Creating Your Own Facsimilies Of The Classics

Hi fellow collectors.

I have been thinking lately of making my own facsimilies of the classic US stamps that I cannot as yet afford. Has anyone attempted this for US or really any stamps?

My idea was to scan an image (from say an auction catalog), modify if necessary so that the image is the right size, and print on heavy (32#) paper, cut to size and mount in my album. The stamps would all look as if they were imperf (unless I deploy my pinking shears idea [url][https://goscf.com/t/12210&SearchTerms=pinking/url]), and the most cursory of examinations would show that they were not genuine (the heavy paper would be the giveaway if nothing else).

How does this strike you?

Personally, I wouldn't bother.

Most every stamp image is available somewhere on-line and you can save/review them at will in your own "virtual" stamp album, should that be your desire. Since there are so many subtle differences in some of the early rarities (i.e. perforations, watermarks, secret marks, etc.) and some on-line images may be at different sizes and resolutions, it seems to me that your effort wouldn't produce anything beneficial.

It seems to me the time, the printer ink, and the heavy paper used to print them and mount the "facsimiles" in an album would be quite expensive versus the benefit and, in my opinion, the funds would be better used in saving toward genuine stamp(s).

Of course, as has been said many times before, you have to do what pleases you as there are no hard and fast "rules" as to right or wrong ways to acquire your collection.

I have been doing it for 6 years,
I like it, I like the effect it has my album page,
I have facsimile written underneath, and it gives completeness
to my page.
Why leave the enjoyment to a Japanese investor who has
it stowed away in a bank. No Sirree.
Try it, and see if you like it, would be my advice.

Well, I was reflecting on the story of the first stamp collector, how he was an artist and made his own images of buildings and such. My idea seemed to be in the same light as that (though with less artistic talent and heavy reliance on modern technology).

Funny thing you guys brought this up. I was thinking of doing that vey thing for the stamps I know I would never be able to afford. I would also note on the page page that it is a facsimile.

Dianne

...furthermore, it entertains, it educates,
and perhaps most importantly, it can prompt.

A little insert I have on my Guernsey page,
highlighting an error.

If you're looking for images of US Stamps, go to: http://1847usa.com/index.htm

Most of the definitives are there and the images are copyable and can be pasted into most any format.

Cheers,

MikeR

I made my first one this past weekend, the 1893 1882 Queen Victoria Five Pound Orange-Red stamp. Looks like a million bucks in the album (and an absolute fake upon the most cursory inspection).

I found an over-sized image and re-shaped it to the exact size of the stamp, then printed it on 35# white paper.

Do you mean 1882 ?

Yes I do, friend Bus.

I think it's a great idea. Would certainly make my albums look less anemic. I will have to give this some thought as well.
Oh, and I had read that the first stamp collector was a young woman in London who, after the first stamps came out in England, put an ad in a local newspaper, looking for stamps to paper her room. Perhaps a little far fetched, but wouldn't it be a sight?


gosling, that 1847 site is amazing. I'm blown away, and absolutely thrilled. What a great resource. Thanks for bringing it to my/our attention.

Perhaps she was the first accumulator of stamps. Not a philatelist, though.

Smauggie,

Have you got a pic to show us?

Here she is, Miss Am Queen Victoria.

Very Nice.

She looks lovely.

When smauggie started this post I recall thinking that the empty spaces in my album function as an incentive for me to find suitable occupants and having those spaces filled with facsimiles mught lessen that urge.

Since then I've acquired a few stamps on cover whose value is such that it will keep me from acquiring off-cover examples to fill the voids in my album.

In a variation of smauggie's original idea and as a workaround until I win the lottery, I'm thinking of mounting facsimiles of the stamps that I have on cover in their respective album spaces.