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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

PERU 1857-1873

Pérou

Return To Catalogue - Peru 1873 llama and 1871 train issue - Peru 1874 -1894 - Peru 1895 -1920 - Miscellaneous - Local stamps, part 1 - Local stamps, part 2 - PSNC stamps - fiscal stamps

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1857 For stamps of the 'Pacific Steam Navigation Company' (1857), inscription "P.S.N.G." click here

1858 Arms, imperforated, inscription "PORTE FRANCO CORREOS", no country name

  1 din blue (two types, wavy or zigzag lines in background)
  1 peseta red (two types, wavy or zigzag lines in background)
  1/2 peso (0.50 centimos) yellow to red

The plates of the 1 d and 1 p values with the zigzag lines in the background were worn very quickly and the background pattern behind the horn has disappeared in later issues and appears as white only. These plates were retouched (in 1860?) and can be recognized by the fact that the zigzag lines do not touch each other any more:

Retouched 1 d plate, zigzag lines behind the circle do not touch each other any more

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

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

Cancels:

"LIMA", "CALLAO", "PASCO", 'TRUXILLO", "PAITA" and "AYACUO" cancels.

There exists a forgery of the "UNA PESETA" with wrong inscription "UN PESETO":

("UN PESETO")

A Senf forgery of the 1/2 peso, with green "FALSCH" (=forged in German) overprint:

Senf forgery with a green 'FALSCH!' overprint.

The above Senf forgery is described in Album Weeds (as the second forgery of the 1/2 p).

I've been told that this is a forgery, I have no further information

Some other forgeries (made by Fohl?)

The bottom inscription of the 1/2 p should be "CORREOS", it is "MEDIO PESO" in the above forgery. In the 1 P, the inscription is "UN PESETO" instead of "UNA PESETA". I've been told they could have been produced by the forger Fohl in 1874. They often bear the cancel "CORREOS 7.1.60. II-III" with some undecipherable numbers in a circle or something with ".. UX" in a large circle. I presume these are the forgeries described as first forgeries in the book 'Album Weeds'. I've also seen a 1 P Fohl forgery in a more brownish shade.

Forgeries made by Young in 1870.

A forgery made by Schroder in Leipzig (Germany) about 1892, printed as a mirror image.

These forgeries appear to have been made by S. Friedl in 1872 (in black and white) with many errors in the design, the 1 D is in the design of the 1862 issue

Forgeries of the 1/2 p stamp. Note the badly done upper left corner.

A Sperati forgery of the 1/2 peso stamp:

The book "Peru Postal Cancellations 1857-1873" by Georges Lamy and Jacques-Andre Rinck (1964) in the genuine "CHACH" cancel a small "S" is situated above the letter "A", in the Sperati forgery it is a dot.

The above stamp is a Sperati forgery of the 1/2 peso orange-yellow stamp. It appeared in 1952. Sperati's forgeries are dangerous and quite rare. On this particular forgery he has applied a fake "CHACH" cancel, (he seems to have made seven different cancels for this issue). This stamp comes from a handbook made by the British Philatelic Association (see the backside). In this Sperati forgery, the upper left top frame has an extension. I've also seen this Sperati forgery with a similar "CALLAO" cancel. I've also seen an uncancelled Sperati forgery, but in the color red. Also a red color stamp with cancel "NEPENA":

Uncancelled Sperati forgery and Sperati forgery with "PASCO" cancel

The forged Sperati cancels that can be found in the BPA handbook are: "PAITA" in a straight line, "ATA" in a straight line, "CALLAO" surrounded by dots, "CHACH" surrounded by dots, "PASCO" surrounded by dots, "LIMA" in ellipse surrounded by dots, "LIMA" surrounded by "1", "2" and dots.

