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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

VIRGIN ISLANDS (West Indies), first issue

Iles Vierges - Jungfern Inseln

Return To Catalogue - Virgin Islands (British), later 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.

Some stamps of Great Britain with cancel "A13" (Tortola) exists in 1858. These are very rare.

1866 Various images of a St. Ursula (1 and 6 p small sized)

  1 p green
  1 p red
  4 p red
  4 p brown
  6 p red
  6 p violet
  1 Sh black and red
  1 Sh black and red (red border)
  1 Sh brown

Surcharged (1888)

  "4D" (violet) on 1 Sh black and red (red border)

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

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

Cancels:

A numeral cancel "A91" was used in the Virgin Islands. The "A13" cancel can also be found (Tortola).

Forgeries:

Spiro forgeries:

These forgeries were printed in sheets of 25 stamps (5x5)

These Spiro forgeries exist with a circular cancel with "V F" in the center. See: VF cancelled forgeries. The 1 p even has a VF cancel and another Spiro cancel.

The Spiro forgeries can be detected by their weird cancels in most cases. According to 'The Spud Papers', the 1 p forgery can be recognized cords of the lamps, which are clearly visible in the forgeries, but hardly visible in the genuine stamps. Also there is only a small space between "ONE PENNY" and the label containing it. In the genuine 1 p stamps, there is a lot of spce around the word "ONE PENNY".
The 4 p Spiro forgery can be detected by the pearls around "VIRGIN ISLANDS" and "FOUR PENCE", they are very large. In the genuine stamps, these pearls are much smaller.
The 1 Sh forgeries can be recognized by looking at the background pattern. In the genuine 1 Sh stamps, there should also be a part of the background pattern behind the virgin. In the Spiro forgeries, there are white spaces around the virgin.
The forger Fournier also offers these Spiro forgeries in his 1914 pricelist (5 values for 1.50 Swiss Francs). They can also be found in the Fournier Album:

Cut from the Fournier Album, with three Spiro forgeries, indicating that Fournier also sold Spiro forgeries.

A Senf forgery with inscription "FALSCH." at the bottom:

Senf forgery with "FALSCH." written at the bottom

Other forgeries:

Other forgeries of the 1 Sh value. The first one has a "408" cancel, very similar to the Treherne forgeries of Western Australia.

A forgery of the 4 p red; the stars on top of the head do not touch the circle above it (as they do in the genuine stamps). It looks like the last forgery might also have a "408" cancel.

Another 4 p forgery, the stars of are also not touching the circle above it. Also, the stars themselves do not form a circle. Note the strange cancel that also appears ona St.Lucia forgery.

Another forgery:

1 Sh red forgery. This forgery of the 1 Sh is red, it should be brown, or red with a black virgin!

Engraved forgery of Italian orgin, possibly Oneglia or Panelli. The 1 Sh forgeries with no white border next to it, might be from the same source. The overprint "4D" should have been in violet (not black).

A badly printed 1 p blue(?) on very thick paper

Badly done 1 p green forgery.

Another engraved(?) forgery, nevertheless with a very unconvincing appearance.

A forged "A91" cancel as can be found in a Fournier Album. I presume it was used to 'enhance' any of the above forgeries. Next to it two Spiro forgeries, enchanced with a "A91" cancel (the dots of the Spiro cancels are still visible).

Another Spiro forgery, enchanced with a three ring "115" cancel.

Forgery with a Victoria 'V1' cancel, possibly made by Oneglia? "P" of "PENCE" too short?

Rather deceptive 6 p forgery. Possibly made by Oneglia.

1 p forgery, another possible Oneglia product.

A Waterlow & Sons reprint of the 1 Sh value, it was produced somewhere in the 1950's together with the book "A Century of Stamp production" by Waterlow & Sons.

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Copyright by Evert Klaseboer