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Europe/Great Britain : GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

 

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pigdoc

20 Mar 2018
10:23:33am
Here's an item currently being offered on eBay:

Image Not Found

I believe this to be a faked cancellation.
Compare to this item:

Image Not Found
What I notice about the upper image, compared to the lower image:
- the "5" is skewed, and not straight and upright like the bottom cancellation. All three characters ("C", "5" and "1" are mis-shaped.
- there should be two distinct, narrow lines on either side of the "C51". These lines in the top cancellation are not as distinct and are wider.
- A general smudginess in the top cancellation that is not typical of these strikes. The edges and ends of the horizontal lines are not crisp.

In several months, looking at hundreds of examples of this cancellation, this is the first one that I've seen that I thought looked faked.

Whaddaya think?

Thanks,
-Paul

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Ningpo
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20 Mar 2018
11:59:38am
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

While I can see the distinct differences between the two postmarks, I would be interested to know what advantage you think there would have been for one of these to be faked.

Although I don't have a catalogue at hand, nor am I a GB collector, I perhaps would guess that a mint copy of the six pence would be higher valued if left uncancelled.

Could there be another possibility perhaps? Such as a second cancellator type, used in a busy post office? This does occur in numerous British/Commonwealth post offices.

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pigdoc

20 Mar 2018
01:41:06pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Well, having searched these cancellations for a few months, I can tell you that nice examples are commonly offered for anywhere from $40 to $250, depending on cancel centering, stamp centering, and the stamp issue they're on. I'm not a GB collector, but I would guess that that foreign cancellations typically double the value of the item, just based on rarity, some more than others. For example, Malta and Gibraltar are relatively (and understandably) more common than the Caribbean ones.

All that said, 1988 Scott values a mint #60 (6p) at $700, used at $25. So, I see your point. Makes this item all the more curious, to me.

Thanks for prompting me to crack open the catalog! It's a good point you make.

Like I said, after looking at hundreds of examples of the C51 cancellation, and being fully aware of the (3) types that were used, the one on the 6p that I pictured stands out as atypical.

By the way, there were several other offerings by this seller that looked similarly suspect...

Thanks,
-Paul

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Ningpo
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20 Mar 2018
03:45:32pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

I must admit that I missed the word 'abroad' in your topic title. I guess I would have noticed better if the specific country had been mentioned. Hence my comments about mint valuation over used.

This does now give a different slant to your discovery. So which country used 'C51'?

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Webpaper
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20 Mar 2018
04:04:22pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Actually the cancellation in question above appears to have characteristics similar to the "C60" cancellation in you earlier thread.

https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=19620#144965

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rjan
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20 Mar 2018
06:54:57pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

My 'Numerical Cancellations of the British Empire' list C51 as the city of Muzaffarnagar in northern India.

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Winedrinker
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20 Mar 2018
07:52:09pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

C51 is Danish West Indies.

http://www.gbps.org.uk/information/po-numbers/overseas.php

Above is a good link to cancellations of Great Britain stamps.

Cheers!
Wine

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rjan
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20 Mar 2018
11:05:42pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

I stand corrected India town is C-51; C51 is St. Thomas, Danish West Indies.

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malcolm197

23 Mar 2018
04:06:27am
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

If I can throw a spanner in the works. It looks to me like sloppy use of the canceller.A soft envelope, perhaps or cancelling not on a flat surface or even just a slight drag on application. This would make a direct comparison with known example difficult. Even today we see multiple "bad" cancellations.

If it is a forgery it is clumsy one - hence the query in the first place. I am sure that a half-competent counterfeiter would make a better job of it.

.....just a thought.

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pigdoc

23 Mar 2018
01:08:00pm
re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Thanks everyone, for the fine responses!

To respond directly to webpaper, in this realm, it is important to compare apples to apples. There were (at least) two distinct versions of the letter-numeral device, and the post he refers to shows one of each. The differences between the two are huge.

And, I had thought about malcolm's point regarding technique. It just seems to me that the deviations on my suspect image are so many...

As to variation between cancelling devices, if there were several devices (which seems unlikely in a low-volume location like St Thomas), I guess I would expect to be able to sort the cancellations accordingly. Like I said, I've looked at a lot of these, and that explanation is not very plausible, in my mind...

