Argentina / Buenos Aires 1858 Issue. Are They Legit Or Forgeries?

I came across a set of these 5 stamps (Argentina/Buenos Aires Scott #1-5). The catalogue value for the stamps, if genuine, is $12,300. However, they are footnoted in Scott with "Counterfeits of Nos. 1-8 are plentiful". There is also a footnote that 1, 2, 3 and 7 were also reprinted on a different paper, but all 5 appear to be on the same paper type.

Is there an easy way to identify whether I have (or at least likely have) counterfeits or genuine stamps? Given that I came across these in a large auction lot, it could be a "lucky find", but I don't want to spend a few hundred dollars in expertizing fees only to find out that they're forgeries and more or less worthless.

There are several threads here on the forum about these. I'd bet forgery, but have a read and decide for yourself.

http://goscf.com/t/6475
http://goscf.com/t/27021&SearchTerms=buenos,aires
http://goscf.com/t/20830&SearchTerms=buenos,aires

All very common forgeries. Paper is different, but more importantly the genuine didn't have enough room between the stamps to have those margins. I have a few full sheets of these forgeries, IIRC.

Thanks everyone for the quick responses. My eyes lit up when I first looked them up, until I saw the forgery footnote. It's strange - when I did a quick search last night I didn't see anything. But a couple of the links given here did appear when I searched again today. Of course, spelling "aires" correctly helps. I'll have to be more awake next time I search. Given their apparent prevalence, I'm assuming they're more or less worthless :(

I don't know if they are forgeries or reprints. Here is a good read on the different forgeries of these stamps.



http://stampforgeries.com/album-wee...uenos-aires/

These poorly made fakes were made for the approval business in the early 1960's . They sold for about 10 cents a set thru approvals from Zenith Stamps .

Depending on which 'Barquitos' stamp, there are up to 17 different types of forgeries. In addition, there are various sub-types and reprints...

For more information on these stamps I recommend "Barquitos of Buenos Aires - Forgeries & Reprints by Andres E. Gazzolo"

Easy solution: Always assume forgery unless accompanied by a certificate.

As most collectors will never see a genuine specimen, I have added one below for your convenience (sadly not in my own collection )

The poor quality of the printing cannot leave anyone in doubt! Michael Aldred

As a complete novice (scil., about two years ago) I found one of these in a small batch of Spanish stamps. With Scott's warning in mind, I studied several web sites devoted to this series and still honestly thought I might have a genuine item. I sent it off to the APS expertizing service. It came right back with one word: "forgery." Fortunately, if the stamp is a fake, APS refunds most of the fee. Still, it cost me $20. Since then I've learned that, when genuine, a stamp such as this is so very valuable because it's so extremely rare. And, by the time it gets to me, any older stamp will have passed through the hands of many more experienced and knowledgeable collectors. So I no longer pay much attention to catalogue values. The stamps that I love are mostly low value anyway.
Further thought on expertizers: I didn't mind that my stamp was a forgery, but I wanted to know how the expert made that determination. What exactly had led to that conclusion, since none of the websites had tipped me off? If you have to pay for the opinion that it's a fake, shouldn't the expert give at least an idea why it is?

You're paying for years, perhaps decades, of experience, and the expertiser's time of course. A J Sefi wrote an award winning paper in the 1920s on forgeries and fakes and I'd wager he wasn't the first to put pen to paper on this subject.

Websites have their place, but aren't any good for things like, for example, paper thickness. You have to handle the stamps themselves to gain the knowledge.

Expertizers will likely have some genuine examples they can use for comparison. For those that don't have the advantage of owning originals (including me) there is literature. Here are three references; they should all be available from the APS, and on-line if you are a member (APS) or subscriber (Linn's).

The Barquitos stamps of Buenos Aires, American Philatelist, Dec 2013
The Barquitos of Buenos Aires, Linn's, Oct 16, 2018
The Serrane Guide, Vol 2. Originally published 1929, American Philatelist reprinted the segment on Argentina in Dec 1992.

I've got genuine examples of several of the Barquitos and the biggest difference by far between a genuine and a forgery that has been trimmed to simulate the tight spacing is the paper. The forgeries are on a heavier machine made, relatively modern paper. The genuine on thinner paper matching what you'd expect to find in the 1850s. The difference is quite obvious, though tougher to describe. :)
You can pick up a genuine for under $100 in the most common value and most common shade. I got most of mine from Guillermo Jalil in Buenos Aires over the years. I think I have a couple on my website.

And this pair?

Spacing looks close, color looks too dark, but might be the scan. It looks a little too perfect to me. I'm thinking it might the Sperati forgery? Certainly not genuine, since there is only one known genuine. :)

I paid 15 cents for my set ,when I was 12 or 13 years old as part of the approvals that came with my 100 stamps for 10 cents . So I know they are real because no stamp company would cheat a kid .