Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

WURTTEMBERG (Germany) 1851

Württemberg

Return To Catalogue - Issues of 1857-1865 - Forgeries of the 1857-1865 issues, part 1 - Forgeries of the 1857-1865 issues, part 2 - Issues of 1866-1900 - Official Stamps, part 1 - Official Stamps, part 2 - Miscellaneous - Wurttemberg Fournier Forgeries - Other German States - Germany - Wurttemberg, French Occupation Zone (1945)

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One of the German States. A kingdom until 1919 in the south-west of Germany. Chief towns are Stuttgart, Ulm and Tubingen. It issued stamps from 1851 to 1902, it used the stamps of the German Empire afterwards. The officail stamps were in use until 1923.

1851 Number, imperforate, inscription 'Deutsch = Oesstr. Postverein Vertrag v. 6 April 1850

6 k black on green 9 k black on lilac Genuine

  1 Kreuzer black on grey
  3 Kreuzer black on yellow
  6 Kreuzer black on green
  9 Kreuzer black on lilac
  18 Kreuzer black on lilac

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 k	RR	***
3 k	R	*
6 k	RR	**
9 k	RRR	***
18 k	RR	RR	1852

Cancels:

The usual cancel is a town cancel with date (mostly in black, but sometimes in blue).

Blue cancel 'ESSLINGEN'

Special mute cancels:

(Tuttlingen 12 lines cancel and Tuttlingen 16 spokes cancel)

Tubingen cancel and a trial cancel.

I've seen so-called 'Steigbügelstempel', a circular townname cancel, with the bottom part cut off. I've also seen a mute cancel consisting of four concentric rings in blue (the cancel is about half the size of the stamp) which was used in Tubingen.

Steigbügelstempel 'ELLWANGEN'

Townname in a straight line with date below

Postal stationary

A "Post-Aufgabestempel ABSCHNITT" in the 18 k design, but with value in Mark and Pfennig.

Reprints:

(Reprints)

This stamp has 'Neudruck' (=reprint) printed in red on the back, but there are so many differences with a genuine stamp, that I think it is a forgery instead.

Reprints exist. They were made in 1864, the central part of the original plates was used, but new letters were inserted. Especially the first 'e' of 'Wurttemberg is smaller and the 'r' different. The left bottom part of the 'g' of 'Wurttemberg' is also smaller and the 'W' of this word is placed too far to the right. These reprints were also made on other fancy coloured papers.

1 k reprint 'errors', deliberately made on fancy colored paper different from the original issue. I've also seen 1 k black on blue and 1 k black on green.

Forgeries:

There are many different forgeries of the 18 kr stamp (inclusive Fournier and Sperati forgeries). Forgeries also exist for the other values.

(Forgery)

The older forgeries can be recognized with the number of 'dents' in the left and right textbar. There should be 32x32 perfectly triangular dents at each side. The above copy only has 30x32 left and 31x32 dents, moreover they are not all equally sized. The 'F' of 'Freimarke' has a slightly too small right upper part when compared to a genuine stamp. I've seen it with a blur 'STUTTGART' circular cancel (double outer circle and inner circle); I could not distinguish any date.

Fournier forgeries of the 18 k value:

Uncancelled Fournier forgery with "FAUX" overprint and cut from a page of a Fournier Album with two unfinished 18 k forgeries.

A Fournier forgery and the forged 'BLAUBEUDEN' cancel (reduced size)

The above stamp is a Fournier forgery. It has the cancel 'BLAUBEUDEN 17 AUG 1853' as in the Fournier album of philatelic forgeries. I do not know what the distinguishing characteristics for this forgery are. Fournier offered this stamp (he apparently only forged the 18 kr) as a 1st choice forgery for 2 Swiss Francs in his 1914 pricelist. Apparently, the word 'BLAUBUEDEN' was misspelt in the forged cancel, it should be written as 'BLAUBEUREN'. The following stamp has a cancel 'ROTH 6? 4 56' circular cancel (two rings outside and one inner circle), which can also be found in the Fournier Album:

Fournier forgeries(?) of the 18 k stamp with "ROTH 6? 4 56" cancel

Other cancels that appear in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries' are:
"* CANNSTATT 15 JUN 99 *" in a single circle
"OKT 13 10-11 V M.NECKAR F" part of a circular cancel
"STUTTGART 21 NOV 11-12 1861" in a double circle
"KIRCHHEIM 9 OKT 13" part of a circular cancel
"TUTTGART Nr1 17 KT 3" part of a circular cancel
"NIJAGST" part of a circular cancel
"TUTTLINGEN 2 APR 1867 3 N 6" circular cancel (two rings outside and one inner circle)
"STUTTGART 12 4 (1)" in a single circle
"STUTTGART 2 MAR 18??" circular cancel (two rings outside and one inner circle)
"STUTTGART 24 NOV. 1868 3 N 6" circular cancel (two rings outside and one inner circle)
"STUTT POST JU" part of a fancancel

The Serrane guide mentions that Fournier used two cliches for his 18 k forgeries.

