven distinct pearls outside the curved white line above FIJI; the one to the extreme left touches the frame around the
5, and the corner of the white line runs into this pearl. The last pearl but one to the right is almost exactly above the last I of FIJI. The bottom of the F of the lower FIVE is cut off slantingly down, from left to right. The pearls on stalks in the Queen’s crown are large and round. The ornaments between the said pearls are a thistle, a shamrock, and a thistle; the shamrock being very much lower than the pearls each side of it. The profile is not outlined; being formed, as usual,
merely by the stoppage of the horizontal lines of the background. The chin projects somewhat. There is a tolerably long curl hanging from the chignon.

Forged

Electrotyped, on medium, white wove paper, ungummed. This has probably been made as an illustration to some cataloge, for the perforation is merely printed round the stamp. If pierced, it would gauge 11 1/2 x 11, etc. There are eleven pearls above FIJI, but the eleventh to the left is a mere abortion, which does not touch the frame round the 5, and is at the top of the line, instead of at the corner of it. The last pearl but one to the right is far to the right of the last I of FIJI. The bottom of the F of the lower FIVE is rounded. The pearls on stalks in the crown are very indistinct, and two of them seem to be diamond- shaped. The ornaments between the said pearls are a thistle (very badly shaped, and far too short), a very tall fleur-de-lys, and a shapeless object, to represent a thistle. The profile has a distinct, dark outline, and the chin is very retreating. There is a dark, projecting lump below the chignon, but it is not at all like a curl. The central medallion is pink, instead of salmon-red.

Postmarks

Genuine.—65, without numerals. The lines must have been highly embossed on the hand-stamp, and with sharp edges; for they cut through the stamp, and sometimes even through the paper of the envelopes to which the stamps are affixed. I suppose the Fiji postal authorities are resolved that the stamps shall never do duty a second time.

Forged.—10, 76, 100.

Private Stamps – “FIJI TIMES EXPRESS.”

1870. 1d., black on rose.

Genuine

Type-set; printed in black, on rose-coloured, quadrille paper, or on laid bâtonné, rouletted 20, on dotted lines. The numeral 1 is just 4 millimeters high at the highest point. A line drawn along the tops of the letters of PENNY would cut almost centrally through the last S of EXPRESS. T h e horizontal line above TIMES, and the similar one below PENNY, are a great deal thicker than any of the other lines. In my specimen, the line above TIMES is broken just before the T ; and the one below PENNY is broken in two places, below the centre of each N of that word.

Forged

Type-set, on stout, violet-rose wove paper, and also on very pale, rose laid paper rouletted 20, on dotted lines, or pin-perf. about 12. The 1 is 5 3/4 millimeters high at its highest point. A line drawn along the tops of the letters of PENNY would pass just clear below the last S of EXPRESS. All four lines of the frame are, as nearly as possible, the same thickness, and the top and bottom lines are not broken anywhere.

1870. 3d., black on rose.

Genuine

Paper, printing, etc., same as in the genuine one penny. The numeral is a plain 3.

Forged

The 3 is an ornamental numeral, with an outline all round it. The top line is broken above the S of TIMES, and the bottom line is broken under the P of PENCE. The other tests are the same as for the forged one penny.

1870. 6d., black on rose.

Genuine

Paper, printing, etc., the same as in the genuine one penny. The top line is broken, in my copy, above the E of TIMES; and the bottom line is broken in two places, below the beginning and end of the E of PENCE. The 6 is a plain numeral, nearly 7 millimeters high.

Forged

The top line is unbroken; the bottom line is broken below the end of the E of PENCE. The 6 is just five millimeters high; it is an ornamental numeral, with an outline all round it. The other tests are the same as for the forged one penny.

1870. 9d., black on rose.

Genuine

The numeral is plain, but I do not know the The top line is broken above the end of the S of TIMES, and the bottom line is broken under the P of PENCE. The 9 is a plain numeral this time, very nearly 6 millimeters high. The other tests are the same as in the forged one penny.

1870. 1s., black on rose.

Genuine

Paper, printing, etc., as in the genuine one penny. The top line, in my copy, is broken, above the E, and beyond the end of the S, of TIMES; and the bottom line is broken, below the end of the H, and below the beginning of the second L, of SHILLING. The I is an ornamental numeral (the only one of the set); it is 6 millimeters high, and has an outline all round it.

Forged

My specimen, on wove paper, has the top line unbroken. The bottom line is extremely thin, but it appears to be unbroken. The left-hand line is broken, opposite the first I of FIJI, and the right-hand line is broken, opposite the P of EXPRESS. In one specimen, on laid paper, the top line is unbroken, the bottom line is also unbroken, the left-hand line is broken, opposite to the first I of FIJI, and the right-hand line has a wide gap, opposite to the space between the R and second E of EXPRESS. In another specimen on the laid paper, the top line is broken, above the E of TIMES, the bottom line is broken, below the second L of SHILLING, the left-hand line is broken by the J of FIJI, and the right-hand line is broken, opposite to the R of EXPRESS.

Soi-disant “reprints” of the Times Express stamps

Bacon’s Reprints says that so-called “reprints” of all five values were made in 1876, on laid, bâtonné rose paper. The stamps are shorter (16 mm., instead of 18 1/2 mm.), and differ in type; and the 6d. has a small numeral of value, instead of a large one. They are unperforated, also pin-perf.
NOTE.—The “rouletting on colored lines” is done in these stamps (genuine and forged) by notched (brass ?) rule, which is rather higher than the type. The rule gets inked with the rest of the impression, and when the platen descends, the pressure which forces the paper down on the types, also forces the notches in the rule through the paper, making a row of cuts, while the sides of the notches ink the paper, making a row of dashes.

 

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

 

See also

 

• Spud Papers – Fiji

1874 & 1877. 1d., 6d. & 1s

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on thin, white wove paper, slightly surfaced; perforated 12 1/2 or 14, as above; watermarked with a Crown and CC. All the values are from the same die. The circle containing the name does not touch the value-label. The T of POSTAGE is very much dwarfed. The lower part of the tiara is divided into three compartments, with an oblong jewel in the first, over the forehead, a diamond-shaped one in the center, and another oblong one in the third, over the ear. The lobe of the ear is very round and fat. The last pearl of the tiara, over the ear, leans towards the left. The portrait is shaded all over, with very fine lines. The hair covers part of the eyebrow at the outer corner.

The colors of the genuine are:

• 1d., bright mauve
• 6d., emerald-green
• 1s., rich rose, with a very slight tint of blue.

Forged

Lithographed, on soft, white wove paper, rather thick, and unsurfaced; imperforated, or pin-perf. 13, very badly; no watermark. All the values are from the same stone. The circle containing the name runs into the value-label, below the T of POSTAGE; and the said T is the same size as the other letters of that word. There is no jewel over the forehead; the center jewel is blotched; and the one over the ear is very indistinct. The lobe of the ear is quite thin, and does not hang down. The last pearl of the tiara, over the ear, is upright. The forehead is unshaded, and there is a white patch at the back of the neck. The hair does not touch the eyebrow.

The colors of these counterfeits are:

• 1d., lilac
• 6d., dark yellow-green
• 1s., chalky rose

Postmarks

Genuine.—I have not yet seen any postmarked specimens of the genuine.

Forged.—The forgeries are cancelled with 62.

 

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

 

See also –> Spud Papers – Dominica

1855-59. 1d., 2d., 5d., 6d. and 10d.

Genuine

Engraved in taille-douce, varieties as above, watermarked with a star, which is usually very distinct. There is a square ornament in each corner of the stamp, and the lower corner of each of the upper ornaments touches the outline of the oval, opposite to the c and N of CEYLON, but neither of them encroaches across the outline. The coronet is composed of alternate crosses pattée and things which look like shamrocks, though the latter may be some leaf or flower emblematic of the island. The last cross and the last shamrock, towards the back of the head, are smaller than the rest, or rather placed on a lower level; and the coil of hair at the back of the head stands up high above these last two ornaments. The Queen’s forehead is distinctly convex or rounded, and the lower lip does not project so far as the upper one. There are two curls of hair, of almost equal length, hanging down from the back of the coronet; the outer one comes down almost to the level of the heavy shading of the base of the neck. Following the curve of the word CEYLON, there will be seen two lines of white dots, formed by spaces in the lathe-work of the background, but they are not very prominent; and inside these again there are two other lines of dots, a little less distinct. There are only eight jewels, of various shapes, to be seen in the lower band of the coronet. Inside each end of the POSTAGE label there is a small, eight-pointed star, and, from each corner of the label, two oblique lines run towards the star, so that each end of the said label looks like an incomplete miniature copy of the corner-ornaments of the old English black (and red) 1d. stamps.

Forged

Lithographed, the id. on yellowish-white or on blue, the others on yellowish-white wove paper, no watermark. One of my specimens of the 1d. is very badly perf. to represent the 1861 issue. I have not seen the 6d. on blue paper. The square ornament in the left top corner of the stamp encroaches right across the outline of the oval, above the C of CEYLON, but the corner of the other ornament does not even touch the outline of the oval, above the N of that word. The ornaments on the coronet appear, at first sight, to be all crosses pattée, but they are not exactly alike. The last two are quite as tall as the rest, and the coil of hair at the back of the head does not stand up so high as they do. The Queen’s forehead is, in some copies, slightly hollowed in the center, and the lower lip projects, if anything, slightly further than the top one. The two curls hanging down from the back of the coronet are very badly drawn; the inner one is barely half the length of the outer one, and the outer one only hangs down level with the chin, instead of nearly to the thick shading at the base of the neck. There are two very prominent lines of white dots following the curve of the word CEYLON, and there are two other lines of white dots inside these, and nearly as distinct. All these ovals can be seen at a glance. There are twelve jewels round the base of the coronet. There are small stars at the ends of the POSTAGE label, but eight points cannot be made out, and the oblique lines are absent. In these forgeries, Her Majesty has been favored with a very forbidding cast of countenance by the designer, though she looks very amiable on the genuine stamps.

