Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

LIBERIA 1860-1880, Forgeries, part 1

Return To Catalogue - Liberia 1860-1880 - Liberia 1860-1880, forgeries, part 2

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.

If my information is correct, more than 50 different kinds of forgeries exist of these stamps. The genuine stamps have different background patterns for the different values. Many forgers have used the same background pattern for all values (except Fournier).

First set of forgeries (Spiro)

The cancels on these forgeries are always "MONROWA LIBERIA" (Monrovia is misspelt as Monrowa). The corner lines are incorrect for the 6 c and 24 c values (the lines are all directed to the center of the stamp). The "C" of "CENTS" is situated under the "LI" of "LIBERIA". The stone has a white break in its right outline just to the right of "LIBERIA".

In the 6 c Spiro forgery, the toe of the woman touches the border. These forgeries were already described in 'The Stamp Collector's Magazine' in 1864 (1st October, page 155).

Second set of forgeries (Spiro?)

The above stamps have as cancel "MONPOWA LIBERIA". There is a white line all across the bottom part of the ship, which is missing in genuine stamps. I've been told that these could be Spiro forgeries as well. I've seen the 6 c value with "SIX" placed too low (see image above).

Third set of forgeries (Fournier)

Fournier forgeries (obtained from the Forgeries idenfication site of Bill Claghorn: http://geocities.com/claghorn1p/). These stamps were taken from the Fournier album (an album with Fournier forgeries). The forgeries that Fournier sold didn't bear the overprint "FAUX" (=forgery in french), of course! All the cancelled Fournier stamps that I have seen bear the cancel "MONROVIA 7 JAN 64 LIBERIA". Fournier forgeries are the most deceptive forgeries of the Liberia 1860-1880 stamps.

Fourth set of forgeries

Two other forgeries of the 6 c with a "MONROWA LIBERIA" cancel. Besides it a 24 c forgery apparently made by the same forger (note the shape of the rock at the right hand side). This forgery sometimes exist with an additional "Franco" cancel, (see the 24 c above).

Fifth forgery

Forgery with the "C" of "CENTS" under the "LI" of "LIBERIA". Also note the peculiar shape of the "C". It looks like the cloudy background has some kind of 'signature' in it, quite similar to some forgeries of the first set.

Sixth set of forgeries

A forgery with a very strange sky. I've seen the value 12 c blue of this particular forgery as well (it is illustrated as forgery 17 in Philip Cockrill's Liberia; 'Forgeries of the first issues 1860-1880'). This booklet also mentions a 2 c in the same design. Note the peculiar clouds in the background.

Some of the above forgeries have a "MONROVIA." in a circle cancel (such a cancel does not exist on the genuine stamps), which also exists on the Seventh set of forgeries.

An image from the catalogue of Placido Ramon de Torres "Album Illustrado para Sellos de Correo" of 1879, page 152, in a similar design (information passed to me thanks to Gerhard Lang, 2016).

Seventh set of forgeries

Two forgeries of the 6 c value (two different colors) made by the same forger. The first forgery has a smudged red cancel and the second one a violet "MONROVIA." in a circle cancel (such a cancel does not exist on the genuine stamps). Note the damaged bottom left part of the stamps.

This forgery might have been made by the same forger who made the Sixth set of forgeries.

For the Eight set of forgeries etc, click here.

Stamps - Timbres-Poste - Briefmarken