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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

NORTH BORNEO 1887-1894

Return To Catalogue - North Borneo 1883-1886 - North Borneo 1893-1910 - North Borneo 1911 onwards and miscellaneous

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.

Remarks on cancelled to order stamps; many of the stamps of North Borneo are cancelled to order. In this condition they are much more common than genuinly used stamps. After 1931 the practice of selling stamps cancelled to order was stopped in North Borneo.

For stamps of North Borneo issued from 1883-1886, click here.

 

1887 Arms, inscription "BRITISH NORTH BORNEO POSTAGE & REVENUE", "POSTAGE & REVENUE" in the lower part

Genuine stamp, image obtained from Bill Claghorn 1 c orange, cancelled to order, could be a forgery Genuine, image obtained from Bill Claghorn's site Genuine stamp, image obtained from Bill Claghorn Genuine, image obtained from Bill Claghorn Genuine, image obtained from Bill Claghorn Genuine stamp, image obtained from Bill Claghorn 

  1/2 c lilac
  1 c orange
  2 c brown
  3 c lilac
  4 c red
  5 c grey
  6 c red (1892)
  8 c green
  10 c blue

These stamps have perforation 14, they exist cancelled to order.


Probably a genuinly used stamp with "SANDAKAN" cancel

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
1/2 c c * Cancelled to order: c
1 c c * Cancelled to order: c
2 c c * Cancelled to order: c
3 c * * Cancelled to order: c
4 c * * Cancelled to order: c
5 c * * Cancelled to order: c
6 c * ** Cancelled to order: c
8 c * * Cancelled to order: c
10 c * * Cancelled to order: c 
Surcharged


  '1 cent.' (red) on 4 c red
  '1 cent.' (red) on 5 c grey
  '6 Cents.' on 8 c green
  '6 Cents.' on 10 c blue

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 on 4 c ** ** Exists with double surcharge or surcharge on back and front.
1 c on 5 c * *  
6 c on 8 c * * Misprint: inverted 'c', large 's', or 'cetns.': RR
Also with inverted surcharge: RRR
6 c on 10 c *** *** Variety: large 's' in 'cents'.

'cetns' error Large 'S' error inverted 'c' error
Certified genuine misprints of the "6 cents." surcharge; left "cetns", center large "s" and right inverted "c"

The imperforated stamps of this issue were unofficially produced (in many cases they are less valuable than the perforated stamps). They were sold to the stamp dealer Parker by the British North Borneo Company. I have seen them of all non-surcharged values except 5 c grey:

Imperforate stamp

Imperforated stamps
(Reduced sizes)

Forgeries exist, the 1/2 c should have the right upper Chinese character as shown here:


Left: genuine 1/2 c stamp; right: 1/2 c Fournier forgery

In the forged 1/2 c stamps, there is an extra diagonal line at the top two horizontal lines at the right hand side.

A large number of deceptive forgeries seems to have been produced by René Carème of Paris (France) in 1908. They were marketed by John Stewart Lowden and Henry Harmer of London, (they also did business with the firms Westend Stamp Co. and Herbert Mack & Co Ltd). These forgeries were discovered in 1909 (source: Senf's Illustriertes Briefmarken Journal 1909 p. 280). Around 2 million forged stamps were confiscated in Paris. In the Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, issue 135, 5 June 1909 one can find the following text:
"BOGUS STAMP FACTORY
LONDON, April 23.
Stamp collectors must be on their guard against forged British North Borneo stamps, a large number of which have lately been placed on the market. On Saturday, at Bow Street, two stamp dealers, John Stewart Lowden, of Villiers Street, Strand, and Henry Harmer, of West-cliff-on-Sea, were charged with conspiracy to defraud. It was alleged that the defendants had forged British North Borneo stmps on a extensive scale, and the premises of Mr Rene Coraine, in Paris, had been visited, with the result that large numbers were there discovered in the making. The defendants were remanded."
For more information about the trial etc, click here. Some Fournier forgeries of these stamps can be found on Bill Claghorns forgery site: http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p/NorthBorneo/index.htm. All values can be found in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'. Also a forgery of the '6 cents.' surcharge can be found in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'. I'm not certain if Fournier sold these Careme forgeries, or if he produced them himself.

Fournier forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn Image obtained thanks to Bill Claghorn Taken from a Fournier Album Image obtained from Bill Claghorn's forgery site Fournier forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn Fournier forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn
Fournier forgeries

1/2 c lilac 2 c brown
I think these stamps are Fournier forgeries

Distinguishing characteristics of Fournier forgeries (according to Bill Claghorn's site)
Value characteristics of the Fournier forgery
1/2 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
In the Fournier the corner cross designs top and bottom are off-center to the right
There is an extra diagonal line at the top two horizontal lines at the right hand side


Left: genuine 1/2 c stamp; right: 1/2 c Fournier forgery
1 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
In the Fournier forgeries the cross designs are different
2 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
The right small sail is moved to the right
The lower left corner design is shifted left
I've further been told that the '2' is placed too close to the frameline above it.