Postmarks

Genuine.—One or two of my copies of these unperforated stamps bear some shapeless blotches by way of obliteration, but all the rest are postmarked with 76 and 101.

Forged.—22, 54, 62, 100, 101; also a pen-stroke.

I have taken all these stamps together, so as to avoid having to describe each value separately; but it will be understood that the lower part of each of the genuine differs from the others, according to the value. However, they are all alike in the parts taken for description, and the above tests will suffice for the detection of any of them. The engine-turning of the originals has been very well copied in these forgeries, and I cannot imagine how the forgers managed to prevent the fine lines from running together and making a solid background.

1857 & 1863. Fourpence, rose.

Genuine

Engraved in taille-douce, on stout, white wove paper, varieties as above. The Queen’s head is on a ground of crossed, oblique lines, the said lines being wavy. The outline of this oval of crossed lines can be seen all the way round, even near the top of the chignon. The rest of this central compartment is filled in with fine, parallel, horizontal lines, all very regular; and nine of these lines can be counted above the top of the T of POSTAGE, including the top outline; and there are eight of these lines between the bottom of the oval and the bottom of the inner frame. The ornaments on the coronet are two crosses pattére, and two fleurs-de-lys, alternately one of each. The front cross pattée is in profile, and there is a colored line drawn down it, close to the front edge. If prolonged downwards, this colored line would cut the pearl below it almost exactly into two equal parts. There is a similar pearl below each of the other ornaments; they are slightly graduated in size, the front one being the largest, and the fourth and last one the smallest, being not much more than a half-pearl. The front pearl projects noticeably beyond the profile of the front cross pattée. There are 20 lines of shading down the back of the neck, and the whole of the rest of the face and neck is entirely covered with dots, except the lower lip. The face has a pleasing expression, the chin curves well forward, and there is a very distinct hollow between the chin and the lower lip. The white octagonal line, surrounding the central design, has all its angles and corners sharp, and not rounded at all.

Forged

These are remarkably good, and very likely to deceive. Engraved in taille-douce, on yellowish-white wove paper, unperforated, or nicely perf. 12. It is singular that the forgers should have chosen an impossible gauge of perforation, after going to so much trouble in other respects. Both the perforated and unperforated stamps are “watermarked” with a star, which is, I understand, made by considerable pressure with an oiled die. The watermark is very plain, looking at the back of the stamp, but hardly visible when looked at through the stamp. I have specimens in slightly brownish-rose, and in rose-red, inclining to orange-red. The crossed, oblique lines of the oval ground, on which the Queen’s head is placed, are straight, instead of wavy. The outline of this oval is not continuous, being broken for the upper part of the chignon, which projects beyond it. This is a noticeable test, but requires the microscope. The horizontal lines above and below this oval are not very well drawn; there are seven above the T of POSTAGE, and seven also below the bottom of the neck. There is no line down near the front of the front cross pattée, and the pearl below it does not project beyond the front of the coronet. The jewel under the first fleur-de-lys is badly shaped, and more like a diamond than a pearl. The last pearl to the right is as large as the others, and a complete round, instead of being a half-pearl. There are about 15 lines of shading down the back of the neck. The upper and lower lips, and part of the front of the neck, have no dots upon them. The face has a rather sulky expression, the chin is very retreating, and there is no hollow between the chin and the lower lip. The white, octagonal line, surrounding the central design, has some of its re-entering angles rather blunt, especially the one over the 0 of POSTAGE.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

Forged.—Very like 76, but with the lines running the other way.

1857, 1863 & 1881. Nine Pence, lilac-brown, bistre-brown, deep brown.

Genuine

Engraved in taille-douce, like the 4d. just described, varieties as above. The details are the same as in the genuine 4d.

First Forgery

This, like the forged 4d., is an excellent counterfeit. My specimens are all unperforated. Engraved in taille-douce on moderately stout, hard, white wove paper, watermarked with a crown as before.

The crossed, oblique lines, in the oval ground, behind the Queen’s head, are straight, as in the forged 4d. The outline of this oval can be traced all the way round in this counterfeit. There are 8 horizontal lines above the T of POSTAGE, and 7 below the bottom of the oval. The left- hand cross pattée on the coronet has a line on it like the genuine, but the line slopes too much, and is drawn only along the top arm of the cross, instead of right down to the pearl. The pearl itself, in all my specimens, happens to be covered by the postmark, but, as far as I can make out, it does not project. The other pearls are only partly outlined, and thus run into the ornaments above them. There seem to be only 19 lines of shading down the back of the neck, and they are very scratchy and irregular, whereas, in the genuine, they are the exact continuations of the rows of dots across the neck. There does not seem to be any shading on either lip. The eye is looking rather downward, instead of straight forward. The mouth, chin, the expression of the face, etc., are all very like those of the forged 4d.; but there is a strong, dark outline to the front of the profile, from the forehead to the chin, which does not exist, either in the genuine or the forged 4d. In the genuine 9d., the curl at the back of the head curves slightly outwards, so as to point directly towards the top corner of the last E of PENCE; in this forgery, the curl hangs almost straight downwards, so as to point distinctly towards the C of PENCE. The Queen’s chin is not quite so retreating as in the forged 4d., and there is some indication of a slight hollow between the lower lip and the chin.

Second Forgery

Compared with the one just described, this is a mere caricature. Poorly lithographed, in yellow-brown, on medium, very hard white wove paper, the face’ of which has been stained a brownish-yellow, to give age. It is roughly perf. 13, no watermark. The oval on which the Queen’s head is placed is almost perfectly solid at the bottom, though the upper part shows indications of crossed oblique lines, which appear to be straight instead of wavy. This oval is extremely dark, compared with the horizontal lines outside it, so that, when the stamp is held at arm’s length, the complete oval is visible, whereas, in the genuine, and in the first forgery, at that distance, the oval cannot be distinguished from the horizontal lines. Of these horizontal lines, there are only 6 above the T of POSTAGE, not reckoning the line under YL of CEYLON, which is the same thickness as the rest in this forgery, but very much thicker in the genuine. There are only 5 horizontal lines above the bottom of the oval. The front cross pattée on the coronet is not quite in profile, but what a photographer would call “three-quarter face,” showing part of a circle in the center. There is no vertical line drawn down the front to the pearl. The pearls are all the same size, and the front one does not project beyond the coronet. The dots on the neck are continued, as dots, to the back of the neck, instead of merging into lines. There seem to be about 16 or 17 rows, but they are very faint and indistinct. The whole of the face, except the lower part of the cheek and chin, is free from dots. The face has a sad look; the profile of the nose begins as though it were going to be Wellingtonian, but from the middle to the point it is straight. The mouth is tightly shut, and the outline of the upper lip is quite vertical, instead of curving outwards. In the genuine, the hair runs up to the very front of the coronet. In this forgery, there are two small patches, above and below the corner of the eyebrow, and no indication of any other hair till just above the ear. The chin is very retreating. The white octagonal line, separating the central design from the lettered frame, and which is such a conspicuous feature of the stamp in the genuine and in the first forgery, is hardly noticeable in this counterfeit, and badly drawn. In the word CEYLON, the two ends of the C are tapered, instead of being as thick as the rest of the letter; the bottom leg of the E is no longer than the top one, and ends in a sort of ball; the O touches the angle of the frame below it; indeed the horizontal line of the frame has been drawn slightly into the body of the O. In the word NINE, the letters NIN are all perfectly parallel with each other in the genuine, but in this forgery the top of each N slopes towards the top of the I between them, and the lower limb of the E is decidedly longer than the upper limb, whereas in the genuine the upper limb is rather the longer of the two.

Postmarks

Genuine.-As before

First Forgery.—A mark something like 76, but with the lines running the other way; also pen-marked.

Second Forgery.—Some shapeless blotches.

I fancy I have seen an 8d., similar to the first forgery of the 9d., but I am not quite sure, as it was some years ago.

1857-61. One Shilling and Nine Pence, green.

Genuine

Engraved in taille-douce, on stout, rather hard, yellowish-white wove paper, watermarked with a star. The lines of the design stand out only very slightly from the paper. The Queen’s head is on an oval of crossed oblique lines, so closely set as to appear almost solid, unless looked at with the microscope; the lines are wavy. The oval is outlined on the left side, but on the right side it seems to melt almost imperceptibly into the next portion of the design, which is slightly lighter in color, and consists of horizontal lines, rather thick, perfectly regular and parallel, and placed very close together. In the portion above POSTAGE, there seem to be seven of these horizontal lines, and eight in the portion below the neck. The front point of the neck does not touch the edge of the oval. POSTAGE is on a solid label, but the label is hardly any darker than the rest of the background. The engine-turning in the frame which contains name and value-labels is not continuous, but is interrupted, each side, by a set of (about five) short, thick horizontal lines, serving to join the angles of the outer and inner frames together. Below this, on each side, but especially noticeable on the left side, the engine-turning, besides the usual fine lines, has a lattice-work of thick lines. This lattice-work on the left side reaches to the beginning of the value-label; there are two thick lines running down from right to left, and three from left to right. The right side is similar, but not so distinct. These broad lines appear to be laid over the fine lines of the engine-turning. The profile of the Queen is not outlined. The name and value-labels are also not outlined, being formed, apparently, by cutting away the engine-turning of the background. The stamps are set very close together horizontally, being barely three- quarters of a millimeter apart. (I do not know whether they are equally close together vertically.)

Forged

Like the engraved 4d. and 9d., this is an excellent counterfeit, and is likely to deceive any but a very old hand. Apparently engraved in taille-douce, on white wove paper, rather thinner, and much whiter than that of the genuine, though the face of the stamp has a faint greenish tint in my specimen, owing to imperfect wiping of the plate.

When it first came out there was no watermark, but I have lately had a specimen which bears a rather nice-looking watermark (as seen from the back). This has apparently been done by pressure with an oiled die. The outline of the watermark shows distinctly in pale yellow, on the back of the stamp, but is hardly visible when looked at through the stamp. The dark lines of the stamp have been so strongly forced into the lines of the plate, that they appear sunk at the back of the stamp. The said lines stand out from the paper very conspicuously in front. The oval containing the portrait is very dark, with a strong dark outline all round, and is composed of straight, crossed, oblique lines, much more distinct than those of the genuine, and the horizontal lines immediately outside the oval are thin, scratchy, and irregular. In the portion above POSTAGE, ten of these horizontal lines may be counted, but below the neck they are so irregular and blurred that I have not been able to count them; there seem to be about twelve of them. The front point of the neck touches the outline of the dark oval. The solid label containing POSTAGE is distinctly darker than the rest of the background. The lines joining the angles of the outer and inner frame together, between the name and value-labels differ much from the genuine. That on the left has seven thin, horizontal lines (exclusive of the outlines of the frames); and that on the right, instead of the horizontal lines, has some indistinct markings resembling “& D W.” There is no trace of the lattice-work below these two portions of the design. The profile of the face is out- lined with a fine line, and the name and value-labels are also very distinctly outlined. The stamps are set much further apart on the sheet than in the genuine, being exactly one millimeter from each other, both vertically and horizontally.

I do not know anything of the history of this forgery, but the measurements just given would seem to point to a continental origin for them.

1857, 1858, 1862 & 1863-67. Half Penny, lilac.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on wove paper, varieties as above. The letters of CEYLON are a considerable distance apart (3/4 mm., or more), and the O of that word is circular, with a dark, circular center. The E of ONE has its central tongue much shorter than the upper and lower limbs. The Y of PENNY has its arms widely spread open; and the whole inscription, ONE HALF PENNY, is in very clearly-cut block lettering. The dark base of the neck, where it is cut away, extends from back to front, but it is, of course, of varying width, and, in the widest part, six dark horizontal lines can be
seen, counting both upper and lower outlines. The back outline of the neck, from the base to the hair, stands out prominently from the background. Of the horizontal lines in the background, seven may be counted, from the top of the central circle to the front point of the coronet. The easiest test is the curl of hair hanging from the chignon. This curl hangs down perfectly straight, so that, if it were lengthened, it would touch the right side of the G of POSTAGE. I am not able to give any further tests, as the only counterfeit that I possess is very faint, and partly covered by the post- mark, so that very little of the design is clear.

Forged

Poorly lithographed, in very pale grey-lilac, no watermark, perf. 11 1/2. The letters of CEYLON are much closer together than in the genuine; the I, and o almost touch, and the other letters are less than 1/2 mm. apart; the O is a transverse oval, with a rather shapeless, dark oval blotch in (lie center. The central tongue of the E of ONE is as long as the upper limb; the arms of the Y of PENNY are a good deal squeezed up, and the whole inscription, so far as I can make out, looks ragged. The dark base of the neck, where it is cut away, is of solid color; no lines of shading are to be seen in it, and the front part of it decreases to a mere outline. The back outline of the neck does not stand out at all from the background. From the top of the central circle, to the front point of the coronet, there seem to be only four horizontal lines of shading. The curl, at the back of the head, slopes to the right, instead of hanging straight down; and it points towards the end of the E of POSTAGE.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

Forged.—10.

1867 & 1868. Three Pence, rose.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on rather stout, hard, and somewhat glacé wove paper; varieties as above. The diamond-shaped jewels along the base of the coronet seem to stand out well from it. The face is shaded all over, except the front of the forehead. The large pearls on the top of the coronet are shaded almost all over. The letters of the word CEYLON do not touch the outline of their containing-label anywhere, and both name and value are in beautifully clear and clean cut letters. The colour of the stamp is a bright rose, or rose-pink.

Forged

Poorly lithographed, in a very washed-out lilac-pink, on very white wove paper, very thin; pin-pricked 12 1/4; no watermark. The ornaments along the base of the coronet appear to be oval holes, instead of diamond- shaped jewels. The face is white, all round the mouth. The large pearls on the top of the coronet are only slightly shaded; at least three-fourths of each pearl are left white. The c of CEYLON touches the bottom of the containing-label, and the Y and L touch at the top. The whole stamp has a blurred and indistinct appearance, very different, from the genuine.

Postmarks

Genuine.—54.

Forged.—62, 100, 101; also one like 54, but very much smaller, and with the lines thinner.

1872. 48 Cents, carmine.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on white wove paper, CC, perf. 13. This need not delay us very long, as the forgery is decidedly poor, compared with the very clear-cut original. The shading on the nose
does not reach to the front edge, leaving a narrow line of white all down the profile of it. The lower lip is of normal shape. A considerable portion of the ear is plainly visible. The ornaments on the coronet are: pearl, thistle, pearl, shamrock, pearl, thistle, pearl. The three diamond-shaped jewels in the lower part of the coronet are distinct. The band of the coronet at the back of the head contains 5 lines running along it, including the two outlines. The horizontal lines of shading on which the head is placed, are beautifully drawn and quite clear; they do not come to the edge of the containing-circle, but leave a ring of white between them and the circular outline, quite as broad as the next ring of white, which runs under CEYLON and above POSTAGE. There are 14 horizontal lines, from the top of the central circle to the top of the chignon, the uppermost curl of the chignon reaching to the top edge of the fifteenth line; and there are 43 similar lines from the bottom of the circle to the tip of the curl below the chignon, the curl touching the forty-fourth line. The front peak of the base of the neck comes to the very edge of the horizontal lines, and the lowest line of shading on the front of the neck, runs very nearly to the front of the peak. The letters of CEYLON are very clear, and so are those of POSTAGE. The R of FORTY is not much more than 1/4 mm. from the end of the label.

Forged
Poorly lithographed on fairly stout, white laid paper, no watermark, pin-perf. 11 1/2 x 12, irregularly, in oval holes. The paper, of course, is sufficient to condemn this production. The front of the nose is shaded by about 9 oblique lines, which seem to join the background. There is thus no line of white along the profile of the nose. The lower lip is twisted all out of shape, and has a most peculiar look. There is an indistinct blotch, to represent the ear. The ornaments on the coronet are very indistinct and blotchy; the one to the right looks like a cross pattée. The diamond-shaped jewels along the base of the coronet are also very indistinct. The band of the coronet at the back of the neck has only a single colored line along its center, beside the outlines. The horizontal lines of the central background are blotchy and broken, and they run together in several places. Part of the way, especially above the TAGE of POSTAGE, they are drawn right up to the colored lines surrounding them; and, even where they do not actually touch the circle, there is only the very tiniest space of white between the ends of the lines and the outline of the circle. Thus, above POSTAGE, there is only one white line, instead of two of equal breadth. There seem to be about 12 horizontal lines from the top of this central circle to the top of the chignon, and 40 from the bottom of the circle to the tip of the lower curl of the chignon. The white peak of the front of the base of the neck does not come to the edge of the horizontal lines, and the shading lines on the neck do not run into the peak, but leave it as a white patch. The letters of CEYLON are very ragged and thin; those of POSTAGE are somewhat better. The F of FORTY is more than 1/2 mm. from the end of the label.

Postmarks

Genuine.—1, 49, rather smaller; 64 (I have this with A, B, and 42 respectively, in the center).

Forged.—A portion of what appears to be 58. Also a small oval, about the size of 22, but with some unreadable letters in the center, instead of bars.

1872. 96 Cents, drab.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne, on fairly stout, hard, white wove paper, watermark CC, perf. 14, as above.

The diamond-shaped jewels, along the base of the coronet, stand out well from it, as in the 3d. of the last issue. The front pearl on the coronet points to the right side of the O of CEYLON. The horizontal lines of the background do not show through either the first or second pearl. After the first pearl there is a thistle, after the second pearl a shamrock, and after the third pearl another thistle. The band at the back of the coronet, which passes from the top of the ear to the back of the head, under the chignon, shows three clear dark lines along it, in addition to its two outlines. The top curl of the chignon is a sort of arch, with a good deal of white showing on the left side ; the bottom curl hangs down very little lower than the level of the bottom of the band of the coronet behind the head ; indeed, it only reaches down far enough to touch the second horizontal line of the background, below the bottom corner of the said band. The face and bust are shaded all over, except the front of the forehead ; the eyebrow is formed by six strong, parallel curved lines. The horizontal lines of the central oval do not touch the dark line of the said oval anywhere, but stop short, leaving a narrow white space, of equal width all round. The bottom of the S of POSTAGE is no nearer to the outline below it than any of the other letters, and the vertical stroke of the T of that word is not carried beyond the cross-bar.

Forged

Lithographed, on very stout, very hard, yellowish-white wove paper, rather nicely perf. 12, no watermark. The jewels along the base of the coronet look like dark, oval holes. The pearls do not seem to be solidly joined to their stalks, like the genuine ones are, but are more or less separate. The front pearl points to the middle of the N of CEYLON, and the horizontal lines of the background can be distinctly seen, drawn through the first two pearls. The ornament after the first pearl bears only a very faint resemblance to a thistle; the ornament after the second pearl looks rather like a small pattée on a stalk; the ornament after the third pearl is something like a thistle, but is much too tall, reaching fully as high as the fourth pearl, whereas the genuine only comes up about the center of the said fourth pearl. The band of the coronet, at the back of the head, only shows two dark lines along it, besides the outlines, and these two lines are almost wedge-shaped. The top curl of the chignon is formed by three roughly-concentric circles, with a dot in the center, and the horizontal lines of the background can be partly traced through it, though this is not the case in the genuine. The bottom curl is too long, hanging down level with the fifth horizontal line below the bottom corner of the band of the coronet. The nose is almost perfectly white, and there is also a patch of white at the front point of the neck above the Y of NINETY. The eyebrow is formed by one heavy dark line. The horizontal lines of the background touch the dark outline of the oval most of the way round. The bottom of the s of POSTAGE very nearly touches the outline below it, and the tail of that letter has a serif, though head and tail are both alike in the genuine. The. vertical stroke of the T of this word is carried up above the cross-bar, and is joined to the upper outline of the oval. The colour of my single specimen is very much paler than the genuine, being pale grey, rather than greenish-drab.

