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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 2

ROMANIA (Moldova - Wallachia)

1862 Issue

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1862 Bull's head, eagle (symbol of Wallachia) and posthorn, imperforated


Hand struck certified genuine stamp (striped paper), note the slightly slanting almost horizontal lines in the paper.

  3 p yellow
  6 p red
  30 p blue

These stamps were partly hand struck (2 varieties, 36 identical stamps in a sheet, 4 rows of 8 stamps) on normal or striped paper and typographed from plates (40 stamps in a sheet with 40 plate varieties, 5 rows of 8 stamps). The hand struck stamps have irregular distance between them (even overlapping stamps exist). The typographed ones always have a constant distance between them. These stamps exists printed sidewards to one another, as shown in the full sheets shown below. Unused stamps are much more common than used stamps (especially the 6 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
3 p R RRR Also exists in orange
6 p ** RR A lilac-red shade was not issued: **, it
exists with forged cancels.
30 p ** ***  

For information concerning cancels on these stamps, click here.


Full sheet of hand struck stamps, image obtained from a Corinphila auction, image also available at http://www.romaniastamps.com/. Note very well printed stamps, next to rather badly printed ones.


Full sheet of 40 typographed stamps, image obtained from a Corinphila auction, image also available at http://www.romaniastamps.com/. Note the appearance of nail marks on some of the stamps.


Two most common types of stamps of the second issue of the 30 pa value. Type I (left); dot in loop of posthorn, right hand side of eagle blurred with dot. Type II (right); bottom of first 'S' of 'SCRISOREI' has extension, the 'F' of 'FRANCO' has a dot at the center to the side of the 'R'.

How to distinguish forgeries? The characteristics of the genuine stamps are (Album Weeds):

3 pa yellow: The octagonal frame exists of two separate lines (however, often blotched together). The word 'FRANCO' measures almost 14 mm and the letters are not more than 1 3/4 mm high. There is a white patch at the top of each of the wings of the eagle.

Album Weeds describes 4 forgeries; In the 1st forgery, the eagle's wing near the 'C' of 'FRANCO' is completely coloured, the 2nd forgery has the word 'PAR' very slanting, the 3rd forgery is in orange-brown colour and has the word 'SCRISOREI' slanting. Finally, in the 4th forgery the star above the head of the bull has 6 rays (instead of 5) and the frame around the stamp is composed of three lines (instead of two).

Could be a forgery!
This could be the 3rd forgery of Album Weeds with the word 'SCRISOREI' slanting. The wing of the eagle points towards the 'O' of 'FRANCO'. This letter is too narrow. The 'C' of this word is too open. The 'O' of 'SCRISOREI' is also badly shaped. I've also seen this forgery in the color yellow. Next to it a 6 pa forgery and a 30 pa forgery, made by the same forger.


4th forgery of Album Weeds, extra frame line. Note the bogus cancel on the second image (reduced size). Sometimes these forgeries have a bogus "FRANCO" cancel, that can also be found on other forgeries.


Forgeries with "ROMA ? A?O 60" cancel

6 pa red: The octagonal frame exists of two seperate lines. There is a stop after each '6' and each 'PAR' (and sometimes behind 'FRANCO'). The star has 5 rays. There exist non-issued stamps of 6 pa in lilac-red with forged cancels.

Album Weeds describes 4 forgeries; In the 1st forgery the shading in the posthorn is different from the genuine stamps. The 3rd forgery has the frame composed of three lines (it should be two lines) and there are no stops behind both the '6'. The 4th forgery is equal to the 3rd one, but with a stop added behind the lower '6' and other minor differences.


3rd forgery (first image) and 4th forgery (second image) of Album Weeds, extra frame line. The stars have six points instead of five.


Other forgery, left wing too sharp, beak of eagle strange, 'O' of 'FRANCO' an ellipse, ears of bull badly done, etc. In the second example there are some flaws on the printing plate in the wing and head of the eagle. I have seen other forgeries with exactly the same flaws.


I've been told that this is a forgery, in my view, the corners are too rounded.


Forgery of the 6 pa value, similar to the 3 pa forgery described above.


A Winter forgery; note the scratch across the right hand side of the central part of the body of the eagle (this characteristic seems to be constant on these forgeries).


Peter Winter also offered tete-beche forgeries of the 6 p value (the above stamps were offered as genuine on Ebay, by the way).


Very dubious item with eagle with small wings.


Most likely a forgery


Some forgeries of the 6 pa in bogus colours. Note the break in the frameline next to the 'RA' of 'FRANCO'.

30 pa blue: The octagonal frame exists of two seperate lines. There is a stop after each '30' and 'PAR'. The eagle's wing touches the ear of the bull.

Album Weeds describes 3 forgeries of the 30 pa: The 2nd forgery has the frame composed of three lines (it should be two lines) and the star has 6 rays (instead of 5). The 4th forgery is equal to the 3rd one, but with some minor differences.


2nd forgery of Album Weeds, extra frame line. Second image reduced size


Other forgery of the 30 p value

This forgery has a large star above the bull's head
This forgery has a small upper part of the "R" of "PAR". The left wing of the eagle is very pointed. The "R" of "FRANCO" has an upward turning bottom right loop. This forgery also exists in the value 6 pa.

Image obtained from a Sandafayre auction
Forged cancel 'BUCURESCI 25/9' on two forged 30 pa stamps (reduced size)


The same forged stamp with forged 'BUCURESCI 25/9' cancel. This forgery has the top ray of the star too small or broken, the middle part of the 'P' of the upper 'PAR' is not horizontal, the right horn (from our perspective) is not curved enough at the right hand side. The foot of this letter is connected to the dot behind the '30'. Next to it the same forgery with a 'FRANCO ROMAN' and another cancel.


I have very strong doubts about this stamp, although it is listed on http://www.romaniastamps.com/ as genuine. The outer framelines are too far apart and there are many other small differences in the design.


Other forgery, note the different horn.


Very dubious stamp, 'N' of 'FRANCO' slanting, first 'R' of 'SCRISOREI' slanting etc.

I have my doubts about the following two stamps, forgeries?:


The left horn of the bull almost touches the 'A' of 'PAR'. The 'O' of 'FRANCO' is elliptic.


Modern forgery(?) of the 3 p value with "PAR" too large. Next to it a similar forgery, but apparently much older with a parallel lines cancel. The posthorn is very strange and the lettering is too large. I've been told that this is a so-called Hamburg forgery. Next to it a forgery of the previous set, made by the same forger (also with too large lettering).


Modern forgeries(?) of the 6 p and 30 p values with 'PAR' too large, reduced sizes


Very badly done forgeries of the 3 pa and 30 pa values, with the head of the ox and the eagle too small. These forgeries are printed very blur. The stars have six points instead of five. All three values have no dot behind the value. Sometimes these forgeries have a bogus "FRANCO" cancel, that can also be found on other forgeries.


Two forgeries pasted on piece of a letter.


Some modern 'Repliks' (even in a bogus color); possibly made by the forger Peter Winter.


6 par stamp with forged cancel.


Deceptive forgery with 'FAUX' overprint; I suspect it to be a genuine stamp with forged cancel.


Peculiar forgery; 30 p black, the eagle is not holding a cross but a hammer in his mouth.


An essay of 1865 showing an eagle design. This design was never used for an actual stamp (reduced size).

 

Rumania 1865


Copyright by Evert Klaseboer