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FINLAND 1891-1920 issues

Return To Catalogue - 1856-1890 issues - Aunus - Carelia - Local issues for Helsingfors and Tammerfors - Miscellaneous

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: .

1891 As Russian types, but little circles added in the design

  1 Kop orange
  2 Kop green
  3 Kop red
  4 Kop red
  7 Kop blue
  10 Kop blue
  14 Kop blue and red
  20 Kop blue and red
  35 Kop lilac and green
  50 Kop lilac and green
  1 Rub brown and orange
  3 Rub 50 Kop black and grey
  7 Rub black and yellow

An error exists: 3 Rub 50 kop black and yellow instead of black and grey.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 k	*	*
2 k	*	*
3 k	*	*
4 k	*	*
7 k	*	c
10 k	**	**
14 k	*	*
20 k	**	*
35 k	***	***
50 k	***	***
1 R	***	***
3 1/2 R	RR	RR	Misprint: 3 1/2 R black and yellow: RRR
7 R	RR	RR

Fournier has made forgeries of these stamps, examples:

Fournier offered these forgeries as 1st choice in his 1914 pricelist for 4 Swiss Francs (both values). He also offeres the misprint 3 1/2 R black and yellow for 2 Swiss Francs. These forgeries are quite good, fortunately they can be recognized by the cancels: only the following four cancels exist (the dates are always the same):

(Fournier forged cancels, reduced size)

Tampere As Tammerfors R (+Russian town name) 8 V 98 41
Wiborg Wiipuri 11 XI 97 9b
Kuopio (+Russian town name) 1 IV 98 3 1
Helsingfors Helsinki (+Russian town name) 5 III 00

It seems that Fournier used paper from the larger margins of Russian stamp sheets. More information about these forgeries can be found at: http://hjem.get2net.dk/jon/rif/fake/fake.html or http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/5525/fournier.html.

Other forgeries, made from cheaper Russian stamps, but by 'adding in' the rings also exist.

Envelopes also exist with little circles added in the design for Finland:

I have also seen a 1 k orange and 2 k green (both with only little circles above the design and not below) in the same design. A 10 k blue and 20 k blue in a slightly different design (same as Russia, but with circles added in the corners) also exist. Finally a 14 k blue (similar to the postal stationery of Russia) with little circles above and below the design exists.

1901 Russian types + inscription in 'Pen' or 'Markka'

  2 Pen orange
  5 Pen green
  10 Pen red
  20 Pen blue
  40 Pen lilac and blue (1911)
  1 M lilac and green
  10 M black and green

Similar types were issued in Russia. For the specialist, the 2 p, 5 p, 10 p, 20 p and 1 M are perforated 14 1/2 x 15. The 40 p is perforated 14. The 10 M exists with perforations 13 1/2 and 14 1/2. Postal forgeries of the 10 p and 20 p exist (see there) with perforation 11 1/2. There are small differences in the stamps, (different plates), except for the 40 p, caused by the fact that these stamps were printed by three different printers: Tilgmann & Co (Finland), Berthold (Berlin) and Lilius & Herzberg (Finland, only 10 and 20 p).

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 p	c	c
5 p	c	vc
10 p	c	vc
20 p	*	vc
40 p	*	c	1911
1 M	**	c
10 M	R	***

Forgeries:

A Fournier forgery exists of the 10 M value.

(I think this is a Fournier forgery)

(The cancel used on the above forgery, 'Kuopio 1 IV 98 3 1', reduced size)

Tilgmann forgeries

The printer Tilgmann (responsable for the printing of the genuine stamps), made illegaly reprints of the 10 p and 20 p stamps. These stamps have the wrong perforation 11 1/2 instead of 14 1/2 x 15. Though they were intended to deceive collectors, they are known to have been used on genuine letters (rare). Sorry, I have no picture of these forgeries.
From the same source 'misprints' in the wrong colour are known of the values 2 p green, 5 p yellow, 10 p blue, 20 p red and 10 M black and yellow, and a 1 M with no center, example:

(a 'misprint': 20 p red, image obtained thanks to Marko Ylostalo, Finland)

Postal forgeries (Majlund forgeries, images obtained thanks to Marko Ylostalo, Finland)

10 p

(Left forgery, right genuine)

This postal forgery has perforation 11 1/2 (genuine 14 1/2 x 15), it has very thin ornamental design compared to the genuine stamp. The white letters seem to be thinner. The upper part of the '1' is very thin. The lowest feathers on the left hand side are joined together (badly visible in this cancelled copy). The eagle's crown seems to be too close to the elliptic border and the tail too close to the arrows below it. This forgery has been described in 'Postal Forgeries of the World' by H.G. Leslie Fletcher.