Forged Perforations

I have lately seen the 8 cents of this issue with forged compound perforation, 14 x 12 1/2. The perforation at the top and bottom is, of course, genuine, but the side-perforations are forged. The fake is exceedingly well done, and the only test that I can give is that, in the genuine, a well-centered specimen shows a fair space of white on both sides, between the perforations and the side-outlines of the stamp, and, if the specimen is not well-centered, there will be a broad space of white between the perforations and the outline of the stamp, either on the right side or on the left. In this forgery there is no margin either side, but the perforations just touch the outline each side. Another peculiarity of my specimen of this fake is every alternate dent, down the left side, is cut in very slightly deeper than its neighbor, but of course I cannot say whether this is always the case.

Service Stamps

Issues of 1863-8, surcharged SERVICE in black or red. These stamps were prepared for use, and sent out to the Colony, but were never employed. I mention them here, because they are occasionally to be met with postmarked, and my readers will understand that the postmarks were either surreptitiously obtained, or are forgeries. I have a specimen of the 2s., CC, properly cancelled, and with the surcharge forged in red letters on the top of the postmark. As the genuine are only still-born stamps, it is not worth while to describe this forgery further.

 

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

 

1850-1. Circular Stamps.

My readers will know from the catalogs (though very few from their own experience), that there are four values in this set: 2, 4, 8, and 12 Cents. In consequence of their rarity, I have only succeeded in getting hold of one specimen each of the 4 c. and 12 c. I have forgeries of the 4, 8, and 12 c., but have not seen the forged 2 c., though it probably exists. I do not know the age of the forgeries, though I have had some of them for about fourteen years. There are several types of each value, so my descriptions are necessarily imperfect, being taken from a single type of each value. The genuine stamps were all initialed by the postmaster or one of the clerks, before being issued.

4 cents, black on yellow.

Genuine

Type-set, in black, on medium, soft, dull yellow wove paper. The meshes of the.paper are coarse, irregular, and set in straight lines, so as to resemble laid paper somewhat; if one can imagine laid paper with lines less than a millimeter apart. The circle is evidently composed of two pieces of printer’s “lead-rule”, bent round, so that the two together form a circle. The separation between the two pieces of rule occurs between the letters GU, and after the last A of GUIANA; i.e., the circular outline is broken in the said places. The two ends of the line, in each of these places, are not exactly opposite to each other, but the long piece forms part of a larger circle than the short; and, consequently, the ends of the long piece stand out a little, while those of the short piece stand in slightly. The circle measures twenty-seven millimeters across at its very widest part, and twenty-five at its narrowest. The circular inscription, BRITISH GUIANA, is in ordinary Roman capital letters, just two millimeters high. The central inscription, 4 CENTS, is just eleven millimeters long, measuring from the left-hand point of the 4 to the center of the stop after the S. The 4 is a fat, closed figure; the vertical stroke being very nearly a millimeter wide, and the horizontal and oblique strokes are very fine hair-strokes. CENTS is in fat italics; the thickest stroke of each letter being fully half a millimeter wide. The final S does not lean over any more than the rest of the letters. Evans’s catalog says that there are initials in pen-and-ink in the center of the stamp; but my single specimen only shows some very slight traces of red; whether pencil or ink, I cannot say.

Forged

Lithographed, in black, on medium, hard, ochre-yellow wove paper. The meshes are very regular, and have much the appearance of the grain of the paper which was used for our own old green newspaper wrappers. There is no appearance of lines in the paper. The “circle” is one continuous, very irregular line, twenty-seven millimeters across at the widest part, and twenty-four at the narrowest. It comes almost to a point, just above the T of BRITISH. The inscriptions, being lithographed, do not look at all like printed type-letters; and the letters of the circular inscription vary in height, from less than two millimeters, to very nearly three. The central inscription is in letters representing ordinary Roman type, but the S is italic, and leans very much over to the right, quite away from the rest. The thick strokes of these letters are nowhere more than about a quarter of a millimeter wide. The 4 has an open top; the thick stroke being hardly three-quarters of a millimeter wide, and the oblique stroke far thicker than what is understood by a “hair-stroke”. From the point of the 4 to the center of the stop after CENTS, the width is over ten millimeters. The 4 is just two millimeters high in the genuine; but, in this forgery, it is over three millimeters in height. In the center of the stamp is lithographed, in written characters, the name, “E. Lew”, or what looks like it, with an oblique paraphe or flourish. Besides this, there is lithographed in the center of the stamp, by way of surcharge, a very large “4”, closed at the top, 11 1/2 millimeters high, and the thick stroke two millimeters wide.

Postmarks

Genuine.—My specimen bears 2, with the name DEMERARA round the curve.

Forged.—22.

8 Cents, black on green.

Forged

Lithographed, in black, on dull, yellow-green wove paper, thick and rather hard and smooth-faced. This is, in all respects, the same design as that of the forged 2 c., except that the numeral of value is altered.

Postmarks

My counterfeit bears REGISTERED in large block capitals, with an enormous R, half the height of the stamp, below it. These two marks, together with the signature, “E. Lew”, are all lithographed.

12 Cents, black on blue.

Genuine

Type-set, on dull, dark blue wove paper, the same thickness and texture as that of the genuine 4 cents. The lead-line, forming the outer circle, appears to be all in one piece, as I can only see one break in it, just at the beginning of the T of BRITISH. The size of the circle is the same as in the 4 cents. The central inscription is the same height and width as before; measuring the width from the left-hand edge of the thick stroke of the 1 of 12 to the
 center of the stop after CENTS; this stop, by the way, in my specimen, being placed upside down; i.e., level with the top, instead of the bottom, of the S. The 1 of 12 is barely 1 1/2 millimeter high. The written initials are “H. A. B.,” or “H. A. W.,” I am not sure which.

Forged

Lithographed, in black, on pale lavender-blue, or on dull, pale, greyish-blue wove paper, medium, hard, and of the same grain as that of the forged 4 c. The stamp is in all respects the same as the forged 4 c., except for the change of numeral of value; so that the same tests will apply. The width of the central inscription, from the left-hand edge of the 1 of 12, to the center of the stop after CENTS, is 12 1/2 millimeters. The said 1 is 2 1/2 millimeters high. There is a large lithographed “E. Lew,” in writing characters, by way of surcharge.

Postmarks

Genuine.—My specimen bears, as before, 2: with DEMERARA round the curve

Forged.—The lavender-blue is uncancelled; the other bears two postmarks; 78, with numerals in the center, and 1, with “Paid Liverpool Packet” in it, with date. These seem to be lithographed.

Note

The forgeries are on much smoother paper than that of the genuine, which is very rough on the face. Evans catalogs a 4 c. genuine on tissue-paper. I have not seen this; but I remember having a whole set of counterfeits sent to me once, done in pen-and-ink on colored tissue-paper. I have no notes of them.

There is, I believe, a far more dangerous forgery of the 12 c. going about, but I have no notes of it, except that, like the genuine, it is typographed, on rough blue paper. I suppose it is hardly necessary to say that the genuine stamps, being typographed, show all the black parts well sunk into the paper, which is not the case with the lithographed counterfeits.

1852. 1 c., Magenta.

Genuine

Lithographed, in black, on thick, magenta-faced, white wove paper, unperforated. The catalogs call the colour “magenta”; but I should rather name it “crimson”. The 1 of 1 CENT has no head-stroke; the C forms part of a circle ; both upper limbs of the E are almost exactly of equal length. The line, in the shield, forming the bottom of the sea, if prolonged right and left, would cut well into the B of BRITISH and the last A of GUIANA. The tail of the Q of QUE hangs straight downwards; and the vertical stroke of the P of PATIMUS, if prolonged downwards, would pass between the letters VI of VICISSIM. The M of this latter word stands exactly centrally under the U, and the stop after it stands centrally under the S of PATIMUS. The outer frame of the stamp is much thicker all round than even the thickest part of the outline of the shield. To the left of the ship are two forts, close together; the right hand one showing three battlements; the other displaying four, with three loop-holes for cannon. The masts of the large ship slope very much to the right, so that the central mast, if prolonged upwards, would pass almost clear to the right of the T of CENT above it. There is a very thin, light-coloured streak, along the center of the hull, so thin that it can hardly be traced the whole length of the vessel. To the right of the vessel, and apparently at a great distance in the offing, there is a three-masted ship, small, but perfectly distinct.

Forged

Lithographed, on thin, rather hard, smooth and shiny, magenta-faced white wove paper. (This is really magenta.) The i has evident traces of an oblique head-stroke; the C of CENT forms part of an oval, and shows a small head, which is not the case with the genuine; the central tongue of the E is considerably shorter than the upper limb. The line in the shield, representing the bottom outline of the sea, if prolonged right and left, would almost graze the R of BRITISH, and pass quite clear between the N and last A of GUIANA. The tail of the Q of QUE slopes obliquely down to the right. The vertical stroke of the P of PATIMUS, if prolonged downwards, would pass almost centrally through the v of VICISSIM. The M of this latter word stands centrally under the space between the letters us of PATIMUS; and the stop, which is very faint, is far to the right of the s of PATIMUS. The outer frame of the stamp is scarcely so thick as the thickest part of the outline of the shield. The point of the shield is above the space between the letters PA of PATIMUS. To the left of the ship there are two very faint buildings, the right-hand one looking like a light-house, and much higher, instead of lower, than the other. The masts of the ship are almost upright; so that the central mast, if prolonged upwards, would cut well into the N of CENT. There is a broad, and very distinct light-coloured streak along the hull. There is an extremely faint indication of a one-masted vessel to the right of the large one, but even in the microscope it is very indistinct.

