Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

TAYLOR BOGUS ISSUES AND FORGERIES, Part 2

Return To Catalogue - Taylor bogus issues and forgeries, part 1 - Locals, carriers, postmasters and bogus issues; overview - More US local issues

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.

Taylor bogus issues and forgeries, part 1

Bogus issues of S.Allan Taylor

S.Allan Taylor was the leader of the 'Boston gang'; a group of forgers located in Boston (see 'Philatelic forgers, their lives and works' by V.E.Tyler, 1976, for a short review of his life). Taylor operated from about 1862 to 1891 and made many forgeries and bogus United States stamps. Many of these exist printed in a variety of papers and in a wide range of colors.

A pricelist of Allan Taylor

Bogus issues and forgeries made by Taylor for countries other than the US

Taylor also made some bogus issued for countries other than the United States; for example a Dominican Republic bogus stamps of 2 r in red (made in collaboration with J.M.Chute), another one for Guatemala and a 10 c Prince Edward Island bogus stamp (with the image of a ship). He also seems to have made a bogus stamp for Ireland with inscription 'Repub. Hiber' (I have not seen this stamp).

Bogus stamps for the Bancroft's City Express in Montreal, Canada. Note the striking resemblance of the design (same person) with a USA Whitteley's bogus issue.

Dangerous Taylor, 'first printing' forgery

More information concerning this forgery can be found on the excellent website http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/bgforgery.html. Taylor also made a 'second' printing forgery of this stamp. Both these forgeries are engraved. Furthermore a lithograped forgery of this stamp made by him exists.

(Forgeries of the Edinburgh & Leith Parcel Delivery Co made by Taylor)

For more information about these forgeries click here.

Bogus German locals:

'Marz-Verein von 1863 Hamburg:

(Marz-Verein von 1863 Hamburg, reduced sizes)

I have seen many colours of this 'stamp': red on yellow, black on violet, red, black on blue, black on green, green, black on red, black etc. I've been told that these are bogus issues made by Taylor.

Unlisted designs of W.Krantz HAMONIA (bogus issue by Taylor):

(Bogus issue of Krantz, note that the 'N' in 'KRANTZ' is inverted in the first stamp)

Many colours exist, I have seen (partly with inverted 'N' in 'KRANTZ'): 1 Sch black on blue, 1 Sch black on grey, 1 Sch black on lilac, 1 Sch black on violet, 1 Sch blue, 1 Sch green on blue 1 Sch brown, 2 Sch black on yellow, 2 Sch black on blue, 2 Sch black on red, 2 Sch black on violet, 2 Sch black on orange, 2 Sch blue and 2 Sch green on blue.

(Other fantasy design made by Taylor, sitting woman in the harbour, inscription 'Hamonia von W. Krantz Hamburg FRANCO', reduced sizes)

I have also seen the colour black on lilac in the above bogus design.

"BALDWIN'S RAILROAD POSTAGE" (with image of train) or "BALDWIN'S R.R. POSTAGE" (with "PAID TWO PENCE" in an ellipse)

These labels are forgeries made by (or inspired by) Allan Taylor in or before 1865 with the help of Craig and Melvin (both stamp dealers in Canada). The train design exists in a number of colors (red, blue, brown, black) and on colored paper. A sub-type seems to have a blotch in the frameline next to the bottom left '2'. The design with 'PAID' in the ellipse seems also to exist in the colors 2 p black on red and 2 p black on green.

More pictures acan be found at: http://alphabetilately.com/US-trains-00.html.

The following text was found in the Stamp Collector's Monthly Magazine of 1866 (Vol.1, No. 10) of St.John, New Brunwick by George Steward Jr. concerning the Baldwin stamps:

A TIMBROPHILIC BUBBLE BURST!

STAMP COLLECTORS BEWARE!!

AN EXPOSE!!!

BALDWINS RAILROAD POSTAGE : an obsolete local of considerable rarity"-as it is impudently termed by dealers interested in its sale-is attracting some attention at present in Philatelic Circles. Of course the venders of these stamps affirm stoutly that they are genuine ; but we beg to assure buyers that this is not the case. The "Baldwin" is a forgery and the Boston dealer who now advertises it as genuine knows that it was made to sell only. For the information of our readers we submit a brief historical sketch-gleaned from authentic sources - of this stamp.
In the month of May last two young gentlemen belonging to this city entered into copartnership - which for distinction sake we shall call Messrs "A. and B., Stamp and Coin dealers.'' They had been in business but a short time when it occurred to them that they might "get up" a stamp. Others had done so with some degree of success, why could not they? Only represent it to their correspondent as a genuine "local" issued and used in the province of New Brunswick, and by its sale they might easily replenish their coffers, and increase their business many fold. Having hit upon this "happy thought " the next thing wanted was a name and date. The latter was easily settled ; it should be an obsolete local, for this would sell best and be least liable to detection. But the name, -what should it be? This was a puzzler ! It could not be "Turner's " -or the " Eastern'' Express, for both of these companies had agents in almost every city, town and village of the Union, as well as in the British Provinces, an application to either of whom might ''spoil their leetle game." After much grave thought and consideration it was remembered that a Mr. H. Baldwin had had some years before, an express office on the European and North American Railway, which runs from St. John to the Shediac oyster beds. Why not therefore call the "obsolete local" BALDWIN'S RAILROAD POSTAGE
Nothing could be more favourable and the name was at once adopted. After sketching a rough design of the projected "obsolete," the honourable firm went next in search of an engraver whom they soon found in the person of a Mr. Gregory of this city. Mr. Gregory being an adept in his art soon furnished a block or cut of the new stamp, which was taken to the printing establishment of Messrs J. & A. McM..... of St.John, and shortly after our enterprising young gents had the satisfaction of gazing upon the fruit of their own ingenuity-or in other words upon fifteen hundred of the "BALDWIN'S RAILROAD POSTAGE LABELS" in the following colours: viz, red on white, blue on ditto., black on ditto., red on grey, blue on ditto, black on ditto, red on green, blue on ditto, black on ditto, red on yellow, blue on ditto, black on ditto, red on blue, blue on ditto., black on ditto. That such stamps should be rare-very rare indeed- no one can doubt, for they could only be had from the makers. We do not know that the manufacturers are to blame altogether for saying that these stamps were of "considerable rarity" -seeing they could only be obtained from themselves, -but every honest man will say that they were very much to blame for stating that they were NEW BRUNSWICK LOCALS. But further, we have it on good authority, that of these " gems, "four hundred were sold to S. Allan Taylor of Boston - as stamps that never existed, but were issued to sell only. Mr. Taylor knows all this, but does he denounce the imposition? oh no! On the contrary, he tries to bolster it up by "a change of base," and mendaciously says in his paper, " that the New Brunswick to which these bogus "obsolete locals'' belong is New Brunswick - New Jersey!!! Could anything be more audacious? Can he tell us or his readers when these TWO PENNY locals were issued and used in New Jersey? and why it is that no mention is made in any of the NewY ork Price Lists or American Catalogues of the U. S. local stamps? We hope that our readers will make a note of what we have said and avoid the Bogus " Baldwin's."

Advertisment of Edward A.Craig & Robert J.Melvin in the Stamp Collector's Monthly Gazette (Vol. 1, No 1. 1865, page 4) stating that they are 'sole agents for the sale of BALWIN'S RAILROAD POSTAGE, an obsolete local of considerable rarity'. They sold the set of 15 varieties for $1.50 N.B. currency

The Prince Edward Island bogus issues

Bogus issue (15 c blue!), cancel 'Charlotte-town'. This issue is a bogus issue by an American dealer (according to Album Weeds, he probably refers to Allan Taylor).

and a bogus value of 10 c.

Taylor also made a forgery of the 4 p stamp (with missing mouth!) and a primitive forgery of the 4 1/2 p. If you posess a picture of these forgeries, please contact me!

Taylor 'Prince Edwards' bogus issue, the frame appears to be the same as the Taylor "NEW HAVEN AND N.Y.EXP. POST" bogus stamp.

A bogus issue with a ship and inscription 'PRINCE EDWARDS ISLAND' ('EDWARDS' with 'S'), was issued by the stamp forger Allan Taylor. The book 'The mystery of the Prince Edward Queen' by William J.Eckhardt mentions that in December 1886 a bogus stamp was issued also with wrong inscription 'Prince Edwards Island', in black on yellow paper, imperforate. This forgery was made by Charley Lyford, an accomplice of Allan Taylor. Probably, these are the same forgeries. Apparently, this stamp inspired Taylor to make the above (much more convincing) forgeries with Queen Victoria.

British America College Stamp.

Websites, literature

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/bulletin/015017-9903-01-e.html, information concerning Taylor and his rare first journal: S. Allan Taylor (1838-1913) The Stamp Collector's Record. Montreal: S.A. Taylor. issue no.1 (February 15, 1864).

Philatelic forgers, their lives and works' by V.E.Tyler, 1976, for a short review of Taylor's life.

Other literature: 'Bogus United States Stamps - Produced by S. Allan Taylor' by Judy M. Kersey, published in 1983. 12 pages. I haven't had a chance of reading this book myself.

'Philatelic Fantasies of British North America' by David Sessions (1999), 134 pages. I also did not see this book myself.