Home Catalogue index Volume 1 index Volume 2 index
Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

Ferdinand Elb

Return To Catalogue

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 the catalogue.


Stamp dealer and forger of Dresden (Germany). He was registered in the 'Kaufmännische Verein' of Dresden in 1860 (source: "Judische Wege ins Burgertum" by Simone Lassig). He issued a stamp catalogue in 1864 with his mother Jeanne Van. Elb (1866? edition can be obtained with Google Books). Among others, he offers there the Richmond Buck confederate bogus stamps, the Langton bogus ship stamps and the confederate blockade stamps. I guess he might be responsable for those as well. See for more information on Ferdinand Elb the book 'Philatelic Forgers, their Lives and Works' by V.E.Tyler.

Elb made forgeries in the reverse colours of the first postal stationery of Finland: 10 k red and 20 k black. He then sold them for £50 or more each! (see: Album Weeds by Earee or Philatelic Forgers, their lives and works by Varro E. Tyler). The confusion thus created was so good that official reprints were in 1862 of all 4 values (thus including the bogus colors)!

Elb is also to have made forgeries of the 3 p red 1850 stamp of Saxony, while his involvment in the Saxon-Bohemian S.S. Co, the Berlin Stadt Express and Leitmeritz locals is suspected.


Stamps of Leitmeritz, possibly prepared by Ferdinand Elb (reduced sizes)

If anyone has more information or images of forgeries made by Ferdinand Elb, please contact me!


Copyright by Evert Klaseboer