1852. 4 Cents, black on blue.

Genuine

Lithographed, in black, on intense cobalt-blue-faced white wove paper, as thick as that of the I cent. The 4 has a closed top; the C and E of CENTS are the same as in the genuine 1 cent; and so is the line which forms the bottom outline of the sea in the shield. The Q of QUE, in this value, has its tail sloping very slightly to the right, and the letter itself is placed centrally under the A of DAMUS. The vertical stroke of the P of PATIMUS, if prolonged downwards, would pass along the first 1 of VICISSIM, which is exactly under it. The M of VICISSIM stands under the space between the letters MU of PATIMUS; and the stop after VICISSIM is under the space between the letters US of PATIMUS. The outer frame of the stamp is the same thickness as in the genuine 1 cent. The forts to the left of the large ship are also the same as in the genuine 1 cent. The masts of the said large ship slope very much over to the right; so that the central mast, if prolonged upwards, would pass almost through the center of the T of CENTS. The light-coloured streak along the hull of the vessel is broader than in the 1 cent, but not at all conspicuous. The little three-master to the right of the large vessel is the same as in the 1 cent.

Forged

Lithographed, in black, on dull, dead-blue-faced white wove paper, as thin as that of the forged 1 cent. The design, except the inscription, 4 CENTS, is exactly the same as that of the forged I cent. The 4 has an open top; the C of CENTS is part of an oval; the middle tongue of the E is very much shorter than the top limb. The Q of QUE stands centrally under the space between AM of DAMUS. The vertical stroke of the P of PATIMUS, if prolonged downwards, would cut right through the center of the v of VICISSIM, as in the last-described forgery. The M of VICISSIM stands under the space between the letters US of PATIMUS; and the stop after VICISSIM is far to the right of the s of PATIMUS. All the other tests, not repeated here, are exactly the same as those of the forged 1 cent.

Postmarks

Genuine.—My specimens are uncancelled.

Forged.—Ditto; also 22, together with a large 4, and the lithographed signature, “E. Lew”.

Reprints

These, as most collectors know, are perforated; the originals are imperforated.

1856. Provisional; 4 c., black on magenta.

Genuine

Type-set, printed in black, on rather coarsely-wove paper, colored a rosy magenta on the face, and showing pinkish white at the back. None of the letters of any of the inscriptions touch each other anywhere. The end of the tail of the R of BRITISH curls up. The G of GUIANA has a well-marked cross-bar, and the little tail below it hangs straight down. The head of the G comes down so that it almost meets the cross-bar. The R of FOUR is exactly like that of BRITISH, and the head and tail of the C of CENTS almost meet. The Q of QUE is a capital letter, the same height as the capital v of VICISSIM. The lines forming the oblong frame are not continuous, but consist of four separate pieces; the ends at the top corners are very wide apart, but the gap at the lower corners is not so wide. The word DAMUS is perfectly distinct and readable. The ship has only a single sail (topsail) high up on each mast, with no lower sails visible at all. In my single specimen, the right-hand, or fore-mast stands directly under the upright stroke of the P of PETIMUS, and the middle, or main-mast, under, and slightly to the right of the S of DAMUS; while the left-hand, or mizen-mast is under the U of the latter word. All the design is deeply sunk into the paper.

Forged

Lithographed, in black, on deep crimson-faced, stout, fine-grained, smooth white wove paper. The paper is perfectly white at the back. The bottom of the A of POSTAGE touches the letters each side of it; so does the first A of GUIANA; and each A of this latter word is considerably taller than the other letters. The end of the tail of the R of BRITISH goes off straight to the right, and touches the base of the 1, instead of curling up. The cross-bar of the G of GUIANA is not visible in some copies; in others it is even too long, so that it almost touches the V. In no case is there any hanging tail to the G; and the head is far away from the cross-bar. The end of the tail of the R of FOUR does not curl up, but points straight to the right. The head and tail of the C of CENTS are far apart. The easiest test is the Q of QUE, which is an ordinary small or lower-case “q”, instead of a large Q. The oblong frame is continuous all round, being joined at the corners. The word DAMUS is indistinct, as the M and the U are joined at the top; and the word reads like DANMS. Each of the masts carries two sails, instead of one. The foremast is under the end of the P of PETIMUS; the main-mast is under the space between the two words, but much nearer to the P; and the mizen-mast is also under the space between the two words, but near to the s of DAMUS. The design is not at all sunk into the paper.

1856. 4 c., black on blue.

Genuine

The paper is blue-faced; instead of red-faced. I have not been able to get this; but I conclude that the design is the same as that of the 4 c. magenta.

Forged

Lithographed, on thick, hard, blue-faced white wove paper, with a shiny surface. The design is exactly the same as that of the forgery of the 4 c. crimson.

Postmarks

Forged.—My blue 4 c. is uncancelled; the crimson one has 1, with “Paid” between two transverse lines in the center (lithographed), and a large “5” (hand-stamped) added separately, as a sort of surcharge, besides the postmark. Another copy bears 98, with REGISTERED, in large block capitals, obliquely across it, all lithographed.

Note: Both genuine and forged have the signature “E. Lew” upon them; the genuine has it written; it is lithographed in the forgeries.

1862. Provisionals, 1, 2 & 4 cents; Rouletted 6.

These stamps are of local manufacture, type-set, with initials of the Acting Receiver-General of the Colony written in the center, in red or black ink. Most of the specimens that I have handled were cut, but I believe they were all rouletted 6. There is not a full set of any one of the six types. The sheet contains four horizontal rows, of six stamps in a row, thus making twenty-four stamps on the sheet.

1 Cent, black on rose.

Genuine

Type-set, on rather thick, rough, rose wove paper, rouletted.

TYPE I.—The lines separating the pearl border from the lettering are not continuous. Each little ornament is evidently cast as a pearl with a dash below it, the dash being of about the same width as the pearl. Thus, when the pearls are arrayed side by side, the dashes appear, at a distance, to form one uninterrupted straight line; but, looked at closely, the line is broken below the space between every two pearls. This is the case with all the eight stamps of this type. In the fifth pearl from the top, on the left side of the stamp, there is only the usual crescent-shaped shading, with no round black spot, to the left of the shading, in the pearl. T h e perpendicular side-line, to the right of BRITISH, and the similar one to the left of POSTAGE, are both broken into at least four, and in one case into five, separate pieces, instead of each forming one continuous line.

VARIETIES OF TYPE I.—The thirteenth stamp on the sheet (i.e., the first of Type I.) has an upright dash near the left-hand end of the GUIANA label, and a shorter dash before the P of POSTAGE. The fourteenth stamp has an upright dash after the H of BRITISH. The fifteenth stamp has a curious scroll-ornament, instead of a pearl, over the first A of GUIANA, and the fourth pearl from the left, at the bottom of the stamp below the E of ONE, is turned on its side, so that the crescent points to the right, instead of downwards, and the short line which should be between the pearl and the E appears as an upright dash between this pearl and its left-hand neighbor. There is a sort of colon after BRITISH. The I of GUIANA is a 1. The seventeenth stamp has a stop at the left-hand end of the GUIANA label. The nineteenth stamp has an upright dash at the left-hand end of the GUIANA label, and a colon of square stops before the P of POSTAGE. In the twentieth stamp the head of the T of BRITISH is faint, and the right-hand end of the line above ONE CENT is bent downwards a good deal.

TYPE II. — In all the twelve stamps of this type, the sharp ends of the ovals in the bottom corners point towards the center of the stamp. The sharp ends of the ovals down the right side of the stamp point obliquely upwards to the left. (See varieties below, for a few exceptions.) The fifth oval down the right side is the same pattern as the rest.

VARIETIES OF TYPE II.—The first stamp on the sheet has a “hook and eye” ornament, instead of a crossed oval, to left of the TI of BRITISH. The second stamp has the top oval, and the bottom oval but one on the right-hand side, with their sharp ends pointing downwards, instead of upwards. The third and fourth stamps have the oval in the right top comer pointing downwards. The fifth stamp (like the second) has the top oval, and the bottom oval but one on the right side, pointing downwards. The sixth and seventh stamps have the oval in the right top corner pointing downwards. The eighth stamp has the same, and, in addition, the sixth oval from the top, on the right side, points downwards, and there is a colon before the P of POSTAGE. The ninth stamp has the oval in the right top corner pointing downwards. The eleventh stamp has the same, and, in addition, the fifth oval from the top down the right side has a large dot in it, and the seventh oval from the top, down the left side of the stamp, points upwards, and the top of the H of BRITISH is broken. In the twelfth stamp, the third oval down the right side is a curious pattern, quite different from the rest, and the seventh oval on the same side points upwards and outwards. The H of BRITISH is broken, and there is a large dash before the P of POSTAGE in this twelfth stamp.

TYPE III.—Each of the two perpendicular lines, to the right of BRITISH, and left of POSTAGE, is broken into four, five, and even six separate pieces. The one to the right of BRITISH, if prolonged downwards, would pass clear to the right (or, in the last stamp but one on the sheet, would just graze the side) of the o of ONE; and the line to the left of POSTAGE, if prolonged downwards, would pass through, or graze, the last stroke of the N of CENT. The inner stalk of the bunch of grapes at the top left corner of the stamp does not touch the stalk of the bunch immediately to the right of it. The A and N of GUIANA do not touch each other.

VARIETIES OF TYPE III.—The twenty-second stamp on the sheet (first stamp of Type III.) has the bunch of grapes in the left lower corner pointing downwards to the left; i.e., it belongs to the set down the left side. The twenty-third stamp has this same bunch of grapes pointing downwards to the right; i.e., it belongs to the bottom row, and the second and fifth ornaments in this bottom row are quite different in pattern, both from the grapes and from each other. The top of the O of POSTAGE is broken, and there is a semicolon after GUIANA in my specimen, though I am not sure whether this is always visible. The twenty-fourth stamp bears the legend POSTAGE. (It is not a broken O, but a properly-formed C.)

Forged

TYPE I.—Lithographed, on medium, smooth, granite wove paper, of a very disagreeable magenta tint, with a shade of blue in the red. Each of the four lines, separating the pearl borders from the rest of the stamp, is perfectly continuous, instead of broken; and, in the fifth pearl from the top on the left side, opposite the second I of BRITISH, there is a distinct black dot, besides the shading. The side-lines, to right of BRITISH, and to left of POSTAGE are continuous, instead of broken. The letters IA of GUIANA touch each other, though they are separate in the genuine.

TYPE II. First Forgery.—Type-set; paper very like the genuine, but thinner. The oval in the left bottom corner points downwards to the right, instead of upwards towards the center of the stamp, and all the ovals down the right side point downwards to the left. This is a very easy test.

TYPE II. Second Forgery.—Type-set, on rather thin, dull rose wove paper. The oval in the left bottom corner points upwards to the left, and the fifth oval clown the right side, by the ST of POSTAGE, is quite a different pattern from the rest.

TYPE II. Third Forgery.—Lithographed, on the magenta, granite’ wove paper before described. This is imitated from the seventh stamp on the sheet (first stamp in the second row) which has the second oval from the top, down the left side, pointing down to the left, instead of to the right. The upright lines to right of BRITISH and to left of POSTAGE are continuous, instead of broken; and the one to right of BRITISH, if prolonged downwards, would pass midway between the ON of ONE. instead of cutting deeply into the O, as it does in this particular type of the genuine. The O of POSTAGE is narrow and oval, instead of being wide and almost circular.

TYPE II. Fourth Forgery.—Typographed, on dull rose wove paper, rather thin, with coarse grain. The ovals at the top of the stamp are placed unevenly, and the two above the UIA of GUIANA are much closer together than those to the left of them. This forgery resembles the genuine, more than any of the others hitherto described.

TYPE III. Forged.—Lithographed, on the granite, magenta wove paper already mentioned. The lines to right of BRITISH and left of POSTAGE are continuous, instead of broken. The former, if prolonged downwards, would cut deeply into the O of ONE. The inner stalk of the bunch of grapes, at the top left corner of the stamp, is joined to the stalk of the bunch to right of it. The A and N of GUIANA are joined at the bottom. This forgery is imitated from the twenty-second stamp on the sheet, i.e., the first stamp of Type III.

Bogus.

(i.e., no genuine 1 cent of these types.)

TYPE IV.—Lithographed, on granite’, magenta wove paper.
TYPE V.—Lithographed, on granite, magenta wove paper.
TYPE VI .— Type-set, on fairly stout, rough, pale, dull rose paper. Lithographed, on granite, magenta wove paper.

Postmarks

Genuine.—54.

TYPE I. Forged.—Uncancelled. Also 22.

TYPE II. First Forgery.—Something like 30, with AO in the center.

Second Forgery.—Ditto.

Third Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Fourth Forgery.—Same as the first and second forgeries.

TYPE III. Forged.—Uncancelled.

Besides these I have notes of various forged cancellations, but do not remember which particular counterfeits bore them. They include 22, 54, 57 (but circular), 98, 100; also a very small oblong of oblique bars, that just fills up the width, and rather more than the length, of the central square. Also a pen-stroke. Also a large “4”, like a surcharge.

2 Cents, black on yellow.

It will be noted in the sketches of the three entire sheets, that the types of the 2c. are in the same order as in the 1 c. The fact is that the sheet is the same, only the value being altered. Thus all the peculiarities of the various stamps of 1 c. (except the value) will be found on the corresponding stamps of 2 c., as, for instance, the spelling POSTAGE of the last stamp on the sheet. Besides these, the 2 c. has its own special varieties: No. 13 has TWO; 16 has an italic T in CENTS; 18 has an italic T in TWO.

Genuine

Type-set; stamps exactly the same as the genuine 1 cent, with value altered; paper, rouletting, etc., as before. I need not repeat the tests, as, except for the alterations in value, the tests given for the 1 cent will suffice.

Forged

TYPE I.—Lithographed, on medium to thin, smooth, primrose-yellow wove paper, with a grain like that of our own old green id. news bands of 1870. The design is exactly like that of the forgery of Type I. of the 1 cent, with value altered.

TYPE II. First Forgery.—Type-set, on rather rough, somewhat orange-yellow, medium wove paper. The oval in the left bottom corner is like the genuine. My specimen is not very distinct, but, as far as I can make out, the two ovals above IA in GUIANA touch each other. All the ovals down the right side point downwards to the left, as in the first forgery of the 1 cent of this type.

TYPE II. Second Forgery.—Type-set, on fairly stout yellow wove paper. The oval in the left bottom corner points downwards to the right.

Type II. Third Forgery.—Type-set, paper rather harder than the last. This is almost exactly the same as the second forgery, but there is a stop after GUIANA.
TYPE II. Fourth Forgery.—Type-set, on yellow wove paper, with coarse graining. The oval in the left bottom corner points downwards to the right, and all the ovals down the right side point downwards to the left.

TYPE III. Forged.—Lithographed, on bright yellow wove paper. This is exactly the same as the forgery of Type III., of the 1 cent, with value altered.

Bogus.

TYPE IV.—Lithographed, on thin, primrose-yellow wove paper, grained as before. No interior lines.

TYPE V.—Lithographed; paper as above.

TYPE VI.—(1) Type-set, on pale yellow wove paper, very coarsely grained. The corner-ornaments are rosettes, of eight circles surrounding a central circle.

TYPE VI.—(2) Lithographed, on thin, yellow wove paper, grained as in our old green 1/2 d. news bands. There are no interior lines.

Bogus Types.—(1) Type-set, on medium, hard, very pale sulphur-yellow wove paper, with a mottled grain. There is no type at all like this. The border is composed of curly ornaments, and is surrounded by a frame of a thin, inner line and a very thick, outer line. The frame makes the stamp much larger than any of the originals, forgeries, or bogus stamps hitherto described.

(2) Lithographed, on yellow wove paper, like that of the forgery of Type I. of the 2 c. The pattern of the frame is peculiar, consisting of interlacing semicircles, with little hearts and little balls, alternately. This is, of course, quite an imaginary type, intended for the ” hook-and- eye” type of the 4 c.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As in the 1 cent.

TYPE I. Forged.—Uncancelled. Also pen-marked. Also a very large 4, like a surcharge.

TYPE II. First Forgery.—Similar to 30, with AO in center.

TYPE II. Second Forgery.—Ditto.

TYPE II. Third Forgery.—Ditto.

TYPE II. Fourth Forgery.—Ditto.

TYPE III. Forged.—Uncancelled.

Most of the forgeries have written in the center, in red pencil, or else some initials, generally unreadable.

4 Cents, black on blue.

Genuine

These arc type-set, like the genuine 1 and 2 cents, on blue wove paper, rouletted.

Forged

TYPE IV. Forged.—Lithographed, on thin, dull blue and greenish-blue wove paper, with a coarse and regular grain, like that of our old news bands. There are no interior lines. The top of the G of GUIANA does not go anywhere near the cross-bar. The tail of the R of BRITISH goes straight out to the right, and joins the foot-stroke to the 1; the S is distinctly taller than the letters each side of it. The letters AN of GUIANA touch each other at the bottom. The U of FOUR is no higher than the O; the S of CENTS is not too high; the U of GUIANA is not too high; and the I of that word is not like a “1”.

TYPE V. Forged.—Lithographed; paper and colour exactly the same as in the forgery of Type IV. Each of the side-lines is in one unbroken piece. If the right-hand one were prolonged downwards, it would pass a shade to the right of the perpendicular stroke of the T of CENTS. The tail of the R of FOUR hangs slightly lower than the perpendicular stroke, and does not curl up. The U of GUIANA is not too high; and the 1 does not look in the least like a “1”. The border, in this forgery, is very poorly imitated, and not at all like our illustration, which is a fair copy. It is the pattern (already mentioned among the bogus 2 cents) of interlacing semicircles, with alternate balls and hearts.

TYPE VI. First Forgery.—Lithographed, on dull blue, also dull green wove paper, with graining as before. The ornaments are really trefoils, with two balls out of each triplet dotted, and the corner-ones (1, 10, 18, and 27) made into clumsy quatrefoils, just like the illustration of this type, which is incorrect. The trefoils are all joined together by the curved lines issuing from each. The tail of the R of FOUR goes to the right, in a straight line. The ornaments are: 1, quatrefoil; 2 to 9, left; 10, quatrefoil; 11 to 17, down; 18, quatrefoil; 19 to 26, right; 27, quatrefoil; .28 to 34, up.

TYPE VI. Second Forgery.—Lithographed, on dull, grey-blue wove paper, grained as before. The trefoils are the same shape as in the first forgery, but larger, and without dots in them. They are separate from each other in this counterfeit. An easy test is that the stamps have the four interior lines, which are absent in this type of the genuine, and the corner-ornaments (1, 10, 18, and 27) resemble some of the old-fashioned circular brooches, which had a central circular stone, surrounded by eight smaller ones. The tail of the R of BRITISH does not curl up. The ornaments are: 1, brooch or rosette; 2 to 9, left; 10, brooch; 11 to 17, down; 18, brooch; 19 to 26, right; 27, brooch; 28 to 34, up. This description really covers two different forgeries, but will suffice to detect either of them.

TYPE VI. Third Forgery.—Typographed, on deep blue wove paper, grained as before. This also has the interior lines, which the genuine has not. The ornaments are separate, as in the genuine, but they are trefoils, as in the other forgeries, and have no dots. The corner-ornaments are brooches or rosettes, as in the second forgery, but not so large, and without the little rays or points which proceed from the brooch in that counterfeit. A further description is unnecessary. The plan of the ornaments is the same as in the second forgery.

Bogus

{i.e., no genuine 4 c. of these types.)

