Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
The two stamps on the left are the ones in question. When compared to the later editions (on the right) of the same design, the printing is of terrible quality! The stamps that are on the left were almost certainly created using layered plates. I assume this wasn't the case on actual stamps.. There is a border around the central images (which is also of terrible quality) that doesn't exist in the right-hand stamps and the inscriptions are sometimes illegible e.g the word CINQUANTE in the top left of the left-hand bottom stamp.
I thought they were just old but I think they're just terrible reproductions.
What do people think? Forgeries?
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I would like to add that my perforation gauge is in the post
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http://stampforgeries.com/forged-stamps-of-belgian-congo/
Don
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Ah!
Yep.
There they are 
Disappointment. Thank you so much for the link to that website though.
Should I destroy the forgeries?
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I'd mark them as forgeries on the back and keep them as reference stamps.
Don
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07:29:47pm
Believe it or not, but there are people who collect forgeries. If there was an expensive forgery and someone tried to do a fake of the fake, would it have a special name?
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Harvey
What you discuss is actually very common.'Fake of a Fake'
in the period from 1850 to 1900 many catalogs had 'FAKES' for images and it was not uncommon for forgers to duplicate the work of other forgers.
The concept is easy to understand since being in possession of a rare and expensive stamp was not viable, so the forger would copy another forger's easily obtained work.
Having said that it is probably a good exercise to use the proper descriptions
Forgery : stamps produced to defraud collectors
Counterfeits : stamps produced to defraud issuing authorities or government
These are sometimes called "Postal Forgeries"
Fake : a genuine stamp altered to produce a rarer issue, trimmed perfs, reperfs, fake cancel etc.
Bogus : non existing stamps such as producing a non issued value or a different color to increase rarity
Phantom Stamps : Bogus stamps
Facsimile : This is occasionally used. In essence an exact duplicate of a genuine stamp. It may originate from a catalog or photo reproduction. Upon magnification the half tone dots may be visible
Reprints : this is a distinction seldom made by catalogs. A proper reprint is one authorized by the issuing body and generally (not always) with the original dies. An unauthorized reprint is little more than a forgery. In some cases a country may have both authorized and non authorized such as the very complicated case of Helgoland.
And yes many people collect forgeries, many being worth more than the original.
There is a simple fact - If you collect older classic WW stamps - you collect forgeries & counterfeits.
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07:17:27am
Hi all, I had what I thought were two "Etat Independant du Congo" stamps from 1894. However, I now think they might be fakes.
The two stamps on the left are the ones in question. When compared to the later editions (on the right) of the same design, the printing is of terrible quality! The stamps that are on the left were almost certainly created using layered plates. I assume this wasn't the case on actual stamps.. There is a border around the central images (which is also of terrible quality) that doesn't exist in the right-hand stamps and the inscriptions are sometimes illegible e.g the word CINQUANTE in the top left of the left-hand bottom stamp.
I thought they were just old but I think they're just terrible reproductions.
What do people think? Forgeries?
Login to Like
this post
07:26:43am
re: Are these fakes?
I would like to add that my perforation gauge is in the post
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re: Are these fakes?
http://stampforgeries.com/forged-stamps-of-belgian-congo/
Don
1 Member
likes this post.
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08:30:14am
re: Are these fakes?
Ah!
Yep.
There they are
Disappointment. Thank you so much for the link to that website though.
Should I destroy the forgeries?
Login to Like
this post
re: Are these fakes?
I'd mark them as forgeries on the back and keep them as reference stamps.
Don
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
15 Jun 2019
07:29:47pm
re: Are these fakes?
Believe it or not, but there are people who collect forgeries. If there was an expensive forgery and someone tried to do a fake of the fake, would it have a special name?
Login to Like
this post
re: Are these fakes?
Harvey
What you discuss is actually very common.'Fake of a Fake'
in the period from 1850 to 1900 many catalogs had 'FAKES' for images and it was not uncommon for forgers to duplicate the work of other forgers.
The concept is easy to understand since being in possession of a rare and expensive stamp was not viable, so the forger would copy another forger's easily obtained work.
Having said that it is probably a good exercise to use the proper descriptions
Forgery : stamps produced to defraud collectors
Counterfeits : stamps produced to defraud issuing authorities or government
These are sometimes called "Postal Forgeries"
Fake : a genuine stamp altered to produce a rarer issue, trimmed perfs, reperfs, fake cancel etc.
Bogus : non existing stamps such as producing a non issued value or a different color to increase rarity
Phantom Stamps : Bogus stamps
Facsimile : This is occasionally used. In essence an exact duplicate of a genuine stamp. It may originate from a catalog or photo reproduction. Upon magnification the half tone dots may be visible
Reprints : this is a distinction seldom made by catalogs. A proper reprint is one authorized by the issuing body and generally (not always) with the original dies. An unauthorized reprint is little more than a forgery. In some cases a country may have both authorized and non authorized such as the very complicated case of Helgoland.
And yes many people collect forgeries, many being worth more than the original.
There is a simple fact - If you collect older classic WW stamps - you collect forgeries & counterfeits.
5 Members
like this post.
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