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CAROLINE ISLANDS (Karolinen)

Return To Catalogue - German colony

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1897 Stamps of Germany surcharged 'Karolinen'

on numeral issue:

  3 p brown
  5 p green

On eagle issue

  10 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p orange
  50 p brown

These stamps exist with the overprint under an angle of 56 degrees or 48 degrees.

The two types of overprint

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
Angle 56 degrees
3 p	**	***
5 p	***	***
10 p	***	***
20 p	***	***
25 p	R	R
50 p	R	R
Angle 48 degrees
3 p	RR	RR
5 p	RRR	RR
10 p	***	R
20 p	***	R
25 p	RRR	RRR
50 p	RR	RR

With cancel, example:

(Reduced view)

Forgeries, examples:

Fournier forgeries:

Fournier forgeries are total forgeries, the stamp, overprint and cancel are forged. The only cancel I have seen on Fournier forgeries of the Caroline Islands is: '* YAP * 7/1 99 KAROLINEN'.

(Fournier forgery?)

Fournier offered forgeries of these stamps in his 1914 pricelist for 2 Swiss Francs (all 6 values). For more information on forgeries of the German colonies click here.

Besides Fournier forgeries, forged 'Karolinen' overprints exist on genuine stamps, example:

(Forged 'Karolinen' overprint on genuine German stamp)

1901 German colony type (ship)

Small size

  3 p brown
  5 p green
  10 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p orange and black
  30 p orange and black
  40 p red and black
  50 p violet and black
  80 p red and black on red
Large size

  1 M red
  2 M blue
  3 M violet
  5 M black and red

In 1910 500 3 pf stamps have been overprinted '5 Pf' (the so-called Ponape provisional), this surcharge also exists inverted.

.
Inverted surcharge, picture obtained with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com/gallery/stamp_1670.htm

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
No Watermark
3 p	c	**
5 p	c	**
10 p	c	**
20 p	*	***
25 p	*	***
30 p	*	***
40 p	*	***
50 p	*	***
80 p	*	***
1 M	**	RR
2 M	***	RR
3 M	***	RR
5 M	RR	RR
Watermark 'Lozenges'
3 p	c	-
5 p	*	-
5 M	R	-
Surcharged
5 p on 3 p	RRR	RRR	Without watermark

The stamps with watermark were never put in circulation. They could be purchased at the philatelic post office in Berlin only:

(3 p stamp with watermark, clearly visible at the empty space at the left)

Forgeries:

1) Forged cancels on genuine stamps:

All of these stamps (small and large size) are worth considerably more in cancelled condition than in unused condition. Forged cancels exist! I have seen the 20 p, 30 p, 50 p, 1 M and 3 M with a forged cancel 'PONAPE KAROLINEN * 18/11 05 *'.

2) Total forgeries:

(I think this is a Fournier forgery)

The forger Francois Fournier has made forgeries of the small ship design, for more information on forgeries of the German colonies click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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