Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

SCOTT reprints and forgeries

Return To Catalogue - Locals, carriers, postmasters and bogus issues; overview - More US local issues

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Scott (the same one from the catalogues!) made a number of reprints and forgeries of United States locals. He also made a deceptive forgery of the 5 c Jefferson Davis confederate stamp.

John Walter Scott, image obtrained from http://www.stamps.org/Almanac/alm_halloffame_1941.htm

The most succesful forgery Scott made was a forgery of the 5 c Jefferson Davis stamp confederate stamp. It was made from pieces of the original plate and therefore looks very deceptive. The value part had been redrawn (since Scott got the printing plates of an unissued 10 c in which he removed the value label and put back another 'FIVE CENTS' label). These forgeries are quite common. The Dietz handbook says that the distinguishing characteristics of this forgery are: 'the outer framing line (of the forgery) is three times as thick as that on the genuine stamps; and, the center bars of the 'F' and 'E' of 'FIVE' (in the redrawn portion) are noticeably shorter than in the originals'. Even perforate specimens exist of this forgery. This forgery is also known as the 'New York' forgery. This forgery is also mentioned in 'Album Weeds' as the second forgery, it has been printed probably somewhere around 1900.

(Scott forgeries)

(Distinghuishing characteristics of the Scott forgery)

Scott's reprints of local stamps

This section is not yet catalogued by me, I'll give an example of a tete-beche(!) reprint of a Boyd's City Post envelope:

(Reduced sizes)

Scott reprint of a Boyd's City Post envelope

(I've been told that this is a Scott reprint of a Hussey local stamp)

Scott 'reprint's of the Letter Express Free stamps (both types)

Scott's forgeries of local stamps

I've also seen this forgery in black on violet.

Scott forgery of a local Brainard & Co stamp in blue, note the broad 'A' of 'ALBANY', the 'S' of 'ST' and the serifs of the 'D' of 'Doll', Scott also made a forgery in black

Scott forgery of a Brooklyn City Express 2 c black on blue stamp

Scott forgery of the Brownes Easton Despatch stamp (according to 'Philatelic Forgers, Their Lives and Works' by Varro E. Tyler)

Scott forgery of a East River P.O. stamp

I've been told that the next stamp is a bogus issues made by Scott, it has the inscription 'JONES CITY EXPRESS POST' and the head of Washington, the value is 2 c black on lilac:

There exists a local stamp with inscription Jones City Express and the head of George Washington, but the design is completely different:

(Genuine Jones City Express, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

Scott forgeries of Honour's City Post stamps of Charleston

Scott forgery of the 20 c Hussey local stamp, the '20' is smaller than in the genuine stamp.

Reprint!
(Scott forgery of 'Overton Letter Express', I've also seen the value black on yellow)

Reprint of the Squier&Co's Letter Dispatch made by Scott

Probably a Scott forgery of the Westervelt's Post (Chester N.Y.)

Confederate States

Besides the deceptive 5 c Confederate States stamp shown above, forgeries similar to the image of a Scott stamp album of 1888 were used. They are quite different from the genuine stamps and not deceptive at all. The printing stones of the catalogue appear to have fallen into private hands. The forgeries also exists in fantasy colors.

Actually, images of some of these forgeries already appeared earlier in "The illustrated catalogue of postage stamps" by J.E.Gray of 1870 and in the catalogue of Placido Ramon de Torres "Album Illustrado para Sellos de Correo" of 1879 (information passed to me thanks to Gerhard Lang, 2016).

(Cut from a Scott album of 1888 and stamps based on this cut)

(Left a cut from the Scott catalogue, middle and right forgeries based on this cut)

(Left cut from a Scott album, right forgery based on this cut)

(Left: cut from a Scott catalouge, right forgery based on this cut)

(Left cut from a Scott album of 1886, middle and right forgeries based on this cut)

(Left cut from a Scott album, right forgery based on this cut)

(Cut from a Scott album of 1886 and stamps based on this cut)

Scott forgeries of the local Boten issues of Hamburg

Scott made at least 116 different Hamburg boten forgeries (many different colours). He offered them for 50 US$ cents (all 116 of them together) according the 'Philatelic Forgers Their Lives and Works' by Varro E. Tyler.

Scott forgeries of Hawaii

The Scott forgeries of the 2, 5 and 13 c of the 1851 issue of Hawaii (Hawaiian postage) can be easily recognized by inspecting the corners of the ornaments (below the 'P' and 'e' of 'postage' and above the lower '13' and 's' of 'Cents'. There are leafs in the corner that are not connected to the central design. The design of the 13 c forgery is identical to the image given in "The illustrated catalogue of postage stamps" by J.E.Gray (1870, page 166).