Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Go on the assumption that every stamp you will see for sale without certificates is counterfeit. Years ago, my wife who was active in Cuba (ecology project and person to person help) picked up an old album at the flee market. Well sold preciously by someone selling modern stamps at the flee market, but stashed with her "Valuable antiques".
It is a Scott album in Spanish, and I have never seen one like it. It had a fairly interesting Spanish Colonial Cuban collection, which I am glad to have almost completed over the last 10 years, save for 2 stamps. It has as well a few pages with stamps of the Puerto Principe issue, and some other interesting items (War of independence and Mambi stamps). My wife's assumption was that if just one of the stamps was real, it would pay for the album as well as her trip.
Over time I also bought a few more stamps that I knew were fake, sometime stamped on the back or on the front "Falso", to avoid potential confusion, and a handful of "finds" of unknown origin (But I never paid much for them, for cause)
Alas, when I had the whole album and additions expertized during an APS show, which featured Cuban Specialty group. (They had an amazing display of several hundred pages at Westpex). Turns out, these experts had never seen the Spanish Scott album either...but that did not make any of the stamps I had authentic 
. As a matter of fact ALL (except for one which is noted as "uncertain") are fake! (note the x mark above the stamps)
It is still fun to try to populate the empty slots, but go on the assumption that you will never find a real authentic stamp, except from specialty dealers who will have certificates to prove it...and they charge a lot. But there are lots of inverts and other fakes to enjoy the hunt, for a few dollars.
Anyway, for what it is worth, here are my pages. Have fun, dreaming is definitely allowed!
rrr...
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Thanks for showing them to me, I had the feeling that finding the real deal would be very unlikely. I doubt if I will even bother, my album doesn't have space for them and it hardly seems reasonable to buy fakes to fill spaces that aren't even there. Most of the rest of Cuba is doable so I'll just have to be content with that. I'm curious how you would tell a fake, your's look rrrreal good to me!!
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There are decent plating guides available that show the cliche positioning & faults for the 4 printings.
However inking can be an issue in making a determination
Really just a starting point in identifying them but you can eliminate the majority
Also the forgery types have been identified
Overall, Spain & Colonies are overwhelmed with forgeries. Practically EVERY value from 1850 - 1900 have been forged. I have over 200 for Spain & 100 for just Cuba
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If you check on ebay, there are many sold as counterfeits, and a few not labeled as such, which I would not touch!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1899-430-ANTILLES-US-PUERTO-PRINCIPE-1899-5-s-2ml-2da-TIRADA-SMALL-NUMBER-FORGUE/283873009010?hash=item4218265d72:g:VsMAAOSwnDZetuws
But $6.99 plus shipping sounds way overpriced to me!
rrr...
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07:50:25pm
Some of these are affordable, not many, but I wonder if it's possible to tell the repros. Or, is it like early Poland, where you can't be sure unless you have it certified? Does any Cuba collector out there have a few photos you can post? I'd really like to have a few but I'm afraid that part of my Cuba collection will stay blank!
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Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
21 Oct 2020
09:08:54pm
re: Early Cuba overprints - #176 - 220 Puerto Principe Issue
Go on the assumption that every stamp you will see for sale without certificates is counterfeit. Years ago, my wife who was active in Cuba (ecology project and person to person help) picked up an old album at the flee market. Well sold preciously by someone selling modern stamps at the flee market, but stashed with her "Valuable antiques".
It is a Scott album in Spanish, and I have never seen one like it. It had a fairly interesting Spanish Colonial Cuban collection, which I am glad to have almost completed over the last 10 years, save for 2 stamps. It has as well a few pages with stamps of the Puerto Principe issue, and some other interesting items (War of independence and Mambi stamps). My wife's assumption was that if just one of the stamps was real, it would pay for the album as well as her trip.
Over time I also bought a few more stamps that I knew were fake, sometime stamped on the back or on the front "Falso", to avoid potential confusion, and a handful of "finds" of unknown origin (But I never paid much for them, for cause)
Alas, when I had the whole album and additions expertized during an APS show, which featured Cuban Specialty group. (They had an amazing display of several hundred pages at Westpex). Turns out, these experts had never seen the Spanish Scott album either...but that did not make any of the stamps I had authentic . As a matter of fact ALL (except for one which is noted as "uncertain") are fake! (note the x mark above the stamps)
It is still fun to try to populate the empty slots, but go on the assumption that you will never find a real authentic stamp, except from specialty dealers who will have certificates to prove it...and they charge a lot. But there are lots of inverts and other fakes to enjoy the hunt, for a few dollars.
Anyway, for what it is worth, here are my pages. Have fun, dreaming is definitely allowed!
rrr...
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Login to Like.
07:51:52am
re: Early Cuba overprints - #176 - 220 Puerto Principe Issue
Thanks for showing them to me, I had the feeling that finding the real deal would be very unlikely. I doubt if I will even bother, my album doesn't have space for them and it hardly seems reasonable to buy fakes to fill spaces that aren't even there. Most of the rest of Cuba is doable so I'll just have to be content with that. I'm curious how you would tell a fake, your's look rrrreal good to me!!
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this post
re: Early Cuba overprints - #176 - 220 Puerto Principe Issue
There are decent plating guides available that show the cliche positioning & faults for the 4 printings.
However inking can be an issue in making a determination
Really just a starting point in identifying them but you can eliminate the majority
Also the forgery types have been identified
Overall, Spain & Colonies are overwhelmed with forgeries. Practically EVERY value from 1850 - 1900 have been forged. I have over 200 for Spain & 100 for just Cuba
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Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant
22 Oct 2020
11:15:29am
re: Early Cuba overprints - #176 - 220 Puerto Principe Issue
If you check on ebay, there are many sold as counterfeits, and a few not labeled as such, which I would not touch!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1899-430-ANTILLES-US-PUERTO-PRINCIPE-1899-5-s-2ml-2da-TIRADA-SMALL-NUMBER-FORGUE/283873009010?hash=item4218265d72:g:VsMAAOSwnDZetuws
But $6.99 plus shipping sounds way overpriced to me!
rrr...
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