Philatelic fakes and forgeries

In general, philatelic fakes and forgeries refers to labels that look like postage stamps but are not. Most have been produced to deceive or defraud.

Definitions

Bogus stamps are fictitious stamps which purport to be produced by an entity that exists and might have produced them, but did not.
Counterfeits are produced to defraud stamp-issuing governments.
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. Facsimiles may be created with or without the permission of the issuing authority and have been used both for study and for fraudulent purposes. Some facsimiles are clearly marked and help collectors to study and identify scarce stamps. A famous producer of facsimiles was François Fournier.
Fake is used to indicate the alteration of a genuine stamp to make it appear as something else. Fakes might refer to cancellations, overprints, added or clipped perforations, stamp design alterations.
Forgery indicates stamps produced to defraud collectors.

Sources

Serrane, Fernand (1998) The Serrane Guide: Stamp Forgeries of the World to 1926., State College: American Philatelic Society. ISBN: 978-0933580169.
Tyler, Varro E. (2000) Focus on forgeries: A guide to forgeries of common stamps, Linn's Stamp News; Rev., expandeded edition. ISBN: 978-0940403888.

Argentina[edit]

Argentina 1864 10c Scott 12 with clipped perfs to make it look like a rare imperforate stamp

Argentina provinces[edit]

Forgery of 1856 Corrientes
Geneva forgery of 1864 Corrientes
Geneva forgery of 1877 Corrientes

Austria[edit]

Forged 1856 Red Mercury by Friedl

Azerbaijan[edit]

Genuine 2k stamp, fake overprint
Genuine 7k stamp, fake overprint
Genuine 20k stamp, fake overprint
Genuine 70k stamp, fake overprint
1921 bogus issue

Colombia[edit]

Forged 1865 5c, mute cancel
Forged 1865 10c, mute cancel
Forged 1865 5c black, registration stamp (№ F1)
Forged 1865 25c postage due, on blue paper.
Forged 1868 50c green on green paper, cancel 'BOGO(TA)'
Forged 1868 50c deep emerald green on green paper, cancel '(B)OGOTA'
Forged 1868 1 peso red on green paper, cancel '(BOG)OTA'
Forged 1877 10c brown, cancel 'BOG(OTA)'
Forged 1877 20c blue on blue paper, cancel '(BOG)OTA'
Forged 1881 5c black, purple '(BO)GOTA'
Forged 1881 5c black, purple 'MEDE(LLIN)'

Tolima[edit]

Forged 1886 2P pair with missing values

Ecuador[edit]

Forged 1866 4 reales

Germany[edit]

Fake 1901 Vineta provisional
1918 British 'Germania' counterfeits
Forged 1930 never issued 1RM Burg Rheinstein
US counterfeit propaganda forgery, produced by 'Operation Cornflakes', U.S. Office of Strategic Services
US counterfeit propaganda forgery, produced by 'Operation Cornflakes', U.S. Office of Strategic Services
British propaganda counterfeit, Himmler instead of Hitler
British propaganda counterfeit, Hans Frank instead of Hitler
British propaganda counterfeit, dedicated to Von Witzleben (1944)
British propaganda counterfeit, (1944)
Soviet propaganda postal card for German troops for Christmas 1941, Battle of Moscow
Soviet propaganda postal card for German troops for Christmas 1941, Battle of Moscow

Hannover[edit]

Forged 1850 1 Guter Groschen
Forged 1855 1/30 Thaler
Forged 1851 1/15 Thaler
Forged 1856 1/30 Thaler
Forged 1859 3 Groschen

Saxony[edit]

Forged 1850 3pf
10NG forgery by Sperati

Great Britain[edit]

Forged 1895 £5

British Commonwealth[edit]

Forged Mauritius 1847 1p post office
A page of fac-similé 1847-1859 Mauritius stamps by François Fournier.
Spiro forgery of 6d Gold Coast stamps(year?)
Forged India 1854 four anna pair
Madame Joseph Forged British Solomon Islands cancels
Tobago 1879 forgery by Angelo Panelli
Forged Jammu and Kashmir by Harold Treherne (1900s)

Greece[edit]

Forgery of the Spiro brothers in Hamburg (1860s)
Forgery called "Poor sad Hermes" Spiro brothers (1860s)
Forgery of Alissafi of Constantinopolis (1900s)
Forgery of Fournier (1910s)
Forgery of Oneglia (1920s)
Forgery of a die-proof Detail - (1970s)
Forgery of Imperato, called "Genoa fake" (1950s)
Forgery of Spérati (1930s)

Guatemala[edit]

1871 1c block of four, forged stamps and cancel
1871 5c block of four, forged stamps and cancel
1871 10c, forged stamp and cancel
1871 10c block of four, forged stamps and cancel
1871 20c block of four, forged stamps and cancel
Facsimile 1872 issues. Imprint 'Facsimile' below crest
1875 Forged stamps and cancels
19th century forged cancels

1867 Taylor bogus[edit]

A stamp-like 5c bogus issue appeared in May 1867. Supposedly being engraved ‘proofs’ in various colors for the country's first issue, the items depict a sailing ship in a harbor. Designed by Boston dealer Samuel Allan Taylor (a.k.a. Don Alberto de Bario), engraved by J.A.P. Wilcox, printed by the Holland Printing Company in Boston and sold by Taylor.

Cinco cent blue and brown, perforated 11.5, bogus

Iceland[edit]

25 Aur with overprint

Iran[edit]

1868, 2 shahi
1882, 5 centimes
1882, 10 centimes
1882, 25 centimes
1882 issues fake vs genuine comparison
1882-84, 5 centimes
1885-1887, 6c on 5s
1885-1887, 3c on 5s
1885-1887, 12c on 10c

Italian States[edit]

Forged Two Sicilies stamps
Forged 1852 Tuscany stamp

Japan[edit]

Spiro forgery of Japanese 1872-75 Cherry Blossom stamps

Liberia[edit]

Forged 1864 6c
Forged 1864 12c

Mexico[edit]

1864 medio real forgery with bogus cancel
1864 un real forgery
1864 un real forgery with bogus cancel
1864 quatro reales forgery with bogus cancel
1866 Chiapas provisional forgery
Quatro reales unused (№ 38). Fake overprint (different font).

Netherlands[edit]

Netherlands East Indies[edit]

Forged 1864 10 cent
Forged 1864 10 cent
Forged 1864 10 cent
Forged 1870-1886 set
Fake Moquette 'Soerabaya Stampimp(ort)' overprint on 2.5 cent stamp
Fake Moquette 'Soerabaya Stampimp(ort)' overprint on 5 cent 1874 postage due
Fake Moquette envelope for the third Agricultural Congress of 1878 at Soerabaija
Fake Moquette overprint on Dutch Indies 5 cent 1874 postal card
Fake Moquette '15 cent' surcharge on 25 cent 1888 envelope
Fake 1881 Postal card to St. Petersburg bearing Moquette cachet: 'Forwarded by Moquette Ketegan Soerabaja'