millersville
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What I collect: World-Wide Revenue
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Post by millersville on Mar 1, 2024 5:05:07 GMT
I am thinking this item is a Spiro forgery of either the Sierra Leone #11 or #21. The perforations are 12-1/2 rather than 14; I could not discern a clear CC (#1) or CA (#2) watermark; and the obliteration is similar to those produced by Spiro. I don't have the appropriate reference to look this up. Could someone weigh in with a more definitive opinion?
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 1, 2024 5:36:31 GMT
Thanks for your post, Chris ( millersville ) I think this is a genuine stamp, not a forgery. If you look at the legend closely, it reads "3 HALF PENCE" and not "HALF PENNY", so it cannot be Sc11 or Sc 21. Sc13 or Sc24, which are 1½d Violet stamps, are much more likely, and the color looks like faded violet to me, rather than bister for the ½d, which is a light brown. I will check SG for perf varieties other than Perf 14. It's just my opinion, of course, and others are welcome.
Edit: I checked my SG 2023 Commonwealth & British Empire Catalogue, but I still can't find a Perf 12½ variety of these stamps. The colors are more sensible, as they are SG18 Lilac (Wmk Crown CC) and SG29 Pale Violet (Wmk Crown CA). Both are listed as Perf 14. I still think this is a genuine stamp, though, and I don't think that the cancel looks like the Spiro generic one, either. But I can't account for the perforation gauge. Is it Perf 12½ all around? Any chance of its having been re-perforated?
2nd Edit: Please see follow-up post below. I have come to the conclusion that this stamp is likely a forgery, after all.
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rod222
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Mar 1, 2024 6:00:34 GMT
Only observations I can make, Violet is subject to fading on these stamps. The Grid shown is similar to Spiro.
Without great knowledge of these, I seem to see stamps of this type appear to be comb perf? If so, both the perf 14 and the rough perfs, create question marks.
Klaseboer: All Perf 14 Forgery Recognition Does not have a wmk Perf primitive, diamonds in the four corners are badly drawn. the "T" and "A" are touching at the bottom (postage) Left and right white line don't align with the box for the value label, and box for the word postage
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 1, 2024 6:11:54 GMT
OK, I have taken a closer look at Morten's ( classicalstamps ) website on these stamps, found here: stampforgeries.com/forged-stamps-of-sierra-leone/I now agree that this does indeed look like a forgery, based on the image below from the website. It is one of the better ones, if you look at the other denominations, but I would now concur that it is likely a forgery. It seems to closely match the example on the right below. Well spotted, Chris ( millersville)! You had it right from the start.
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millersville
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Posts: 25
What I collect: World-Wide Revenue
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Post by millersville on Mar 3, 2024 2:30:30 GMT
Thank you Beryllium Guy, caught the forgery and missed the "3" half pence. rod222 , thanks for the forgery discriminators.
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Mar 3, 2024 9:29:02 GMT
For some reason, Chris ( millersville), when I was responding to your post, I was trying to do it quickly, and I just looked at the image you posted, without checking the Classic Forgeries website. As the old saying goes, "Act in haste, repent in leisure." I normally perform my due diligence before making a post, but for whatever reason, I didn't do it that time, and it came back to bite me. As soon as I checked the site, I could see that you had it right from the start. It's a lesson I had already learned before, but clearly, I needed a refresher!
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