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SAMOA, German colony

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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.

1900 Stamps of Germany overprinted "SAMOA"

On numeral issue:

  3 pf brown
  5 pf green

On eagle issue:

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

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

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

Postcards ('Postkarte') exist in the values 5 p and 10 p (similar design as the postage stamps). They were also issued in 1900. The 5 p served for internal mail, the 10 p for external mail. I've seen many reprints, said to be made in the 1970's.

Forgeries:

Examples:

(Fournier forgeries)

For more information on forgeries of the German colonies click here. I think the above stamps are both Fournier forgeries. Fournier forged the stamps (the perforation in the corners can be used as an instant check to condemn this forgeries, in the genuine stamps the horizontal and vertical perforation matches in the corners) as well as the overprint and the cancel. In his 1914 pricelist he offers the six values of this series for 2 Swiss Francs. Fournier often used the cancel 'APIA 1-2 00 10-11V (SAMOA)', as in the 5 p, 25 p and 50 p forgeries above.

Forged cancel made by Fournier "APIA 1-2 00.10-11V *(SAMOA)*" (used for the German stamps) and "APIA 1 21 85 SAMOA" (reduced sizes, images taken from a Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries).

Other forgeries:

(Forged 'Samoa' overprint on a genuine German stamp, I have also seen a 5 p stamp with this particular forged overprint, it looks like the overprint is done in very dark blue)

(Reduced size)

Another forged 'Samoa' overprint on a genuine stamp, the "m" is too narrow when compared to a genuine overprint.

Forged "Samoa" overprint on stamps already used in Germany. The "S" is different and the letters are too close to each other.

1900 Yacht of the emperor

Small size

  3 pf brown
  5 pf green
  10 pf red
  20 pf blue
  25 pf red and black
  30 pf orange and black
  40 pf red and black
  50 pf lilac and black
  80 pf red and black

Larger size

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

These stamps are peforated 14 and issued without watermark. Stamps with watermark were only available at the philatelic stamp office in Berlin (they could not be shipped to Samoa due to World War I). I have seen a postcard (Postkarte) in the same design in the value 5 p green.

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

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

Forged cancels:

All of these stamps (also the lower values) are worth more in cancelled condition than in uncancelled condition. Be careful, forged cancels exist! Examples:

(Forged cancels on genuine stamps)

Forged stamps:

(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.

British Occupation of Samoa

1914 Stamps of the German period, overprinted "G.R.I." and surcharged

  1/2 p on 3 p brown
  1/2 p on 5 p green
  1 p on 10 p red
  2 1/2 p on 20 p blue
  3 p on 25 p orange and black on yellow
  4 p on 30 p orange and black
  5 p on 40 p red and black
  6 p on 50 p lilac and black
  9 p on 80 p red and black

Larger sizes

  1 Sh (type 1: 'Shilling') on 1 M red
  1 Sh (type 2: 'Shillings') on 1 M red
  2 Sh on 2 M blue
  3 Sh on 3 M violet
  5 Sh on 5 M red and black 

(Misprint: no fraction bar between '1' and '2')

Various misprints exist; the 2 1/2 p on 20 p with inverted overprint, the bar between the '1' and '2' missing in the '1/2' and '2 1/2' surcharges, double overprints, a comma instead of a dot after the 'I' and wrong overprints (3 p on 30 p and 4 p on 40 p).

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

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

Postcards of 5 p and 10 p in the small ship design were also overprinted with 'G.R.I. 1/2 d.' and 'G.R.I. 1 d.' respectively.

Forgeries, examples:

(Genuine and so-called Hialeah forgery of a Samoa overprint)

For more information on forgeries of the German colonies click here.

Mourning labels for the German colonies

Labels commemorating the loss of the German colonies exist, including for Samoa. They have the size of the large 'Hohenzollern' yacht issue. The stamps have a coloured center surrounded by a black design.

Reduced sizes

Websites

http://home.prcn.org/~pauld/samoa2.htm; nice website with plenty of information.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer