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| Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1 |
Return To Catalogue - Transvaal 1885 issue - South Africa
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.
Although the second stamp with "JOHANNESBURG 1 JUN 98"
has a certificate, I've seen other stamps with exactly the same
cancel (see next image).
Overprinted "V.R.I."
Left genuine with PFSA certificate and right a reprint.
Probably genuine stamp with forged "V.R.I." overprint.
The stops behind the letters "V.R.I." are too large.
According to the Transvaal Philatelist 40, 2 (154), May 2005,
this might be a remainder obtained by Mirza Hadi, on which a
forged "V.R.I." overprint was applied.
I've seen a 5 Pounds stamp (without VRI overprint), with "Monster" overprint. This specimen-alike overprint was used pm stamps send to the UPU. Furthermore the 5 Pounds VRI stamp is known with "SPECIMEN" (usually slanting) overprint, also for UPU purposes. Both "Monster" and "SPECIMEN" overprints are not known to have been used on reprints according to John Kaupe in 'The Transvaal Philatelist 40, no 2 (154) May 2005'.
WARNING: MANY OF THESE STAMPS
ARE REPRINTS: Because of the Boer war, a large
number of undelivered stamps (or reprints?) was present at the
printer (Enschede, Netherlands) and ended up in collectors hands
(through a dealer in Paris: Mirza Hadi, according to 'Philatelic
Forgers Their Lives and Works' by Varro E. Tyler). All the
unoverprinted stamps (1/2 p through 5 Pounds, except 2 1/2 p
lilac?) can be found. Among them unperforated and umgummed
specimens. They also exist with forged cancels. Furthermore
forged overprints exist of the 'HALVE PENNY' on 3 p lilac, '2d'
on 3 p lilac, '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in one
line) and '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in two lines)
on these remainders. Mirza Hadi also ordered reprints of these
stamps. Furthermore the overprint 'V.R.I' on 5 Pounds can be
found forged on these remainders. It seems that the only way to
recognize these 'reprints' is in their perforation
characteristics (see
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/ymw18/transvl/study%20circle/challnge.html
for more information).
Especially most of the 5 Pounds stamps found today are reprints
(including forged cancels and forged "V.R.I."
overprints). Also an article on the 5 Pounds value by John Kaupe
in The Transvaal Philatelist (v.40, no2) (154) from 2005 is very
useful. A forged "V.R.I." overprint with too large
stops also exists on genuine remainders (Mirza Hadi ordered this
overprint on some of the remainders, while he was waiting for the
reprints).
(Imperforate Fournier forgery of the 5 Pounds stamp)
Sheet of 6 Fournier forgeries.
Another sheetlet with Fournier forgeries.
Fournier forgery of the 5 Pounds
stamp (so-called 'Faux de Geneve'). In my view, when perforated,
the perforation does not 'match' in the corners in the Fournier
forgeries. Fournier printed these forgeries in sheets of 16
stamps (4 rows of 4) with a much larger inter-stamp distance than
in the genuine stamps (examples can be found in Fournier's
Album). The feather at the back of the head of the eagle is too
close to the wings when compared to a genuine stamp. Also, in my
view, there are some smudges in the white space below the label
with "MAAKT" and "PND" which I don't see in
the genuine stamps.
Fournier forgery (back of the head of the eagle almost touching
the wings); with an unlisted cancel. The perforation is done
badly.
"OTTOSHOOP 1 NOV 95" forged cancels on forged 5 Pounds
stamps (this forged cancel seems to be quite common)
The site http://www.filatelia.fi/forgeries/forged_postmarks.html lists the cancel "OTTOSHOOP 1 NOV 95" as forged, I have seen this cancel on several 5 Pounds stamps as shown above.
Reprint with forged "PIETERSBURG 13 FEB 91" cancel (the
stamp was only introduced in 1892!) and another reprint with
forged "PIETERSBURG 15 NOV 94" cancel.
Reprints
A whole sheet of reprints. Specialists can distinghuish from the
perforation characteristics the position of the reprint in the
plate (the perforation gauge is exactly the same as in the
genuine stamps). Note for example that all stamps on the last
column have one perforation teeth too low (third hole from the
right at the bottom perforation) and one too high (same teeth but
on top of the stamp).
As an example how to recognize reprints, the above stamps clearly
originate from the 5th column of the above sheet (the first one
without "V.R.I." overprint). The third horizontal
perforation hole from the left at the top and bottom is too low
and the 5th and 6th hole from the left are very close together
creating a narrow teeth between them.
Other example of reprint recognition. The second horizontal hole
from the right is placed too low (both on top and at the bottom
of the stamp). It thus originates from the 10th (last) column of
the above reprint sheet.
Reprints ordered by Mirza Hadi (his dealer stamp is printed on
the backside of both of the above 5 Pounds stamp). The cancel
"KLERKSDORP 13 FEB 91" must be forged, since the 5
Pound stamp was only issued in 1892!
In an advertisement Mirza Hadi says he is the 'UNIQUE POSSESEUR DU STOCK des diverses emissions des timbres du TRANSVAAl, egalement des timbres de l'AFRIQUE DU SUD et de RHODESIE' (unique owner various sets of stamps of Transvaal as well as South Africa and Rhodesia). He obtained the remainder of the stamps still at the printer (Enschede, Haarlem in the Netherlands) and convinced the printer also to make large numbers of reprints. He also claims to have the government stock of the stamps of Iran (Persia):
Mirza Hadi advertisement
There exists booklets with reprints with outer inscription 'COLLECTION de TIMBRES DU TRANSVAAL' containing reprints of the 1885 issue, the 1894 issue (both issues inclusive surcharges) and the 6 p zegelregt overprint. I've been told that these booklets were prepared by Mirza Hadi.
Other forgery of the 5 Pounds stamp. Image obtained from Eric
Aulagner. The perforation is wrong (especially in the corners it
doesn't match). The shading on the car is not long enough. The
'5' in the upper left corner is too short at the right top and
the loop ends too soon (leaving a too wide gap). This does not
appear to be a Fournier forgery. The dot behind "STG"
appears to be missing? It might be a 'Faux de Lausanne' (Louis
Pasche) as mentioned in the Serrane guide?
Another forgery or reprint with wrong perforation. Also the first
"E" of "EENDRAGT" appears to be an
"F"?
Most likely a reprint with forged perforation (i.e. the
horizontal and vertical perforations don't match in the corners!)
Forged "BARBERTON G NO 15 87 Z.A.R." cancel on a 5
Pound value. I've seen Barberton cancels (very neatly placed) on
the lower values as well. Also a very suspicious "BARBERTON
A NO 16 93" cancel.
Modern forgery of the 5 Pounds stamp, reduced size. This forgery
was probably made with a computer. It is often found offered on
Ebay (2007).
The forger Sperati made forgeries of the 5 Pound "V.R.I." stamp. They are quite rare. He used genuine lower value stamps of the next issue with genuine "V.R.I." overprints and printed a forged 5 Pound image on it. Sperati probably did not make many forgeries of this stamp. I don't have an image of a Sperati forgery at this moment.