This forgery on piece of the 1/2 p has the word "CORREOS" slanting. It has a forged "LIMA 23 NOV. 59 T" cancel. I believe these forgeries also exists with a similar cancel "ARICA 31 MAYO 59" and dot cancels "YSLAI" and "CHOTA" (see: http://www.peru-philatelic-study-circle.com/MO/Expos/Forgeries/PERU_Forgeries_Reference_Collection.pdf)

1862 Arms on white background, inscription "PORTE FRANCO CORREOS", no country name

  1 pta brown
  1 pta orange (1868)

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

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

I've been told that genuine stamps have a broken "C" of the right "CORREOS".

Forgeries

Reduced size. If I'm well informed the embossed shield is much smaller in these forgeries.

The above forgeries have been attributed to Eberhardt about 1884, although the book "Peru Postal Cancellations" says it appeared in 1896 after the printing equipment and cancelling devices were sold by the Peruvian government. The "C" of "CORREOS" is not broken and the "F" of "FRANCO" has a thin top part and has a dot at the bottom. In my view, they might have been made from a retouched original plate(?). Many forged cancels were applied on these forgeries, see the book "Peru Postal Cancellations 1857-1873" by Georges Lamy and Jacques-Andre Rinck (1964) for more information.

1862 Arms in circle, new design, inscription "PORTE FRANCO CORREOS", no country name

  1 dinero red
  1 dinero green (coloured background behind arms)

These stamps exist with inverted embossing, value: RR. I've been told that these stamps were printed in strips (coils) from a Lecoq machine; source: http://stamps.org/userfiles/file/MyAPS/Exhibits/FirstCoilStamp-330560.pdf.

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

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

Cancels

"PASCO" cancel. Also a mute star cancel.

Essays

I've been told that this is an essay of the 1 D in black. They were produced in France and send to Peru together with the printing machine (source: http://stamps.org/userfiles/file/MyAPS/Exhibits/FirstCoilStamp-330560.pdf)

Cancels

Some typical cancels:

Lima grill cancels

Mollendo cancel in a box

Lima and Callao town and date cancel

Pen cancel

Forgeries

Eberhardt forgery, reduced size

The above forgery has been attributed to Eberhardt about 1884. I have no further information.

The printing machine was sold as old metal in 1896 and subsequently fell into wrong hands (the Steiger gang). Reprints were then made, source: http://stamps.org/userfiles/file/MyAPS/Exhibits/FirstCoilStamp-330560.pdf. During the cleaining up of the rusted plate, several errors were introduced; a different left "S" of "CORREOS" and a protrusion at the upper right hand corner. All these reprints are cancelled (with forged or wrong cancels) and do not seem to exist in pairs.

Most likely a reprint with protruding upper right corner. The book "Peru Postal Cancellations 1857-1873" by Georges Lamy and Jacques-Andre Rinck (1964) lists this forgery. It is too 'orange' and the "S" of the left "CORREOS" is broken at the bottom. Many forged cancels were applied to these forgeries, here presumably "LIMA" in a lozenge. The reprints were made in 1896 after the printing equipment was sold by the Peruvian government.

1866 Lamas, various frames

  5 c green
  5 c red (1895)
  10 c red
  10 c orange (1895)
  20 c brown
  20 c blue (1895)

Official stamps, overprinted "GOBIERNO" in a rectangle

  5 c red
  20 c blue

The perforation of these stamps is 12.

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

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

Forgeries, example:

The cancel used on these forgeries does not exist as a genuine cancel in Peru.

I've been told that the above forgeries are made by Spiro, note the strange cancels (an ellipse with 6 horizontal lines). For the specialist: these stamps are lithographed instead of engraved. They are described in 'The Spud Papers XLIII' in greater detail. They appeared around 1875.

Zechmeyer forgery of the 10 c red value produced in 1875, quite deceptive

Two forgeries of the 10 c red value made by the forger Levy in 1878, the words "DIEZ CENTAVOS" are too small

Peru 1873 llama and 1871 train issue:

Peru 1873 llama and 1871 train issue

For issues of Peru of 1874 -1920 click here.

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