Classic Stamps With 'Perfins'?

I am going through some unsorted classic stamps and
I have a great many 'perfin' stamps. What do I need to
know about them when organizing and contemplating liquidation?

This is an area of the hobby I do not intend to persue.
I am assuming there is a market of enough people that do
collect these to make them somewhat desireable?

Thoughts?

Also, I have revenue stamps cancelled the same way.
Should I put them all together as a set, or are the
revenues another area that do not fall into the perfin
arena of collecting?

Perforated Initials or "Perfins" are highly collectable and some are very valuable. When I was at APS "Stamp Camp" a few years back there were a bunch of Perfin-heads who were going crazy for the stuff Basically, any material with perfins was ok by them so I would think the revenue stamps would be fine too. They also like to display their stamps back side up to show the initials more clearly. Kind of nice, no worries about centering!

I would keep all your perfins together as a group. I collect revenues but have no interest in cut stamps or holes of any kind but I'm sure there are plenty of collectors who do.

I believe there is a very active Perfin Society (out of the UK?). I'm sure I've seen references to them in Linns and AP.

Perfins are a collecting speciality, but I would tend to keep revenues separate from postage stamps. Typically, perfins on revenues were a means of cancellation for the stamp; perfins on postage stamps were not intended as a cancellation but as a means to prevent theft, especially in larger companies/organizations.

There is a US Perfin site that has helpful information at this link:

http://www.perfins.org/Intros/intro.htm

Interesting link.
Perfins were authorized for US use in 1908.
Most of the ones I am finding are pre-1920,
so they should be pretty easy to identify. ???

I see the site has a perfin specific forum.
I appreciate the info! I'll post more inquires
in the proper section I suppose!

Dave

There are books and catalogs that make efforts at identifying perfins, but a number of them are "unknown" ... as in no on-cover example is known so there is no proof of who may or may not have used the perfin. I posted this example recently and the response was that my "guess" may likely be correct, but there's no documented proof to confirm or deny it so it's left to conjecture at this point (or at least until a documented cover is found.) Sometimes they can become a bit of a challenge:

https://goscf.com/t/16574

Does anyone know of a list about Belgian perfins?

Very good point, wt1.
I neglected to consider that fact. The perforated initials identify the company or organization and are not cancellations. Not so with revenues. I thought at some point I had seen perfins of banks on revenues but, as you correctly pointed out, that would be as a "killer" not to discourage theft.

Here is a partial list of Belgian perfins

AA (no periods) Avak - Avakian

A.A. (periods) Avak – Avakian (?)

AB (A.B.) Anglo Belge, Zulte

AB / & C unknown

A B . / D C. (Partial periods) unknown
(period after "A" but not "B" / period after "D" but not "C"

A.C. (period at top of "C") unknown

A.D. unknown

A.D.C. unknown

A.F. unknown

A.G. unknown

AH unknown

A.K. unknown

AK (joined monograph) unknown

A.L. unknown

A.M. / D.T. unknown

A.M. / N. unknown

AP L. Durinage, Brussels

A.U. unknown

AUER Lighter Fluid Co. (?)

A.V. unknown

B.A. unknown user

BB (#B14) Banque Bruxelles, 61 Rue de la Regence, Brussels

If there are enough interested in those from "C" on. Just let me know and I put them in here in increments so that the messages aren't too long.

Chimo

Bujutsu

@Bujutsu; ty a lot! how have you obtained that info? Just from researching covers?
I'm very interested in the complete list!

Scarah

I got a lot of my information from either dealers boxes, internet or auctions and the stamps etc that are in my own collection.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Here are a few more listings of Belgian perfins

"B"

B unknown user

B.A. unknown user

BB (#B14) Banque Bruxelles, 61 Rue de la Regence, Brussels

BB (#B21) Banque de Bruxelles (D'Anvers) 1935-1937
Note! – 2 Types -> 1 – initials close together 2 – wide apart

BBC unknown

B.B.U. (?) unknown user

B.C. Bruxelles Chancellerie

B.C. unknown user

B.& C. unknown user

B.C.B. with periods unknown user

BP (no periods) British Petroleum (?)

B.P. (with periods) British Petroleum (?)

B.C.B. unknown user

B & C unknown

B.C.D. unknown

B.C.S. unknown

BDC (no periods) Banque de Commerce, Antwerp 1934-1935

B.D.C. (periods) unknown

BEM (no periods) unknown

B.F. Banque de Flandre

B.G. unknown WW I German Occupation

B.G.B. unknown

B.N. Banque Nationale (?)

B.O. unknown

BP British Petroleum (?)

BP / & / F Besse Pere & Fils

BT Banque Belge du Travail 1924-1927

B.T. / M. unknown

B.V. unknown

Bujutsu

More

"C"

C. (period) unknown

C (no period) unknown

CA (no periods) unknown

C.A. (periods) unknown

CB (no periods) unknown

CB. (Period after "B" only) unknown

C.B. (periods) unknown

CF Colin Freres

C.G.L. unknown

CL (no periods) Credit Lyonais (?)

C.L. (periods) Credit Lyonais (?)

CM Modele Chocolate

C.N. unknown

C.P.F. unknown

CPP unknown

C.P.R. unknown

CR unknown

CRI unknown

CS C. Fast, Antwerp 1923

C & S. (period after "S" only) unknown

C.W. unknown

"D"

DARTOIS unknown

D.B (period after "D" only) unknown

D & Co unknown

DLC unknown

DN / C unknown

DP Banque de Paris et des Pays
Must have Diederich & Paquet, Boulevard Anspach

DV The Vadder Freres, Brussels & Gureghem 1924-1948


Bujutsu

Re Perfins

Will post more of these if the members do not mind this type of listing.

There are a lot of 'unknowns' but at least members will be made aware of the different patterns available.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Sorry, I was away for a bit. Could you post more of these or send them to my e-mail?

Hi,

Does anyone know for what V.G. stands for on Belgium perfin I found?

I came across this thread while researching perfins actually and had forgotten about it.

Regarding the "V G" perfin, unfortunately, it is still classified as an 'unknown'.

Chimo

Bujutsu