What Should Be Done With A Fake?

I thought I might have stumbled onto a used #388 (Two Cent Washington, coil perf 12 vertically with double-line watermark). After researching a while, I'm pretty sure it is a fake for a couple of reasons: (1) I'm not so lucky to find a $2200 stamp; (2) it's only 24mm from straight edge to straight edge (a member here wrote it should be minimum of 24.5).

So... what should one do with a faked stamp? Destroy? Indelibly mark as fake? Send to expertizer just to be certain? What does an expertizer do when they identify a fake?

I collect them.

The final option, if and when you are a moment from pitching it into the dumpster, send it to the APS Reference collection; costs you 46c, and adds to their voluminous knowledge, available to help other collectors for decades to come.

Not only that, it removes fakes from the marketplace.

Do not destroy it.

A. What if you're wrong?
B. Personally, I would hold it with a note raising the question.
C. If I was itching to get rid of it, I like the idea of sending it to APS. (Though I would donate it conditionally...if they determine it is not authentic, then they could add it to the reference collection. I've never tried to make such an offer; perhaps they wouldn't accept it with that precondition.)

When you're certain, I'm a big fan of the old piece of moveable type with a lower case 'f', preferably in italics. 'False' 'faux' 'falsch' all apply. It attaches you to the expertizers of old.

My 2d.

[edited to answer the question, '2 B's, or not 2 B's...1 B. and 1 C.]

When I identify a fake I simply move it to a separate page dedicated to forgeries where it can sit in company with all those fourniers.

I think the APS would decline a conditional donation, and view it as an attempt to get free expertizing.

Hi

I mount a forgery/fake on the same page as the original. That way the differences can be shown. I use blank pages so this is not a problem in layout (one advantage of blank quadrille pages).

In the past I have purchased fakes.

Jerry B

I sold seven fake Internal Revenue stamps to a local stamp dealer. They were marked 'falsch" You could only see the marking 'falsch" with a 20x Loup. He gave me $96 and said people buy them to fill holes in their collection. Only they know for sure they are fake.