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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

LAGOS (Africa)

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1874 Queen Victoria

  1/2 p green
  1 p lilac
  1 p red
  2 p blue
  2 p grey
  2 p lilac and blue
  2 1/2 p blue
  3 p brown
  3 p lilac and orange
  4 p red
  4 p lilac
  4 p lilac and black
  5 p lilac and green
  6 p green
  6 p olive
  6 p lilac
  6 p lilac and red
  7 1/2 p lilac and red
  10 p lilac and yellow
  1 Sh orange
  1 Sh green and black
  2 Sh 6 p olive
  2 Sh 6 p green and red
  5 Sh blue
  5 Sh green and blue
  10 Sh brown
  10 Sh green and brown

Surcharged

  'HALF PENNY' and bar on 4 p lilac and black

For the specialist: two types of watermark exist for this issue, 'CA Crown' (1882) and 'CC Crown' (1874). The stamps with CC watermark exist in two types of perforation: 12 1/2 and 14, the CA types is always perforated 14.

The printing was done in two times; the value was printed sererately. Therefore colour differences between the value and the rest of the stamp frequently occur as in the next stamp:

("TWO PENCE" lighter than the rest of the stamp)

The 1 Sh orange exists in two types; the word "ONE SHILLING" measures 16 1/2 mm in the first types and 15 1/2 mm in the second.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Typical cancels "L" and bars:

(Other cancels)

Forgeries, example:

Forgeries

Note the strange perforation (very sharp teeth). It appears as if an impressed watermark has been used on the above forgery (can even be seen from the front). Quite probably the 1 p lilac and 4 p red have also been forged by the same forger (probably Oneglia), I've seen pictures of those with forged watermark but with 'normal' perforation. The next forgery of Malta seems to have been made by the same forger (it also has the impressed watermark and the very sharp teeth in the perforation):

(Forgery of Malta, probably made by the same forger)

Forgery of the 10 Sh and 2 p values with impressed watermark. The design is very similar to the above forgery, but the perforation is better done. I presume this forgery was made by the Italian stamp forger Oneglia.

The next forgeries have an outline on the nose of the Queen (not present in the genuine stamps). Also compare the position of the "P" of "PENNY" and the "T" of "POSTAGE" in the 1 p stamp with a genuine stamp:

These are likely been made by the stamp forger Oneglia as well.

Primitive forgery of the 2 p blue value. An illustration in La Gazette des Timbres by Pierre Mahe shows the same 'forgery' (face of Queen different from the genuine); see next image (reduced size).

2 Sh 6 p forgery with printed perforation and some Nieuwe Republiek. Some kind of cut from a card?

I know that the forger Sperati has made forgeries of the values 2 Sh 6 p olive, 5 Sh blue and 10 Sh brown. These forgeries were printed on genuine paper (on genuine stamps with bleatched out designs). I don't know the distinguishing characteristics of these forgeries, if anybody does, please contact me!

(Blackprint of a Sperati forgery, the value seems to have been forged seperately by him, as the 5 Sh shows on top of this image)

Forged value inscriptions as used by Sperati.

Forged cancel as used by Sperati

Examples of Sperati forgeries.

1904 King Edward

  1/2 p green
  1 p lilac and black on red
  2 p lilac and blue
  2 1/2 p lilac and blue on blue
  3 p lilac and orange
  6 p lilac
  1 Sh green and black
  2 Sh 6 p green and red
  5 Sh green and blue
  10 Sh green and brown

For the specialist: two types of watermark were used, 'CA Crown' and 'Multiple CA Crown'. The perforation is 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgeries exist, made of lower valued stamps, from which the value has been erased and a new higher value printed instead (The Philatelic Record, Vol. XXIX, 1907, page 17).

With German mailboat cancel:

(With cancel "Deutsche seepost linie Hamburg Westafrika")

From 1906 on the stamps of Southern Nigeria were used (as it was incorporated in Southern Nigeria in February of this year).

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer