Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

CRETE (KPHTH)

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

British post offices in Crete:

(Currency: 40 Parades = 1 Piastre)

1898 Greek text, imperforated

Image obtained from a Shreves auction Genuine

  20 p violet

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
20 p	RR	RR	4000 stamps printed

Literature: 'Counterfeits of the 1898 provisional 20 parades stamps of the the British post office in Crete, hints for their recognition' by William R. Liberman (1973), 18 pages (Greek and English text). There are at least 6 different kind of forgeries.

Forgery. In the genuine stamps, the first and last letters of 'PROSWRINON' are touching the white outer border (here there is a small colored area between those letters adn the border). The figures '2' and '0' should join at the top only. Here they are fully separated. The P of PARADES should touch the white border.

Forgery with P of PARADES not touching the left white space. The '2' is joined to the '0' at the bottom (should be the top!). I've seen this forgery with a convincing forged cancel.

Two other forgeries.

1898 Greek text, perforated

10 p brown, with cancel

(Reduced sizes)

  10 p blue
  10 p brown
  20 p green
  20 p red

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
10 p blue	*	c
10 p brown	*	c
20 p green	*	*
20 p red	*	*

Cancels: Cancels are simply consisting of a townname in a straight line (as in the above 10 p brown stamp), ten different cancels exist for ten different towns (with Heraklion the most common one).

Forgeries exist of these stamps. To distinguish between genuine and forged stamps we have to look at the small circle with a dot just above the numerals. In the genuine, the circle is closed; in the forgery, the circle is not joined. More information about the forgeries can be found at: http://www.themysterybox.com/StampWhys/crete/AaGB.html. Example of a forgery:

(Zoom-in of the small open circle in this forgery)

Genuine stamp, zoom in of the closed circle

Forged Fournier cancel:

Forged stamp and forged overprint as found in the Fournier Album.

The forger Fournier used this cancel; picture taken from a 'Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'

Fiscal stamps

Fiscal stamps exist with the flag of Great Britain and the city name in the bottom (1898). These handstamped seals were also often applied directly on documents.

Fiscal 'stamp' from the city of 'KANDIA'.

French post offices in Crete

As French stamp types of 1900, but with inscription 'CRETE'

  1 c grey
  2 c lilac
  3 c red
  4 c brown
  5 c green

  10 c red
  15 c orange
  20 c brown
  25 c blue
  30 c lilac

5 Fr blue and yellow

  40 c red and blue
  50 c brown and green
  1 F red and blue
  2 F lilac and yellow
  5 F blue and yellow

Surcharged in PIASTRE (1903)

  1 pi on 25 c blue
  2 pi on 50 c brown and green
  4 pi on 1 F red and blue
  8 pi on 2 F lilac and yellow
  20 pi on 5 F blue and yellow

These stamps have perforation 14 x 13 1/2.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 c	c	c
2 c	c	c
3 c	c	c
4 c	c	c
5 c	c	c
10 c	*	*
15 c	*	*
20 c	*	*
25 c	*	c
30 c	*	*
40 c	*	*
50 c	*	*
1 F	*	*
2 F	***	***
5 F	***	***
Surcharged
1 Pi on 25 c	***	***
2 Pi on 50 c	***	***
4 Pi on 1 F	R	R
8 Pi on 2 F	R	R
20 Pi on 5 F	RR	RR

The French post office in Crete was closed on 31st October 1914.