TYPE I.—(1) Lithographed, on pale greyish-blue, also on greenish wove paper, grained as before. This is merely the first forgery of the 1 cent, with altered value, and on different paper.

TYPE II.—(1) Type-set, on deep blue wove paper, grained as before. This is the second forgery of Type II. of the 1 cent, with altered value.

TYPE II.—(2) Type-set, on deep blue wove paper, similar to last. This is like the second forgery of Type II. of the 2 cents, with the necessary alteration of value.

TYPE II.—(3) Lithographed, on pale grey-blue wove paper. This is the third forgery of Type II. of the 1 cent, with altered value.

TYPE III.—Lithographed, on pale grey-blue wove paper. This is the forgery of Type III. of the 1 cent, with value altered.

Postmarks

Genuine.—As before.

TYPE IV. Forged.—Uncancelled. Also a pen-and-ink flourish.

TYPE V. Forged.—22. Also a large 4, like a surcharge.

TYPE VI. First Forgery.—Uncancelled. Also pen-stroke. Also 98.

TYPE VI. Second Forgery.—Uncancelled. Also 98.

TYPE VI. Third Forgery.—54.

1853. 1 c. & 4 c.

(With and without a white line above the value.)

I have seen no counterfeits of these stamps; but there are reprints of them (as of the 1851 issue), which are perforated, like the reprints of the 1851 issue. The genuine stamps of both issues are unperforated.

Issues of 1860-75.

Genuine

Engraved, in épargne; paper, perforation, and type as above. The motto in the oval band is DAMUS PETIMUSQUE VICISSIM. The outer line of the whole stamp is very close to the frame. The O in the right bottom corner is cut off somewhat squarely at the top. The tail of the R of BRITISH turns up, so as to point distinctly above the foot of the following 1. The 1 in the left top corner of the stamp is exactly in the center of its containing-square. The whole length of the S of DAMUS is about equal in thickness. The v-shaped centre of the M of PETIMUSQUE is cut
off square at the bottom; and the tail of the Q shows quite as much inside as outside the body of the letter. At the bottom of the oval garter there is a small, shield-shaped piece, which folds over obliquely, just above the C of CENT or CENTS; in it there is an irregular, white, eight-pointed star, and inside this star there is a dark circle, with a dark dot in the center of it. The tops of the masts are extremely faint, so as to be almost invisible. The highest point of the left-hand (mizen) mast only reaches as high as the level of the center of the highest (main-top-mast) sail of the middle (main) mast; and the highest point of the right-hand (fore) mast is not nearly tall enough to touch the outline of the oval above it. The buckle of the garter is no wider than the garter itself.

First Forgery

I have only the 2 c., with value close to CENTS. This is a most excellent forgery, and might deceive anybody. Finely lithographed, in a very red shade of orange, on very thick, very hard, white wove paper, imperforated. The top of the 0 in the right bottom corner is not at all square. The tail of the R of BRITISH is quite flat at the bottom, and points directly level with the foot of the following I. The 1 in the left top corner is slightly to the left of the center of the containing-square. The top and bottom of the S of DAMUS are distinctly thinner than the main body of the letter. The V-shaped center of the M of PETIMUSQUE is sharp at the point; and the tail of the Q does not show at all in the hollow of the letter, though outside it is more prominent than in the genuine. The little dark ring, containing a dot, in the white star over the C of CENTS is oval, instead of circular. The tops of the masts are quite easy to see; the right-hand one (like the middle one) touches the top outline of the containing-oval; and the left-hand one reaches up almost to the level of the top of the highest sail on the middle mast. The buckle of the garter is wider than the garter itself, and trespasses over the outline of the garter, both outside and inside the oval. The complicated, spider’s-web lines in the spandrels are not exactly like those of the genuine; but there is no possibility of describing the differences without diagrams. The lack of perforation and the extremely stout paper are the readiest tests for this forgery.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on medium to stout, white wove paper; pin-perf. 12 1/2. The inscription on the oval band is “DAMUS RETIMUSOUE VICISSIM!” This mistake of RETIMUSOUE instead of PETIMUSQUE renders this forgery easy of detection. The outer line round the stamp is at some distance from the frame; there being almost the width of the 1 in the left top corner between the line and the frame. The 0 in the right bottom corner is oval. The tail of the R of BRITISH points straight to the foot of the following 1. The 1 in the left top corner is a great deal too far to the right of its containing-square. The little dark ring in the shield-shaped part of the garter, over the C of CENT or CENTS, is irregular in shape, and thickest on the right side.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on medium, white wove paper, badly pin-perf. to some uncountable gauge. The outer line of the stamp is too far from the frame. The 0 in the right bottom corner is rather irregular in outline. The tail of the R of BRITISH points straight to the foot of the following 1. The 1 in the left top corner is far to the left of the center of the containing-square. The tail of the Q of PETIMUSQUE is very oblique, pointing to the right, instead of almost straight down. The middle mast does not touch the top of the oval; and the other masts are even shorter than those of the genuine. The right-hand mast, if prolonged upwards, would pass clear between SQ of PETIMUSQUE; though, in the genuine, it would cut into the S. The pairs of wavy, parallel, vertical lines in the spandrels are much too prominent in this forgery; striking the eye at once. In the genuine, they have to be looked for.

Fourth Forgery

Of this I have only the 1 cent, in green. It is extremely poor, and not likely to deceive. Badly lithographed, in green, on thinnish, hard, yellowish-white wove paper, unperforated. The tail of the R of BRITISH seems to point downwards. The Q of PETIMUSQUE is a distinct O. The little colored ring in the star over the C of CENT is oval, and has no dot in its center. The top of the central mast does not touch the outline of the oval above it, and the tops of the other masts are invisible. The ship is very queerly rigged; the upper sail of the left-hand mast is put on obliquely, and the triangular sail (jib) near the SS of VICISSIM is shapeless, instead of being a neat, long triangle. The top of the G of POSTAGE is broken off, and the E is a mere blotch. I cannot give further details, as the stamp is so very badly printed.

Fifth Forgery

Very blotchily lithographed, on thinnish, very white wove paper, nicely perforated 124. The A of DAMUS has no cross-bar; the Q of PETIMUSQUE has only the very slightest indication of a tail, and the M of VICISSIM is much blotched. The bottom of the tail of the R of BRITISH points above the foot of the following 1, as in the genuine; but it is cut off obliquely, instead of being rounded off. The top and bottom of the S of DAMUS are much thinner than the body of the letter. In the shield- shaped part of the garter, over the C of CENT or CENTS, there are merely three small white dots, where the eight-pointed white star, containing a dark ring ought to be. The background of the central oval is solid (or nearly so); whereas, in the genuine, it is formed by horizontal lines. The tops of the masts are, of course, quite invisible on the solid background; and the hull of the vessel is also quite indistinguishable from the background. The lettering of the Latin motto is very ragged, compared with the neat block type of the genuine.

Postmarks

Genuine.—1, 2, 19, 29, 54, 57.

First Forgery.—57.

Second Forgery.—29.

Third Forgery.—98.

Fourth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Fifth. Forgery.—29.

NOTE.—There is a 12 c. of the 1869 type, which is surcharged with a large “5 C” in red. This is figured and catalogued as ” 5d.”; but it is a “c.” not a “d.” I do not know anything about the reason for the surcharge, or whether it is genuine or bogus.

Issues of 1863-75. 6, 24 & 48 Cents.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne paper. In the central circle, the fine, horizontal lines of the sky give place to two small, white clouds, to left of the ship, near the P of PETIMUSQUE, one large white cloud above the ship, and one small one to right of it, near the V of VICISSIM. The boom of the lowest sail of the left-hand mast (mizen) extends horizontally, considerably to the
left of the ship, and, if prolonged, would cut off about one-third of the M of DAMUS. The left-hand mast, if prolonged upwards, would graze the left lop corner of the first U of PETIMUSQUE; the central mast, prolonged, would pass centrally between the U and S of that word; and the right-hand mast, prolonged, would cut through the Q, rather to the right of its center. The hull of the vessel has a light, horizontal streak near the gunwale. The sea is (roughly) divided into three horizontal portions; white near the vessel, then dark in the center, then white again, near the bottom of the circle. The dots, comprising the eight-pointed star-ornament at the base of the inscribed circle, are all more or less wedge-shaped, except the three central ones; and there is a distinct dot outside each of the long, horizontal arms. There is a stop after GUIANA, and one after CENTS, in all the values. There is an ornament just like a white V, in the left upper spandrel, below the 1; and a similar, but inverted v, in the right lower spandrel, just above the 3. There is a small round white dot in the solid part, above the first U, and a similar one above the Q of PETIMUSQUE.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on very thin, very white wove paper, badly pin-perf. 13 1/2. The horizontal lines of the sky are coarse, and not all at equal distances apart. There is no cloud near the v of VICISSIM. The mizen-boom seems to slope downwards to the left. The left-hand mast has no visible top; the middle mast, if prolonged, would pass through the first stroke of the U, and the right-hand mast, if prolonged, would cut almost through the center of the S of PETIMUSQUE. The sea is white near the ship, but the rest is almost all dark. The strokes forming the star-ornament, above the C of CENTS, are chiefly clumsy oblongs; and the two side ones are very strongly V-shaped. The stop after CENTS is very faint. The V in the spandrel in the left top corner is part of the floral scroll-work, and is not under the 1, but midway in the space between the 1 and the B. I have not been able to make out the inverted V above the 3 in the right lower corner; but my copy is postmarked there, so possibly there may be one. There is a very large white dot above the M of PETIMUS, and the other dot (which is above the S) is joined to the scroll-work to right of it. The last I of VICISSIM is a J. This latter fact points to a German origin for this first forgery; as the Germans have a way of putting J for I in Latin characters. In the sign-boards over the shops, for instance, one may commonly see such words as JSRAEL, DESTJLLATJON, etc.

