gatodiablo
Member 
Posts: 426 
What I collect: Places I've been, and places I want to go.
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Post by gatodiablo on Oct 21, 2020 14:05:58 GMT
Can't find this anywhere, so I expect it is a fake. Any ideas?  |
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,460
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Post by khj on Oct 21, 2020 15:39:36 GMT
Your stamp, if genuine, is Scott Costa Rica #150(1929).
As far as I know, only the inverted surcharges have been faked.
I don't have anything handy to compare as far as a genuine surcharge. But I'd be really surprised if your stamp was a fake.
So a couple of fallback quick checks to spot a fake surcharges in general are:
1. The cancel should be over the surcharge. If the surcharge is above the cancel, it's almost certainly fake. Keep in mind that cancel above surcharge doesn't mean it's genuine, since both surcharge and cancel can be faked.
2. Flip the stamp over face down on table (don't hold up to light and look through back). Some cancel inks will bleed through the paper. If you can see the cancel on the back, see if it is consistently continuous over locations of the surcharge lettering. The surcharge appears dark & thick, and should block some of the cancel ink bleedthru if any. A fake surcharge applied after the cancel will not affect any bleedthru. If you see a clear continuous cancel bleedthru at back unaffected (no thinning, lessening in darkness...) by the surcharge lettering, that's not a good sign. Same caveat for #1, discontinuous bleedthru may also be produced by fake cancel over fake surcharge.
Even though you've provided a nice clear scan with good resolution, the cancel is so light that you almost have to examine it physically if you want to use the above 2 methods.
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gatodiablo
Member
Posts: 426
What I collect: Places I've been, and places I want to go.
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Post by gatodiablo on Oct 21, 2020 16:58:13 GMT
Your stamp, if genuine, is Scott Costa Rica #150 (1929). Ah, there it is! I was expecting a graphic of the surcharge, and just missed the catalog entry entirely. So, mystery solved, we send you back to your regularly scheduled TSFing. Dan |
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Post by daniel on Oct 22, 2020 1:31:02 GMT
gatodiablo you might find the article at 'Paper Heritage Costa Rica Train Stamps' to be of interest (I can't direct link it).
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Oct 22, 2020 3:43:49 GMT
gatodiablo you might find the article at 'Paper Heritage Costa Rica Train Stamps' to be of interest (I can't direct link it). Here's the link ... Costa Rica Train Stamps. Ryan |
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gatodiablo
Member
Posts: 426
What I collect: Places I've been, and places I want to go.
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Post by gatodiablo on Oct 23, 2020 0:09:09 GMT
daniel (and Ryan ) - thanks for the link - I had found that page while researching this stamp. Interestingly enough, that page doesn't show the Scott no. 150. And to top it off, once khj pointed me in the right direction, I discovered the stamp I scanned and posted above is a duplicate.  I'd already identified and inserted a no. 150 in my album. Mea culpa! That's ok, though, it's a gorgeous design, and the duplicate will go into my railroad collection. As an aside, I don't think there is much railroad activity in Costa Rica now. My only experience with it is that there is a light commuter rail system in San Jose. It lacks many crossing guards and one can walk on the tracks from the parking lot to the food and beer court - just be sure to get off the tracks when the train comes around the bend!
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I'd already identified and inserted a no. 150 in my album. Mea culpa! That's ok, though, it's a gorgeous design, and the duplicate will go into my railroad collection.