Samoa: Stamps

2011
When the people of Samoa lost a complete Friday    (And Banks were not allowed to charge interest on the day that disappeared)

Hi Jim,
here's the thing,  I have never felt bad about having forgeries, I kinda expect them. 
My thought process here was, if they are dirty and grungy (as mine are) they have probably been
passed from pillar to post, genuine stamps would have been nurtured in mounts.

Thanks for the appraisal, I'll employ that link to re-appraise and try and make some sense of them, I have pages of them.
Cheers.

1945-53 Issues of New Zealand overprints

  
SG 207 & 208


  
SG 209 & 234


   
SG 235 & 194

I recently picked up  this panel of 6 Samoa overprints 1914  on New Zealand Postage Stamps.
The stamp was first issued 5 May 1898, to replace the original 2 1/2d stamp which contained a spelling mistake, "Wakitipu" instead of "Wakatipu".
Stamps were engraved by Waterlow and Sons, England. The first issue was also printed by Waterlow and Sons, with later supplies being printed in New Zealand from new plates also supplied by Waterlow and Sons.

The perfs are very bad and slightly off centre - need to do some more research regarding that issue. 

This fascinating stamp issue holds a special interest for stamp collectors as it was one of the world's earliest pictorial definitive issues.

[Moderator edit - image link is broken and irretrievable]

Wakatipu is the second largest lake in the South Island, after Lake Te Anau, and covers 293 square km. It lies at the southern end of the Southern Alps in Central Otago. Mount Earnslaw (at over 2,400 metres) is depicted in the background of the design, also illustrated, at the left, is New Zealand flax, and, at right, cabbage palms and toitoi. A sheep drover, Nathaniel Chalmers, is believed to have been the first European to sight the lake, arriving there with two Māori guides in 1853.



On checking Stampworld it appears their image has poor perforations, so perhaps these were done in Samoa. Anyone know?

Don’t understand why you repeated david  's picture, machin141 ? If you approve of a post, like it then just click on the 👍at the top of the posted item. No need to quote unless there is something you want to say.


Incidentally, the stamps may be from SAMOA but the birds certainly are not ! Unless they were imported from S America as pets.

coming back to the posts from rod222 and jkjblue - re the Samoan 'Express' values  -  I've attached picture of these eight values which came to me in with other 'Oceana' stamps.      Have to  say I wouldn't know the difference  between a genuine Samoan Express issue  and a No. 9  bus, but these  look far  to clean plus, as you can see, the guy who was selling these in pre-decimal days (pre 1970) has  written 'Reprints' and appears  to have priced them at 10/6d. (£0.52p)  -  so it seems to be taken as read  they they are indeed  Reprints.      Mind you, ten and sixpence was worth more in the mid  to late 1960s than fifty two pee is now.  
These were part of the contents of a 'Club'  booklet, which also contained some Fiji and C19 Oz issues, which I believe to be genuine.

I know  nothing about Samoa, so if  anyone would care  to comment about these Reprints any information will be of interest.    thanks. 

My only Western Samoa stamp at this time:

Scott #209, 1952:

in view of the unbridled criticism of the first batch of photos of these Samoa  'Express' issues, here then are a few  more  snaps I've taken of individual values which may be of interest to vikingeck regarding which are forgeries and which reprints.  
The  collector (now deceased) from whom these came was obviously into non-original items from  Samoa  -  I've now discovered that he also  had a  collection of very clean 'Palms' - a design originating c. 1886 to 99  -   possibly covered by SG 21 to  64 (again most likely forgeries/reprints).         You can see in the photo of these 'Palms', a blue-green 1/2d. value  -  this appears to come from the much later SG 88, first issued in 1899.

Samoa has a difficult history, being fought over by the U.S., Germany, the U.K.  and New  Zealand.     New Zealand  stamps ovptd. Samoa seem not uncommon, but straightforward  Samoa values  appear less frequently.    
Also attached  is a photo of a few low values for Western Samoa - designs of some of which first appeared in 1935 (SG 180 to 188), a few of which were re-used in 1944 - 49 (SG 200, 202, 203 and 205), so not easy to determine  which are which perhaps - though I've shown only four of the original designs.

Coming back to the 'Palms' group, the club booklet also shows a single example of King  Malietoa Laupepa - the 2.1/2d. value (SG 44) and some Provisional  Govt. ovpts.           The 2d. dull orange (though it looks more like dull yellow), with ovpt. R is, I think, SG 92 from 1899/1900 - the 'R' appears to indicate use for Registration Fee.
I'm sure all of these 'Palms' are non-original as they are too clean and fresh  -  but opinions welcome as  always.  

Oh dear what a lot of confusion and muddle here from renden and paul1 .

Let me try to set the record straight point by point. 


renden it is not “impossible” to find the info on the Samoa Forgeries. The whole tutorial will appear if you search “Samoa first issues” It is here on TSF . I don’t know how to show the link …….maybe someone can link it.

paul1 . If I offended by “unbridled criticism” (sic) of the original pictures from you I apologise , it was because the detection of forgery and reprint absolutely depends on a SHARP IMAGE . Reprints have a tiny dot under the V of the letter M, only visible in a sharp image like the current pics.

The next lot of images are clear reprints of the THREEPENCE , ONE PENNY AND FIVESHILLING . the TWOSHILLING is a forgery. You will find the explanation in the thread “Samoa : first issues.”

There is nothing wrong with the palm trees series , they were not forged or reprinted. When the office closed in 1900 with the German take over as a colony there were loads of stamps unused left over , all fresh and clean .

Yes R denotes registration , needed when Samoa got UPU recognition.

Incidentally the islands were not “fought over” by the Great Powers. They each intervened in a series of Local Civil wars in the interests of their citizens, and in 1899 agreed a carve up of the Archipelago between US in the east and Germany in the West , with Britain withdrawing to oversee their interests in Tonga and the Solomon Islands as arranged by the Treaty of Berlin .No one consulted the Samoans of course!

I could go on ….. but there is nothing whatever wrong with the basic Palm trees. The only forgeries in these issues occurs in some of the handstruck surcharged 5d

heavens vikingeck - no apologies, I was doing my usual silly tongue in cheek - had I been serious I wouldn't have commented - thought you might have been aware by now of my rather plain cynical style of commenting. You don't owe me anything - I thought of adding a smiley but have naughty streak that wishes to avoid being self-conscious and drawing attention to a less than obvious meaning - I shall apologise to you for not adding the smiley.

Anyway, thanks a million for your skilled response and I appreciate the benefit of your knowledge in this part of the philatelic world. I'm so pleased that my 'Palms' are genuine - makes up for the dodgy 'EXPRESS' issues.

I shall return as Gen. Macarthur said, to this subject. and thanks again for your help.

Greetings, I have not seen too many of the used of the express. The CDS is faint so anyone could have cancelled it I guess. I see in the other thread passed along by hdm1950 that there are some there. So not impossible.

Sadly this is a common ( damaged ) reprint with a bogus cancel .

It has everything wrong about it I am afraid.

The state IV reprints can be easily spotted by
1. The long droopy serif on the top right of M
2. The tiny blue speck of colour on the arc immediately below the v part of the same letterM.
3. The retouched ……….,… dots misaligned between M and O

You will see the same reprint details in paul1’s post of the 28 June 2023 above. Illustrations 1 and 2

The blurred postmark has none of the double circle characteristics of a genuine postmark.

As reprints are only worth a few pennies, being very common, a damaged example is probably not worth keeping .

thank you for your help, gentlemen. I have more of these, not even going to check for authentic stamps. None look at first pass as anything near real. Going into the sell for a buck on eBay pile!