Fakes

OK, before anyone says I should have known they were fakes before I bought them, I did know. I wanted to see if I could actually prove they were fakes. So, I spent $226.00 to test my ability and knowledge. I passed. Visible perf tops from where they were cut, wrong watermarks and wrong dimensions. I won't identify the seller at this point and won't, depending on how the seller handles the refund.

Art

They look good, don't they?

They don't look $225 good

For comparison, you can see two genuine pairs here:

http://www.stampauctioncentral.com/f/f545.cfm

From the top of the page, search for "1906-38" which takes you directly to the images.

I am an occasional user of this forum and the topic of fakes interests me. I want to become alot more knowledgable and aware of fakes that are out there because I buy stamps on ebay and hear about all the fakes and forgeries on the internet. Could you give us a little more information on these stamps you knew to be fake starting with the scott number the dimensions you measured, the right and wrong watermarks etc. thanks

It must indeed be Christmas Day. I received my refund as requested and for a small sum, I keep the fakes off the market.

The seller indicated "... these were all bought from a dealer on ebay whom I assumed was reputable, and identified by him and a so called expert I found on ebay...". I'm satisfied.

As to what I found to indicate they were fakes, I'll explain in a later post. Let me briefly say that a 316 & 318 for sale on ebay instead of a major auction house was the 1st tip off.

Art

Actually, they don't look good to me. The opposing sides are not parallel on most of them, and the cuts are too wavy.

1. The listing for the stamps that would go for 10's of thousands
of dollars to hundreds of thousands being listed on ebay in the
1st place.
2. The sides are NOT even as indicted by Dan.
The cutters that slice the stamps into rolls are stationary,
the sides are always parallel to each other and of the same
width.
3. Perforation hole tops are visible on the sides where they were
cut from a sheet or booklet pane.
4. Incorrect Watermarks.

Now that I have ownership of these fakes what should I do with them?
1. Use an ink pen to write FAKE on the back?
2. Burn them?
3. Send them to the APS for their archives?
4. Something else? I'm open to suggestions.

Art

Write FAKE on the back. They're not totally worthless. Some people actually collect Fakes.

Stamps that can be traced to a particular forger can have great value.

I decided that I'll write FAKE on the back, then use them on mail to collector friends of mine.

Art

Send them (at least some, if not all) to the APS, they will be deeply appreciated and benefit collectors for the next century.

What's the difference on the watermarks??

As I have note, prices on ebay are lower than they should be... so are we facing a major traffic of fakes and forgeries on internet? Are they settling market prices? I guess should be way most easy for fakers refund money when they are trapped.

There are many Washington-Franklin coil stamps listed on E-Bay that are not legitimate issues. I think more fakes that good ones is what I'm seeing.

Wow, market is harder every day...