Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

PERSIA (Iran) 1881-1894

Currency: 1 Toman = 10 Kran = 200 Chahi, after 1881: 1 Kran = 100 Centimes

Return To Catalogue - Persia (Iran) 1870-1880 - 1894-1920 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 the catalogue.

More information about stamps from Persia, forgeries etc. can be found on: http://www.persi.com/fakes/fakes/fake.html or http://www.iranphilatelic.org/scams.htm.

For stamps of Persia, issued from 1870 to 1880 click here.

1881 Sun, inscription "POSTE PERSANE"

  5 c(ents) lilac
  5 c(ents) lilac (border blue)
  5 c(hahis) green
  10 c(ents) red
  10 c(ents) red (border red)
  25 c(ents) green
  25 c(ents) green (border green)

Overprinted "OFFICIEL" and value

(Genuine overprint)

(Reduced size)

  3 on 5 c green (1887)
  6 on 5 c green (1886)

The overprint 'OFFICIEL' did not mean that these stamps are official stamps, but that the surcharge was genuine (in contrast to some bogus overprints, which seem to have appeared at that time).

Overprinted with slanting "Officiel" and surcharged with new value

  6 on 5 c green
  12 on 10 c red

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
Without coloured border
5 c lilac	**	*
5 c green	*	vc
10 c	*	*
25 c	RR	***
With differently coloured border
5 c	*	*
10 c	*	*
25 c	**	*
Reprints	vc	-
Overprinted "OFFICIEL"
3 on 5 c	*	*
6 on 5 c	*	*

Forgeries exist, they resemble very closely the genuine stamps. 95 to 99% of these stamps seem to be forgeries! The forgeries were produced for a Paris stamp dealer (Source: http://www.richnoddystamps.co.uk/forgeries-reprints/forgery-of-the-week-persia-1881-dual-currency-recess-printed/). For more information see http://www.iranphilatelic.org/scams.htm. Focus on Forgeries by V.E.Tyler says that the printing plates of these stamps fell into the wrong hands, after being retouched slightly an enormous amount of reprints appeared on the market....

(On the left genuine I presume, right forgery)

(Left genuine, rigth forgery; line between two vertical lines is blur in genuine stamps)

(Left genuine, right forgery; ornament right of '5' is blur in genuine stamps)

According to http://bigblue1840-1940.blogspot.sg/2013/01/StampForgeriesofIranPersia.html, the 'line' difference also applies to other forgeries of this set.

1881 Large stamps with shah

  50 c(ents) black, yellow and orange
  1 F black, light blue and dark blue
  5 F black, light red and dark red
  10 F black, yellow and red (larger size)

1882

  10 c(hahis) black, yellow and orange
  50 c(hahis) black and grey

Overprinted 'OFFICIEL' and surcharged with value

Genuine overprint

  6 on 10 c black, yellow and orange (1887)
  8 on 50 c black and grey (1887)
  12 on 50 c black and grey (1886)
  18 on 10 c black, yellow and orange (1886)
  1 T on 5 F black, light red and dark red

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
Values in "Centimes" or "Francs"
50 c	***	*
1 F	*	*
5 F	*	*
10 F	**	*
Values in "Chahis"
10 ch	*	*
50 ch	**	**
Surcharged
6 on 10 ch	*	*
8 on 50 ch	***	***
12 on 50 ch	*	*
18 on 10 ch	*	*
1 T on 5 F	***	**

Bogus isssues:

Bogus issue! Bogus overprint! Bogus bisected stamp!

The 50 c and 1 F exist with a 'sun' overprint, they are bogus issues. Also all overprints not listed above are bogus issues. The 50 c, 1 F and 10 F also exist bisected together with a bogus surcharge (hardly visible in the above stamp!).

Other highly dubious bisected stamps

If my information is correct, these bisects were produced by the postmaster, the Austrian Alexander Friedrich Stahl. Stahl lost his job and his 'bisects' were sold by the Austrian stamp dealer Sigmund Friedl.

Forgeries:

In the above two stamps the inscription 'FALSCH' (=forgery, in German) is added in the bottom part of the stamp. The second mage was obtained with permission from the Forgeries idenfication site of Bill Claghorn: http://geocities.com/claghorn1p/. I think they were produced by Senf.

Other forgery of the 10 F value, there are many differences in the design and lettering.

Possibly other forgeries of the 5 F and 10 F values

Fournier forgeries as they can be found in the Fournier Album, here printed together with some forgeries of Afghanistan.

1885 Small lying lion

  1 ch green
  2 ch red
  5 ch blue

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 ch	*	*
2 ch	*	*
5 ch	*	c

1885 Small stamp with shah, lined background behind head of shah

  10 ch brown
  1 K grey
  5 K lilac

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
10 ch	*	*
1 K	*	*
5 K	**	*

1889 Lion with persian value in an ellipse, lion at the bottom of the ellipse

  1 ch red
  2 ch blue
  5 ch lilac
  7 ch brown

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 ch	vc	vc
2 ch	vc	vc
5 ch	vc	vc
7 ch	c	c

1889 Shah, small sized stamps, white background behind head of shah

  10 ch black
  1 Kr red
  2 Kr red
  5 Kr green

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
10 ch	vc	vc
1 K	c	vc
2 K	c	c
5 K	c	c

1891 Walking lion, small sized stamps, 'POSTE PERSANE' at the bottom

  1 ch black
  2 ch brown
  5 ch blue
  7 ch grey
  10 ch red
  14 ch orange

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 ch	vc	vc
2 ch	vc	vc
5 ch	vc	vc
7 ch	*	*
10 ch	vc	vc
14 ch	c	c

1891 Shah, larger size

  1 Kr green
  2 Kr orange
  5 Kr yellow

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	c	vc
2 K	*	c
5 K	c	c

1894 Lion in circle

  1 ch violet
  1 ch grey (1898)
  1 ch grey on green (1900)
  2 ch green
  2 ch brown (1898)
  2 ch brown on green (1900)
  3 ch lilac (1898)
  3 ch lilac on green (1900)
  4 ch red (1898)
  4 ch red on green (1900)
  5 ch blue
  5 ch yellow (1898)
  5 ch yellow on green (1900)
  8 ch brown
  8 ch orange (1898)
  8 ch orange on green (1900)
  10 ch blue (1898)
  10 ch blue on green (1900)
  12 ch red (1898)
  12 ch red on green (1900)
  16 ch green (1898)
  16 ch green on green (1900)

(With security overprints)

The 8 different security overprints that were employed on the 1898 issue in 1899.

The stamps of the 1898 issue exists with a security overprint in violet (1899). The stamps of the 1900 issue exists with overprint 'PROVISOIRE' (1902):

Overprint 'PROVISOIRE'
(With 'PROVISOIRE' overprint)

In 1900 a violet control mark was applied. Each control mark covered 2 or 4 stamps.

1900: With violet control mark (genuine).

With control mark on two stamps.

With 'PROVISOIRE' and control mark overprints

Security overprint and control mark

Surcharged

  '5 Ch' (in rectangle violet, 1897) on 8 ch brown
  '5' and arabic text (violet, 1900) on 8 ch brown
  '5 CHAHIS' (violet, 1902) on 10 ch blue

With surcharge '5' and 'PROVISOIRE' overprint

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
All values	vc to *	vc to *

For 1894-1920 issues and miscellaneous click here.