Left genuine, right forgery
3 c ?
4 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
The upper corner designs have defects
5 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
6 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always14)
The main mast is too thick and not tapered
The two ropes in the right sail do not converge or touch the mast
There is a line missing in the banderole above the B of BRITISH
The lower banderole below POSTAGE is flattened.
In my view, the left side of the small triangular sail is straight instead of curved.
see image:


Left genuine, right forgery
8 c I don't know the distinguishing characteristics for this forgery,
but I've seen it in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'.
I know that the 'Careme' forgery has no dot in the design just below the right hand
scroll (genuine stamps do have such a dot):


Left genuine (with dot), right forgery (without dot)
10 c Forgeries are sometimes Perf 12 or Perf 14 (genuine always 14)
The right triangular sail is heavily outlined


Left genuine, right forgery

I posess a whole sheet of the above 6 c forgeries consisting of 50 stamps (5 rows of 10 stamps).

Another set of forgeries (I have also seen the 8 c green of this particular forgery set):

Note '1/2' is merged together 6 c red, forgery?

Note for example that the "E" of "POSTAGE" in these forgeries is slanting backwards, while it is slanting forwards in the genuine stamps. Also the "B" of "BRITISH" is very badly done in all forgeries. The printing is rather smudgy and the perforation rather badly done (I've also seen them imperforate). The hind legs of the lion are coloured in these forgeries.


I've been told that these two stamps are also forgeries; the perforation is wrong


Two forgeries with a Papal States(!) cancel.

More information on forgeries can be found on Bill Claghorns forgery site: http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p/NorthBorneo/index.htm.

 

1894 Inscription "The State of North Borneo", large sized stamps

  25 c grey
  50 c violet
  1 $ red
  2 $ green
  5 $ lilac
  10 $ brown
  25 $ blue (only fiscally used)

Imperforate stamps exist (much cheaper than perforate stamps).

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
25 c ** ** Exists cancelled to order: *
50 c ** *** Exists cancelled to order: *
1 $ ** ** Exists cancelled to order: *
2 $ *** *** Exists cancelled to order: *
5 $ *** *** Exists cancelled to order: **
10 $ R R Exists cancelled to order: ***
25 $ RR - Exists cancelled to order: ** 
Surcharged

'4 CENTS' on 1 $ red '4 CENTS' on 10 dollars brown 

  '4 CENTS' on 25 c grey (1899)
  '4 cents' on 25 c grey (1904)
  '4 CENTS' on 50 c violet (1899)
  '4 cents' on 50 c violet (1904)
  '4 CENTS' on 1 $ red (1895 and 1899, 2 types)
  '4 cents' on 1 $ red (1904)
  '4 CENTS' on 2 $ green (1899)
  '4 cents' on 2 $ green (1904)
  '4 CENTS' on 5 $ lilac (1899)
  '4 cents' on 5 $ lilac (1904)
  '4 CENTS' on 10 $ brown (1899)
  '4 cents' on 10 $ brown (1904)
  '10 CENTS' on 1 $ red (1895)
  '20 CENTS' on 1 $ red (1895)
  '30 CENTS' on 1 $ red (1895)
  '40 CENTS' on 1 $ red (1895)

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
'4 CENTS' on 25 c * * 1899
'4 cents' on 25 c * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
'4 CENTS' on 50 c ** *** 1899
'4 cents' on 50 c * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
'4 CENTS' on 1 $ * * 1895: distance between '4' and 'CENTS': 3 1/2 mm,
cancelled to order: c
'4 CENTS' on 1 $ * * 1899: distance between '4' and 'CENTS': 4 1/2 mm
'4 cents' on 1 $ * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
'4 CENTS' on 2 $ * * 1899
'4 cents' on 2 $ * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
'4 CENTS' on 5 $ * * 1899
'4 cents' on 5 $ * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
'4 CENTS' on 10 $ * * 1899
'4 cents' on 10 $ * *** 1904, cancelled to order: *
10 c on 1 $ * * 1895
20 c on 1 $ * * 1895
30 c on 1 $ * * 1895
40 c on 1 $ * * 1895 
Overprinted "BRITISH PROTECTORATE"


With local overprint

  25 c grey (overprint red, 1901)
  50 c violet (overprint red, 1901)
  1 $ red (overprint red or black, 1905)
  2 $ green (overprint red, 1905)
  5 $ lilac (overprint red, 1905)
  10 $ brown (overprint red, 1905)

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
25 c * * Exists cancelled to order: c
50 c ** ** Exists cancelled to order: c
1 $ *** *** Red overprint.
Exists cancelled to order: **
1 $ *** *** Black overprint
Exists cancelled to order: *
2 $ *** *** Exists cancelled to order: *
5 $ *** *** Exists cancelled to order: **
Exists with local overprint (1912): R
10 $ R R Exists cancelled to order: **
Exists with local overprint (1912): R

A Fournier forgery of the 1 $ stamp can be found on Bill Claghorns forgery site: http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p/NorthBorneo/index.htm. The large '4 CENTS' surcharge was also forged by Fournier (an image can be found in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'), this surcharge was probably used on forged 1 $ stamps.

Fournier forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn's forgery site


The "SANDAKAN 23 JUN 1886" forged Fournier cancel as found in The Fournier Album


Forged 1 $ stamp with forged Sandakan cancel. Image found on http://northborneostamps.blogspot.com


Forged Fournier surcharges.

On http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=16489 a forged cancel "KUDAT AU 15 1899" can be found applied to a 4 c on 10 $ stamp.

 

For stamps of North Borneo issued from 1893 to 1920 click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer