We reported only in December about a raft of new forgeries, mainly available on ebay, but bought by the new online sellers who require cheap postage for their low-price sales, or simply to reduce their overheads.
The most common one reported to us was the 1st class Large (as shown further down) - and we had some delivered here on an eBay purchase of GB postal history, though not by a regular stamp dealer. The seller was somewhat upset to realise that he had been sold a pup.
Now we've had a report of a forged stamp which will be even more useful for those sellers, and that is a new 1st class Royal Mail Signed For.
UPDATE 8 February: What wasn't obvious from the eBay listing is the backing paper, which DP provided details of, together with a UV picture:
This is the same arrangement on the backing paper as the 'iridescent' printing on this stamp:
Like the 1st Large, this has only 9 lines of text not 13 and there is no year code (these started in MA13). Although the image above is a photo, and distorted, it appears that the lines of text are curved, rather than straight as they appear below.
So look out for these on your eBay purchases, they are valid on international mail as well, though I suspect the average online seller wouldn't realise that so it is UK readers who will most likely find them.
Please send images to the usual email address of any that are found on incoming letters.
A conundrum if I may
ReplyDeleteBack in the ‘80s when I used to go through my local corner shops new arrival of stamps book of plate and cylinder numbers. I bought from them a pane of 10 1st class stamps without a cover and there is no gum disturbance of the margin. The pane looks In all respects under both daylight and UV to be a Questa printing.
I was told that due to production difficulties they were proving said panes in lieu of stamp books. This occurred sometime after the burglary at the House of Questa in Camberwell.
Is this pane, and I appreciate with put sight of it, it not possible to be definitive in an opinion, is it a forgery albeit a very good one proceeds from the burglary?
If you send a picture to the usual email address we can at least hazard a guess.
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