Help With Identification

Can anyone help identifying this stamp?

It's an unissued 5 rouble Armenian stamp from 1922.

Wow, that's amazing nigelc!
What is "unissued"?
I guess it means it was never issued, was never for sale?
How did you find the information on this stamp nigelc?
Good job!
SueStamps

Hi SueStamps,

I'm happy to help!

This was one of a long series of stamp all with different designs that were printed but never put on sale. For some reason they are listed in Scott all with their own pictures (types A7 to A22). Many of the values were later put on sale with a surcharge in gold kopecks after a change in currency but this 5 rouble value wasn't.

According to the Stanley Gibbons catalogue these unoverprinted stamps came on to the market after part of the printing was left with the printers as payment (or from later unauthorised reprints). It also notes that there are forgeries.

Very very interesting!
How did you know where to look regarding this stamp?
What was your first clue?
I do see what looks like numbers and letters on the top and possibly two PLUS marks on each side....

Can you tell me what section and page / volume, I would love to take a peek. Thank you so much, you're still quite amazing!
SueStamps

Oh darn, I don't have Stanley Gibbons catalogs, are they in the Scott's?
Thank you!
SueStamps

One more thing please...
What is: unoverprinted?

Also, why would anyone make a forgery stamp of this?
You mean, recently or way back in the 1920's?

Thank you!
SueStamps

Hi,

By "unoverprinted" I just meant stamps like this one as opposed to the "overprinted" (or more strictly "surcharged") stamps where the Armenian Post Office had new values printed on the stamps before they were put on sales.

These are listed in Scott Volume 1 A-B under the main heading "Armenia" (page 530 in my 2009 edition).

Yes, any forgeries would have been made back in the 1920s. A lot of cheap stamps from obscure countries were forged then for the packet trade.

I'd seen this stamp before and I just remembered it was from Armenia.

It stuck in my mind because someone had asked if the outline around the central design represented a map. It doesn't. I believe it's the view out of a cave in the ancient ruined city of Ani:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani

Thanks for the ID. It's hard to tell where they are from when you start learning about stamps. Thanks again.