Click here for more Wurttemberg Fournier Forgeries

Sperati forgery of the 18 k value:

First image obtained from Richard Frajola's website: http://www.seymourfamily.com/rfrajola/Sperati/speratiindex.htm

Distinguishing characteristic of a Sperati forgery.

There is a white spot in the outer bottom frameline just below the ornament in the right hand bottom side. I've seen it with the cancel "STUTTGART 7 NOV 1854 1-3" or "STUTTGART 11 NOV 1854". Other cancels are known to have been used by Sperati, such as an "ULM Charge" in a box with dots in the center.

A forgery of the 18 kr with "STUTTGART 11 NOV 1854" cancel, but not having the Sperati forgery distinguishing characteristic.

Other forgeries:

Forgeries of the 1 k and 18 k apparently made by the same forger. These forgeries have guidelines between the stamps.

A block of 10 of these 18 kr forgeries, with cancel "STUTTGART 17 JUNI 1850"

In the above forgery of the 1 k, there is no "." behind the word "Freimarke", the "F" of this word has no tongue and the "k" is quite different from the genuine "k" (by the way, I've seen an "improved" version of this 1 k forgery with tongue in the "F"). This is probably the first forgery of the 1 k mentioned in Album Weeds. The ornamental background pattern outside the central diamond is different from the genuine stamps. There is no dot behind "1850". Note that the dot behind the "1" in the 1 kr is situated in the third row of squares (counted from the bottom left), while it is situated in the second row in the genuine stamps. According to the Serrane guide, the 1 k forgery was made in Geneva by Fournier.

Forgeries of the 18 k value, with ornament in bottom left corner too far to the right and "Frei" with different lettering. The left stamps have a "REUTLINGEN 1855 7-13" cancel (I've seen more 18 k forgeries with this cancel, but I can't read the date). I've also seen it with a cancel consisting of two lines (again, I can't read the letters, since they are too blur "IS?? 1 SEP?? 1853"?).

Forgery; "b" of "Wurttemberg" touching the upper frame line, top of second "e" and bottom of the "g" of this word closed.

Two other forgeries of the 18 k stamp, the "g" of "Wurttemberg" has a different tail (also different from the reprints). There are many other small differences in the design.

Forgery with too large 'Freimarke' and the top of the '1' different. At the backside a dealer stamp "E.THION PARIS"

Primitive forgeries of the 18 k, with the "g" of "Wurttemberg" too far to the left, this letter is now placed above the white space just outside the central rectangle. The cancel appears always to be placed in an identical location for these forgeries (three concentric circles at the left part of the stamp).

Forgery of the 18 k value with a "STUTTGART 28 APR 1857", next to it a 18 k forgery of the next issue, with the same forged cancel.

Peter Winter forgeries:

(Peter Winter forgery, "replik" written on the backside)

(Zoom-in on the 'replik' part)

The forger Peter Winter made forgeries of the whole set (5 values), I have also seen them in cancelled condition; for example "LUDWIGSBURG 12 JUN 1852 10-12" on the 18 k value. The word 'replik' is written on the backside of the 18 k (but I do not know if this was always the case). These forgeries are made somewhere in the 1980's. As far as I can see, in all the forgeries of one value, the same breaks in the lines appear in the same position (they differ from value to value). For example the broken up line under "Freimarke" in the 9 k value. These forgeries are rather common and are offered in large quantities on for example Ebay (often as 'reprints').

18 k with forgery with "LUDWIGSBURG 12 JUN 1852 10-12" cancel, reduced size

I suspect that the next forgery on letter (adressed to Fraulein Julie Manger Wichmannsdorf b. Boitzenburg with cancel "ALTSHAUSEN" is also a Peter Winter product:

(Forgeries on letter)

Another bisected 18 k Winter forgery on a forged letter

I suspect that the following letter to: 'Signori Fratelli Sansoni' in 'Roma' with a "TRYBERG" cancel is also from the same source:

Another set of modern 'reprints' was made by the 'Briefmarkensammler Verein Reutlingen' for the stamp day (Tag der Briefmarke) and the 30 years existance of this society in 1966. All 5 values are printed on a minisheet with the text 'Nachdruck BSV Reutlingen' at the back of each stamp.

Fiscal stamps in a similar design:

Fiscal railway stamps in similar design, inscription "Konigl. Wurttemb. Staats-Eisenbahn Waggeld", issued in 1877:

The following values were issued: 3 p violet, 6 p red, 15 p blue and 20 p green. For more fiscal stamps of Wurrtemberg, click here.

For Issues of 1857-1865 click here.