Second Forgery

Nicely lithographed, on medium, very white wove paper, fairly pin-perf. 13 1/2. There are two very tiny clouds above the ship, instead of one large one. The boom of the lowest left-hand sail does not extend beyond the stern of the vessel. The tops of the masts are like the genuine. There is no light streak along the gunwale of the ship. The sea is uniformly composed of white, curly marks on a solid, dark background. The ornament above the C of CENTS is very different from the genuine. It is composed of three oval dots, placed in a perpendicular row, all touching, with a V on its side, each side of the center dot, and a colored flaw to left of the left-hand V. There is a V-shaped curl (but not an independent V) in the scroll, under the 1 in the left top corner, and no v above the 3 in the right bottom corner. There is a white dot above the Q of PETIMUSQUE, but none above the first U of that word.

Third Forgery

Lithographed, on thin, greyish-white wove paper, perf. 13. Though very blotchy, the details of this forgery are extremely correct. The whole of the sky is mottled all over with white clouds. The point of the left-hand mast is not visible; and that of the central mast, prolonged, would not pass centrally between the US of PETIMUSQUE, but near to the S. I cannot make out any stop after GUIANA, and the stop after CENTS is very faint.

Fourth Forgery

Very nicely lithographed, on medium, greyish-white wove paper, perf. 12. This is dangerous. The boom of the left lowest sail points above (instead of below) the middle of the M of DAMUS; and there is a white streak below the boom, and parallel with it, running to the edge of the circle, and caused by one of the lines of the background being omitted. The top of the left-hand mast, if prolonged, would cut deeply into the first U of PETIMUSQUE; and the central mast, if prolonged, would pass nearer to the U than to the S. There is a very strong white streak along the gunwale of the vessel, and the heads of the three sailors, visible in the genuine, near the bows, cannot be made out. There is a very tiny stop after GUIANA, and a large, shapeless one, after CENTS. The v under the 1 in the left top corner forms a part of the scroll-work; and there is no inverted V above the 3 in the right bottom corner. There is a large white dot above the beginning of the first U of PETIMUSQUE, and another above the beginning of the second U. There is no stop after VICISSIM.

Fifth Forgery

Coarsely lithographed, on thick, very rough, yellowish-white wove paper, badly perf. 12. The horizontal lines of the sky are coarse, and far apart, and there are no clouds at all. There is 110 boom to the left lowest sail, and the point of the sail curls rather downwards. The left-hand mast, prolonged, would pass almost centrally through the first U of PETIMUSQUE; the central mast would cut into the S; and the right-hand mast would pass centrally between the letters QU of that word. Nearly the whole of the sea is solid, dark colour, and there are no large waves. There are 110 dots to right and left of the horizontal parts of the ornament over the C of CENTS. There is no stop after GUIANA or CENTS. The curly ornaments in the spandrels are very thin, and there is no v below the 1 or above the 3. There is no white dot above the first U of PETIMUSQUE, and none above the Q, though there is a sort of comma, laid on its side, above the second U. The bowsprit, in this forgery, has no dolphin-striker. The date-figures in the corners are very thin.

Postmarks

Genuine.—1, 2, 54, 57, 64.

First Forgery.—51.

Second Forgery.—1.

Third Forgery.—57.

Fourth Forgery.—Uncancelled.

Fifth Forgery.—6 (without numerals).

Official Stamps

These are the ordinary stamps of 1867 and of 1876, surcharged OFFICIAL. In the measurements given below, I have taken the distance between the left-hand edge of the first F of OFFICIAL, and the right-hand end of the projecting, horizontal limb of the L. In this way, the measures can be taken very exactly, which would not be the case if I had tried to measure from the outside of the o.

1875. 2, 8, 12 & 24 Cents.

These are the 1866-75 stamps, surcharged in black. There is a 1 cent, surcharged in a larger type in red, but I have seen no forgery of this.

Genuine

I only have the 2 c. from which to describe, and my specimens are all perf. 10. There appear to be two types of surcharge; Type 1 measures very nearly 12 mm. from F to L, and the bottom of the L is 1 1/4 mm. long. In Type II. it is fully 12 mm. from F to L, and the bottom of the L is 1 1/2 mm. long. The O in Type II. is slightly sloping to the left. The blank center of the O is I mm. across, in its widest part. The C opens almost 1 mm. wide. From the top of the A to the bottom of its cross-bar is 1 3/4 mm. If the said cross-bar were prolonged to the left, the upper edge of it could go into the opening of the C. The height of the surcharge is 2 1/4 mm.

First Forgery

Of this I have only the 4 cents, perf. 10. This, of course, is bogus, as there is no 4 c. official of this type; but I describe the surcharge, as it will probably be found on other values. It is nicely printed, and looks better than the genuine. The F—L measurement is the same as the first type of the genuine; i.e., very nearly 12 mm., and the bottom of the L is 1 1/4 mm. long, also like Type I. Almost the only difference is that the height of the surcharge is fully 2 1/2 mm., instead of 2 1/4 mm.

Second Forgery

Of this I have only the 12 cents, perf. 15. The distance F—L is 13 mm., and the bottom of the L is 1 1/2 mm. long. The blank center of the O is less than 1 mm. across, in the widest part; the ends of the C are cut off horizontally, instead of obliquely, and the opening is hardly 1 mm. wide. The A is crossed far too low down, so that the distance from the top of the A to the bottom edge of the cross-bar is slightly more than 2 mm., instead of if mm. If the said cross-bar were prolonged to the left, no part of it would go into the opening of the C. The height of the surcharge is fully 2 1/2 mm.

Third Forgery

Of this I have only the 8 cents, perf. 15. The distance F—-L is nearly 13 3/4 mm., and the bottom of the L is 1 3/4 mm. long. The O is very narrow, compared with the genuine, and the width of the blank center is about 3/4 mm. only. The two ends of the C are very close together, being scarcely 5 mm. apart; the top end is cut off obliquely, but the bottom end is cut off square. The distance from the top of the A to the bottom edge of its cross-bar is 2 1/4 mm., and the whole of the cross-bar, if prolonged to the left, would go below the opening in the C. The height of the surcharge is 2 3/4 mm.

1877. 1, 2, 4, 6 & 8 Cents.

These are the De la Rue stamps of 1876, wmk. CC; and any official stamps with CA watermark may be put aside as forged, without further examination.

Genuine

The watermark, as I have already said, is CC. The surcharge is better done than in the issue just described; it is 2 1/2 mm. high, and the distance F—L is 13 1/4 mm. The center of the O is nearly 1 mm. across. The ends of the C are cut off somewhat obliquely, and the opening between them is about 3/4 mm. From the top of the A to the bottom of its cross-bar, the distance is 2 mm. If prolonged to the left, the whole width of the cross-bar would be below the opening of the C. The bottom of the L is 1 1/2 mm. long.

First Forgery

Of this I have the 1 c. and 2 c., with CA watermark. The surcharge is not so clear as the genuine; it is 2 1/2 mm. high, like the genuine, but the distance F—L is only 12 mm., instead of 13 1/4. The top of the O is quite flat, as though a piece had been cut off it, and the blank center is slightly over 1 mm. across. From the top of the A to the bottom edge of its cross-bar, the distance is 2 1/4 mm. The bottom of the L is very little more than 1 mm. long.

Second Forgery

Of this I have only the 2 cents, CA. The surcharge is very clearly printed; it is, however, only 2 1/4 mm. high, and the distance F—H is 13 mm. The O is too round, and it is much thinner at the top and bottom than at the sides, though the genuine is a block letter, equally thick all round. The ends of the C are cut off square, and are extremely close together, hardly 1/2 mm. apart. It is hardly a block letter, as the back is thicker than the rest. From the top of the A to the bottom edge of its cross-bar the distance is only 1 3/4 mm. The bottom of the L is nearly 1 3/4 mm. long.

Third Forgery

Of this I have only the 2 cents, CA. The surcharge is nicely printed; it 2 1/2 mm. high, and the distance F—L is 13 1/4 mm., like the genuine The O is thicker at the sides than at the top and bottom, and the blank center is only 1/2 mm. across. The ends of the C are cut off square, and they are less than 1/2 mm. apart. From the top of the A to the bottom edge of its cross-bar, the distance is 1 3/4 mm. The bottom of the L is 1 1/2 mm. long, like the genuine. One peculiarity of this forgery is that the bottom ends of the FFI are slightly splayed out.

Fourth Forgery

Of this I have only the 4 cents, CA. The surcharge is badly done, the c being decidedly below the level of the other letters. It is 2 1/2 mm. high, and the distance F—L is 13 1/2 mm. The O is thin and narrow, and the blank center is only 1/2 mm. across. The bottom end of the C is cut off square, and the top end is slightly rounded; they are 1/2 mm. apart. From the top of the A to the bottom of the cross-bar, the distance is only 1 1/2 mm. If prolonged to the left, the whole width of the cross-bar would go into the opening of the C The bottom of the L is rather more than 1 1/2 mm. long. In this forgery, the central tongue of the second F is as long as the top limb of the letter, but the first F is like the genuine and the other forgeries. The first 1 is much thinner than the second.

Fifth Forgery

This is bogus. I have only the 1 cent, CA. A few words concerning this will be sufficient. The surcharge is very irregular, and is struck obliquely, from the left bottom to the right top corner. It is 3 mm. high, and the distance F—L is 16 1/2 mm. The C is high above the level of the other letters.

Bogus Official

I have the 24 cents, of the large, 1867 issue, perf. 10, with surcharge 2 1/2 mm. high, and distance F—L 16 1/2 mm. These large stamps were not employed as officials, so the surcharge is altogether bogus.

Chemical Changelings

Of the ordinary De la Rue issue of 1876, I have the 48 cents, changed from its normal red-brown to the exact drab shade of the 96 c. This will probably be offered as a genuine error. I have also the 2 cents, 1882, CA, changed to very nearly the drab of the 96 cents of 1876.

 

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

 

See also –> Spud papers – British Guiana