Again, thanks!
-Paul

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Author/Postings
pigdoc

20 Mar 2018
10:23:33am

Here's an item currently being offered on eBay:

Image Not Found

I believe this to be a faked cancellation.
Compare to this item:

Image Not Found
What I notice about the upper image, compared to the lower image:
- the "5" is skewed, and not straight and upright like the bottom cancellation. All three characters ("C", "5" and "1" are mis-shaped.
- there should be two distinct, narrow lines on either side of the "C51". These lines in the top cancellation are not as distinct and are wider.
- A general smudginess in the top cancellation that is not typical of these strikes. The edges and ends of the horizontal lines are not crisp.

In several months, looking at hundreds of examples of this cancellation, this is the first one that I've seen that I thought looked faked.

Whaddaya think?

Thanks,
-Paul

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this post
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Ningpo

20 Mar 2018
11:59:38am

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

While I can see the distinct differences between the two postmarks, I would be interested to know what advantage you think there would have been for one of these to be faked.

Although I don't have a catalogue at hand, nor am I a GB collector, I perhaps would guess that a mint copy of the six pence would be higher valued if left uncancelled.

Could there be another possibility perhaps? Such as a second cancellator type, used in a busy post office? This does occur in numerous British/Commonwealth post offices.

Like
Login to Like
this post
pigdoc

20 Mar 2018
01:41:06pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Well, having searched these cancellations for a few months, I can tell you that nice examples are commonly offered for anywhere from $40 to $250, depending on cancel centering, stamp centering, and the stamp issue they're on. I'm not a GB collector, but I would guess that that foreign cancellations typically double the value of the item, just based on rarity, some more than others. For example, Malta and Gibraltar are relatively (and understandably) more common than the Caribbean ones.

All that said, 1988 Scott values a mint #60 (6p) at $700, used at $25. So, I see your point. Makes this item all the more curious, to me.

Thanks for prompting me to crack open the catalog! It's a good point you make.

Like I said, after looking at hundreds of examples of the C51 cancellation, and being fully aware of the (3) types that were used, the one on the 6p that I pictured stands out as atypical.

By the way, there were several other offerings by this seller that looked similarly suspect...

Thanks,
-Paul

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Ningpo

20 Mar 2018
03:45:32pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

I must admit that I missed the word 'abroad' in your topic title. I guess I would have noticed better if the specific country had been mentioned. Hence my comments about mint valuation over used.

This does now give a different slant to your discovery. So which country used 'C51'?

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Webpaper

20 Mar 2018
04:04:22pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Actually the cancellation in question above appears to have characteristics similar to the "C60" cancellation in you earlier thread.

https://stamporama.com/discboard/disc_main.php?action=20&id=19620#144965

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rjan

20 Mar 2018
06:54:57pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

My 'Numerical Cancellations of the British Empire' list C51 as the city of Muzaffarnagar in northern India.

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Winedrinker

20 Mar 2018
07:52:09pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

C51 is Danish West Indies.

http://www.gbps.org.uk/information/po-numbers/overseas.php

Above is a good link to cancellations of Great Britain stamps.

Cheers!
Wine

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rjan

20 Mar 2018
11:05:42pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

I stand corrected India town is C-51; C51 is St. Thomas, Danish West Indies.

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malcolm197

23 Mar 2018
04:06:27am

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

If I can throw a spanner in the works. It looks to me like sloppy use of the canceller.A soft envelope, perhaps or cancelling not on a flat surface or even just a slight drag on application. This would make a direct comparison with known example difficult. Even today we see multiple "bad" cancellations.

If it is a forgery it is clumsy one - hence the query in the first place. I am sure that a half-competent counterfeiter would make a better job of it.

.....just a thought.

Like
Login to Like
this post
pigdoc

23 Mar 2018
01:08:00pm

re: GB used abroad: faked cancellation?

Thanks everyone, for the fine responses!

To respond directly to webpaper, in this realm, it is important to compare apples to apples. There were (at least) two distinct versions of the letter-numeral device, and the post he refers to shows one of each. The differences between the two are huge.

And, I had thought about malcolm's point regarding technique. It just seems to me that the deviations on my suspect image are so many...

As to variation between cancelling devices, if there were several devices (which seems unlikely in a low-volume location like St Thomas), I guess I would expect to be able to sort the cancellations accordingly. Like I said, I've looked at a lot of these, and that explanation is not very plausible, in my mind...

Again, thanks!
-Paul

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