20 p

(Left forgery, right genuine)

The above forgery also has the wrong perforation. Note that there are also many differences in the design I do not know if this forgery has ever been used on a real letter.

1911 Russian types + inscription in Pen

  2 Pen orange
  5 Pen green
  10 Pen red
  20 Pen blue

Similar types were issued in Russia. For the specialist, the 2 p, 5 p, 10 p and 20 p are perforated 14. There are 3 types of the 10 p; differing in the distance of the outer border line from the rest of the design and the coarseness of the lines in the background.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 p	c	c
5 p	c	vc
10 p	c	vc
20 p	*	vc

Republic

1917 Lion in ellipse, inscription 'SUOMI FINLAND' (Helsingfors issue)

  5 p green
  5 p grey
  10 p red
  10 p green
  10 p blue
  20 p yellow
  20 p red
  20 p brown
  25 p blue
  25 p brown
  30 p green
  40 p lilac
  40 p green
  50 p brown
  50 p green
  50 p blue
  60 p lilac
  75 p yellow
  1 M red and black
  1 M orange
  1 1/2 M green and lilac
  2 M green and black
  2 M blue 
  3 M blue and black 
  5 M lilac and black
  10 M brown and black
  25 M red and yellow

Surcharged

  10 on 5 p green (as 75 on 20 shown above)
  20 on 10 p red (as 75 on 20)
  30 p on 10 p green  
  50 on 25 p blue (as 75 on 20)
  60 p on 40 p lilac (as 30 on 10)
  75 on 20 p yellow 
  90 p on 20 p red (as 30 on 10)
  1 1/2 M on 50 p blue (as 30 on 10)

Overprinted 'Postim. naytt. Frim utstalln.' (philatelic exhibition)

  1 M orange
  1 1/2 M green and lilac

All these stamps are perforated 14.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
No watermark (1918)
5 p green	c	vc
5 p grey	vc	vc
10 p red	c	vc
10 p green	c	c
10 p blue	c	vc
20 p yellow	c	c
20 p red	c	c
20 p brown	c	c
25 p blue	c	c
25 p brown	c	c
30 p green	c	c
40 p lilac	c	vc
40 p green	c	c
50 p brown	*	c
50 p blue	*	c
50 p green	*	c
60 p lilac	*	c
75 p yellow	*	c
1 M red and black	*	vc
1 M orange	**	**
2 M green and black	*	c
2 M blue	**	c
3 M blue and black	**	c
5 M lilac and black	**	c
10 M brown and black	***	*
25 M red and yellow	***	***
10 p on 5 p	c	c
20 p on 10 p	c	c
30 p on 10 p	c	c
50 p on 25 p	c	c
60 p on 40 p	*	c
75 p on 20 p	c	c
90 p on 20 p	*	c
1 1/2 M on 50 p	*	c
With watermark 'Crosses' (1925)
10 p blue	c	c
20 p brown	c	c
25 p brown	c	c
30 p green	c	c
40 p green	*	c
50 p green	*	c
60 p lilac	*	c
1 M orange	*	vc
1 1/2 M green and lilac	**	vc
2 M blue	**	c
3 M blue and black	**	c
5 M lilac and black	***	*
10 M brown and black	***	***
25 M red and yellow	R	R
With watermark 'Posthorn' (1927)
20 p brown	c	c
40 p green	c	c
50 p green	*	c
1 M orange	*	vc
1 1/2 M green and lilac	*	vc
2 M blue	*	c
3 M blue and black	*	c
10 M brown and black	***	***
25 M red and yellow	***	***
1 M	**	**	Philatelic exh. overprint
1 1/2 M	**	**	Philatelic exh. overprint

1918 Lion in a shield (Wasa issue)

  5 p green
  10 p red
  30 p blue
  40 p lilac
  50 p brown
  70 p brown
  1 M red and grey
  5 M lilac and grey

These stamps have perforation 11.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
5 p	c	c
10 p	c	c
30 p	c	c
40 p	c	c
50 p	*	*
70 p	*	*
1 M	*	*
5 M	R	R

1922 Red cross issue

  1 M + 50 p grey and red

This stamp has perforation 14.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 M + 50 p	*	*

1927 10 years of independance, lion inscription '19VI XII 17 19 VI XII 27'

 1 1/2 M violet
 2 M blue

These stamps have perforation 14 and watermark 'Posthorn'

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 1/2 M	*	*
2 M	*	*

In 1929 a commemorative serie was issued (3 values). The next permanent serie appeared in 1930 (new lion design).

(20 p green of the 1930 lion issue)

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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