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Spud Papers – Angola

October 5, 2013/0 Comments/in Spud Papers /by admin

1870. 100 Reis, Lilac.

Genuine

Engraved in epargne; perf. 13. The crown in center is very well done, and all the pearls on the arches of the crown can be easily counted. Beginning with the right-hand branch, the numbers are 9, 10, 5, 10, 9. The cross on the top is not so wide as the ball or orb on which it rests. There are 121 oval white dots round the central circle, and they are perfectly uniform all the way round. The framework down the two sides is formed of two lines, a very thick outer one and a very thin inner one, placed very close together. The thick line above 100 Reis cuts into the thick outer line of the outline, as well as the thin inner one, on both sides.

Forged

Lithographed; perf. 13. The crown is not at all well done, and looks larger than the genuine. The pearls on the arches of the crown cannot be counted with any certainty. The cross on the top is wider than the orb or ball on which it rests. There are 125 white dots round the central circle. They are of all shapes, and are very much smeared on the left side. The framework down the sides is formed of two lines, as in the genuine, but both lines are of equal thickness, and they are far apart. The thick line above 100 Reis only comes as far as the inner line of the frame, on the right side. The rest of the stamp is a pretty close copy of the genuine. The perforation is better than usual, and is the same as the genuine.

Postmarks

The genuine I have never seen postmarked, but the forgeries have a postmark like our own, but with a blank in the center. The forgeries are ungummed; but the genuine are also to be met with ungummed occasionally.

From “The Spud Papers” by Atless, Pemberton & Earée, 1871-1881.

Spud Papers – Sâo Tomé & Principe

October 1, 2013/0 Comments/in Spud Papers /by admin

1870. 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 & 100 Reis.

These stamps are very nicely designed and printed, but the forgers have succeeded tolerably well in their imitations of them. The originals seem to be all from the same matrix, though the 5 Reis may possibly be a different type.

Genuine

Engraved in epargne (typograph) on moderately stout surfaced white paper; perf. 13. The little pearls in the circle round the crown are all strung together, and are 122 in number. The accent over the E of THOME is quite visible in all the values, but the one over the E of PRINCIPE can only be seen in the 5 reis. The line under CORREIO goes quite to the boundary-line of the stamp on each side; as does also the line above the value. A straight line drawn upwards through the crown and through the cross on the top of it, would just miss the E of name. The body of the 1 of REIS is perfectly straight between the top and bottom cross-strokes. Above the NC of PRINCIPE, and in the three corresponding corners, there are two little circles formed by curls in the spandrels. Each of these circles contains a tiny quatrefoil, with an open dot in the center of it. The little white space in the center of each o of CORREIO is an oval. The letters of the name are in very thin ornamental type. I have not seen any used copies, so I cannot say what is the ordinary postmark. I have had several sets from Portugal, but they were invariably unused. The gum is brownish.

Forged

Lithographed on thinnish unsurfaced paper, ungummed; perf. 13.

5 Reis.—I am obliged to take this value separately, as it is different from the others. It may be known from the genuine 5 R. by the following tests:

The letters of CORREIO are too tall, and some of them touch (or almost touch) the outline at the top
The line under CORREIO touches the boundary-line on both sides of the stamp, and the line above the value touches on the left side only.
The right-hand end of the Etruscan ornament in the circle points towards the E of PRINCIPE instead of outwards.
The little ornaments in the corners are wrong; all the ends pointing one way, instead of all pointing inwards as the genuine ones do.
The pearls are much too small, and are separate.

10, 20, 25, 50 & 100 Reis.—All these are from one matrix, which is distinct from that of the 5 R. The little pearls in the circle round the crown are all separate from each other, and there are only 98 of them. In some copies there is no accent to be seen at all, and in others (20 and 25 reis) it is over the separate letter E instead of the E of THOME. The lines under CORREIO and above the value do not touch the outer boundary-line on either side. A straight line drawn upwards through the center of the crown and of the cross on the top of it, would pass between the E and P. The body of tile 1 of REIS widens out at top and bottom where it meets the transverse strokes. The circles above NC of PRINCIPE, and in the other three corresponding corners, have no ornament in them. The little white space in the center of each 0 of CORREIO is a rectangle. The letters of the name are much too thick, and are very clumsy. The postmark is like our own, but minus the central figures.

From “The Spud Papers” by Atless, Pemberton & Earée, 1871-1881.

Album Weeds – Azores

September 4, 2013/0 Comments/in Album Weeds /by admin

The reader will understand that the forgeries now to be described are counterfeits of the Azores surcharges, on genuine Portuguese stamps.

Issue of 1868-70. Surcharge, Type 1; 14×3 mm. Imperf., or perf. 12 1/2

The surcharge is in black, except the 5 reis of 1870, perf. 12%, which has it in carmine. Values up to 100 reis, imperf.; up to 240 reis, perf.

Surcharge, Type 2; 94 x 2J mm. This is only found on the 25 reis, rose; perf. 12 1/2.

Surcharge, Type 3; 12×3 mm.

This is another scarce one, cataloged only for the 5, 10, 25, and 80 reis.

Genuine

TYPE I.—This measures 14x3mm. The C, O and R are narrow, and the head and tail of the S are fairly close to the body of the letter. The white inside of the o measures only 3/4 mm. across its widest part. The ends of the C are cut off quite square, and the cedilla under that letter is fat, and nearly touches the c. The top of the A is rounded, and both side-strokes are of equal thickness; the cross-stroke is nearly as wide as the side-strokes, thus leaving a very tiny, uncolored triangle inside the top half of the letter. The bottom limb of the E is slightly longer than the other two limbs, which are of equal length.

TYPE 2.—This is a much smaller surcharge, measuring only 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 mm. As mentioned above, there is but one stamp—the 25 reis, perf. 12 1/2— on which it is found.

TYPE 3.—This measures 12×3 mm., and is only found on the 5, 10, 25, and 80 reis, perf. 12 1/2, as already stated.

The surcharge, in all cases, is indented into the paper.

First Forgery

Surcharge 14 x 3 mm., as in Type 1 of the genuine. The top of the A is very broad, and cut off square. The C is narrow, as in the genuine, but the head is cut off obliquely, instead of being square, like the end of the tail. The cedilla is more clumsy than in the genuine, as its tail is too thick. The feet of the R seem to be on a slightly lower level than the rest of the letters. The E is taller than any of the other letters, and all three limbs are of equal length. The S looks much smaller than the E. The cross-bar to the A is thinner than the side-strokes, and the triangle in the upper part of it is too large.

Second Forgery

Surcharge 14 x nearly 3 mm. This is in very intense black; the ink looking dull and rough, as compared with the smoothness of the genuine. The top of the A is cut off square, and the cross-bar is considerably thinner than the side-strokes. The uncolored triangle in the top half of this letter is a mere dot, as the top is blotched. The cedilla is of a fairly good shape, but it is firmly joined to the C. All three limbs of the E are of exactly equal width. The S is not at all squeezed together, and the line forming that letter is decidedly thinner than the rest of the surcharge.

Third Forgery

Surcharge 14 1/4 x a little more than 3 mm. The A has the large, uncolored triangle in its top half, as in Type 4, hereafter described, but the surcharge is intended to imitate Type T. The c looks slightly top-heavy, as the lower part is not so fully rounded as the top part, and the top end is cut off very slightly obliquely. The cedilla is a long way from the c; quite twice as far off as the genuine. The O is exceedingly narrow, the uncolored center is not more than about 1/2 mm. across, in its widest part. The central tongue of the E is slightly shorter than the other two limbs. The S seems to lean a little to the right, and the slope of its center is much more upright than in the genuine. The ink is patchy, and shows many white places. The surcharge is not at all indented into the paper.

Fourth Forgery

This looks very thick and clumsy. Surcharge 14 x nearly 3 mm. The A is cut off square ; the ends of the C are rounded ; the cedilla is firmly joined to the c; the center of the 0 is hardly 1/2 mm. across, in its widest part. The center limb of the E is shorter than the others. The impression is greasy.

Fifth Forgery

Surcharge 14 X 3 1/2 mm. The A is quite square at the top. The cedilla to the C is a sort of oblique dash, equally thick all its length. The lower limb is a little larger than the upper one. All three limbs of the E are of equal length. The s is thick, and the top and bottom parts squeezed together, so as almost to touch the body of the letter. Half a millimeter too tall does not sound much, but it makes the surcharge look almost double the size of the genuine. It is not indented into the paper.

Sixth Forgery

Surcharge 13 3/4 x nearly 3 mm. The A is rounded, like the genuine, but the central tongue is too thin, and the triangle in the top of the letter is too large. The top end of the C seems to be rounded, and the bottom end cut off square. The cedilla does not touch the C, but it is too thick at the bottom. The center of the 0 measures nearly a millimeter across. All three limbs of the E are of equal length. The surcharge shows white patches, where the ink has not taken. I cannot give further details, as my specimen (50 reis, imperf.) is rather heavily postmarked; but it will be noted that the surcharge is too small each way, though not very much.

Seventh Forgery

The surcharge is rather more than 14 x nearly 3 mm. The A is square at the top, and the uncoloured triangle in the top half is represented by an upright oval dot. The C is of a peculiar shape. If the blank space between the ends were filled up, it would form, not an O, as in the genuine, but a thing more like a D; i.e., the ends point slightly outwards. The three limbs of the E are of equal length. The s is thicker than the other letters, and the bottom end is rounded, instead of being cut off square.

Eighth Forgery

Surcharge 12×3, i.e., an imitation of Type 3 of the genuine. I have no genuine copy of this surcharge, which, it will be remembered, only exists on the 5, 10, 25, and 80 reis, perf. 12 1/2; so my notes will not be very reliable. My only specimen is on the 240 reis, i.e., a bogus variety. The A is square at the top, and crossed very low down, so that the triangle is large. The top and bottom of the E are very wide apart, and the cedilla, which is joined to the C, is curved up, so as to be like a miniature J. The center of the 0 measures 1/2 mm. across. The lowest limb of the E is decidedly longer than the others.

Issues of 1871-80. Surcharge, Type 1, as above described. Surcharge, Type 4; 13 1/2 x 2 1/2 mm.

Type 1 was employed from 1871 to 1875; Type 4 from 1875 to 1880

Genuine

Type 1 has been already described ; I need not, therefore, repeat the details. In Type 4, the surcharge measures 13 1/2 X 2 1/2 mm., as stated.

The lettering is very slightly, but perceptibly thinner than Type i. The C, O, and R are wide and square- looking. The cross-bar to the A is thinner than in Type i, and the uncolored triangle is decidedly large. It is slightly rounded at the top, as before. The cedilla is further from the C, and points more vertically downwards than Type I. The center of the O measures nearly a millimeter across. The S is more open than in the first type. The bottom limb of the E is longer than the other two, which are of equal length. Ten wide, square O will enable the amateur to distinguish this type from Type I very readily. The surcharge is indented into the paper.

First Forgery

The surcharge measures 13 1/2 x 2 1/2 mm., as in Type 4 of the genuine, but some of the details are from Type 1. The cross-bar to the A is thin, but the triangle in the letter is small. The bottoms of the A and R are rounded, instead of being cut off square. The cedilla is very thin, and is joined to the C; it is longer than the genuine. The white center of the O is very narrow, only about 1/2 mm. across, in the widest part. The surcharge is not at all indented into the paper, and there are (as in almost all the forgeries) white parts, where the letters have failed to print completely.

Second Forgery

The surcharge measures 13 1/2 x 3 mm. The white center of the O is nearly 1 mm. across, in its broadest part. There are two easy tests for this forgery, that will render further description unnecessary; i.e., the cedilla is shaped exactly like a tiny balloon, without a car. It is firmly joined to the C, and points straight downwards, instead of sloping to the left. The other test is the E, which has its top limb even longer than the bottom, and the central tongue is a short, round lump. In both types of the genuine, the top limb and the central tongue are both exactly the same length, while the lower limb is distinctly longer. The lettering is all thicker than either type of the genuine.

Third Forgery

The surcharge measures 13 3/4 x 2 1/2 mm. All the letters are wide, and much thinner than the genuine. The inside of the O measures fully 1 mm. across, in its widest part. The cedilla is wedge-shaped, and slants to the left. There is a large triangle in the top of the A. This forgery is evidently imitated from Type 2 of the genuine. The s is wide, as in Type 2. In some respects it looks better than the second forgery, but, of course, the shortness of the lettering condemns it instantly. It is not at all indented into the paper.

Fourth Forgery

The surcharge is 14 1/2 x 2 1/2 mm. The A is rather squeezed up, but all the other letters are wide, and the type is very thin. My specimen is heavily postmarked, but the cedilla seems to be a large, transverse oval ball. The C is much too wide open, the two ends being more than 1 mm. apart, though they are only about 1/4 mm. apart in the genuine types. The inside of the O measures 1 1/2 mm. in its widest part. The middle tongue of the E is much shorter than the top limb, and the S is not so tall as the E. The lettering, in this case, is indented into the paper.

Fifth Forgery

The surcharge is 14 x 3 mm. This is an imitation of Type 1. All the letters are narrow. The cross-bar to the A is thicker than the left-hand stroke. The cedilla is an oblique stroke, the same thickness for its whole length, instead of being like a clumsy comma. The white inside of the o is very narrow, being barely 1/2 mm. across in its widest part. All three limbs of the E are of equal length, and it looks taller than the S. The top limb of the s points vertically downwards, instead of to the right. The surcharge shows through very plainly at the back, in my specimen (oily ink ?), but it is not indented into the paper.

Issue of 1880-82.

Genuine

Surcharge, Type 4; 13 1/2 x 2 1/2, as described above.

First Forgery

Surcharge, 13 1/2 x 2 3/4 mm. The A is square at the top, with a thin cross-bar, and a very large triangle in the top half. The feet of the letter are both rounded, instead of being cut square. Both ends of the c are rounded, and the cedilla is pear-shaped, and points directly downwards. The inside of the o is badly shaped, being wider at the top than at the bottom, measuring 1 1/4 mm. across the widest part. All three limbs of the E are of different lengths, the top one being the longest, and the central one the shortest. The tail of the S curves inwards, towards the body of the letter, much more than the head does. The whole surcharge is very much thinner than either Type i or Type 4; the E, especially, being barely half the thickness of the E of Type 4. It is very slightly indented into the paper.

Second Forgery

Surcharge 13 1/2 x 3 mm. The A is nearly square at the top, with both feet rounded. The triangle is large. The top of the C is rounded; there is a dent in the outline, at the top left corner, where it joins the vertical stroke. The cedilla is firmly joined to the C; it is pear-shaped, and points directly downwards. The center of the 0 is badly shaped, as in the first forgery, and measures just 1 mm. across, in the widest part. The inside of the top of the R, which is like a rather square O in the genuine, is, in this forgery, a rather rounded triangle. The top and bottom of the E are of equal length, while the middle tongue is very much shorter. The S is of the same shape as the first forgery, both ends being rounded. The surcharge is not indented into the paper. One peculiarity of this forgery is, that, when looked at under the microscope, all the letters appear to have a thin black outline, all the way round, inside and outside, with the body of each letter filled up in lighter ink.

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

Album Weeds – Angola

September 3, 2013/0 Comments/in Album Weeds /by admin

Issues of 1870-1885

The above are the issues of the Crown type, as catalogued by Gibbons. In the 1881 issue there are two types of the 50 reis, blue—one with an almost straight neck to the 5, and the other with a slanting neck. I cannot say whether the forgers have imitated the changed colors and new values of the later issues, the counterfeits in my possession consisting only of the 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 reis. Not only the Angola stamps, but also the whole of the stamps of this type, of the various Portuguese colonies, have been extensively forged, and appear to have been pretty well patronised by a too-confiding public.

Genuine

Engraved in épargne; paper and perforation as above, according to the issue. The crown in the centre is very well done, and all the pearls on the arches of the said crown can be easily counted. The numbers of these pearls on the various arches, beginning with the right-hand arch, are 9, 10, 5, 10, 9. The arms of the cross, on the top of the crown, are hardly as wide as the orb or ball on which the cross stands. There are 121 oval white dots round the central circle, and they are almost perfectly uniform all the way round. The frame of the stamp, at the sides, is composed of two parallel, vertical lines—a thick outer line, and a thin inner one, placed close together. The thick line, above the value, cuts into the thick outer line of the frame, as well as into the thin inner one, on both sides. The frame round A N G O L A is nearly 15 mm. wide, and mm. high. The frame round the value, at the bottom of the stamp, is exactly 15 mm. wide and 2 1/2 mm. high. The letters of ANGOLA are slightly smaller than those of REIS. The square Etruscan ornaments in the four corners of the stamp are exactly like those of our illustration. The floriated ornaments in the four spandrels are also very like those in our illustration, with a sort of heart-shaped, seven lobed leaf pointing to each corner.

First Forgery

Lithographed, on thickish, rather hard, white wove paper ; badly perforated 13. The crown is not at all well done, and seems to be slightly larger than the genuine. The pearls on the arches of the crown look rather ” mixed,” and cannot be counted with any certainty. As far as I am able to make out, they are the same number as the genuine, but irregular, blotched, and not at all like the real article. The arms of the cross stretch out decidedly wider than the width of the orb or ball on which the cross rests. There are 125 white dots round the central circle; they are of all sorts of shapes, and generally much smeared on the left side. The frame of the stamp, at the sides, is composed of two vertical lines, as in the genuine ; but both lines are of the same thickness, and they are much too far apart. The thick line above the value, at the bottom of the stamp, only comes as far as the inner line of the frame on the right side, but touches the outer line as well on the left. The rest of the stamp is a tolerably correct copy of the genuine.

Second Forgery

Lithographed, on stout, hard, white wove paper; badly perforated 12 1/2. The numbers of the pearls on the arches of the crown, beginning with the right-hand arch, are 9, 8, 4, 9, 9. They are not difficult to count. The arms of the cross stretch out wider than the width of the orb on which the cross stands. There are only 108 white dots round the central circle. The thin inner vertical line of the frame, on the left side, is broken, in some copies, near the top. The thick line above the value, at the bottom of the stamp, cuts into the thick, outer vertical line of the frame, as well as into the thin inner one, on both sides, as in the genuine. In this forgery the frame round ANGOLA is 14 1/2 mm. wide and 2 3/4 mm. high ; and the frame round the value, at the bottom of the stamp, is 15 1/2 mm. wide and mm. high. The letters of ANGOLA are larger than those of REIS. The square Etruscan ornaments in the four corners of the stamp are all like the one in the left top corner of our illustration. The floriated ornaments in the right top and left bottom spandrels are a colorable imitation of the genuine; but the other ones in the left top and right bottom corners have the projecting leaf of quite a different shape, and that in the right bottom corner has eight lobes.

Postmarks

Genuine.—Two concentric circles, with date in centre, and name between the circles, and below the name a pair of crossed branches; also 11, 27, 46 & 55.

Forged.—22, 54 (with blank centre); also some undefined blotches of no particular pattern.

Reprints

These were issued in 1886, on stout, chalky-white wove paper, perf. 13 1/2 only. The 50 reis stamps, both green and blue, are reprinted from the second type; i.e., with the neck of the 5 slanting, instead of upright.

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