For You Tuvalu Collectors.

I gotta ask. Since 99.99% of Tuvalu stamps are printed solely for collectors and canceled as such. Since the cancel is a CTO, why does it matter if the cancel is real or fake?
Are CTO stamps worth more then mint? Is there someone who makes a fake cancel (how?) and buys a ton of mint sheets to cancel them?

Ryan: Both stamps are genuine Funafuti postmarks. The illustrations I showed were the basic postmarks. The cancel on the 40c fish is either type TC-4 or TC-6, depending on the side arc lengths, which cannot be distinguished on that sample. Here is TC-6:



More Tuvalu cancels are here:

http://tuvaluislands.com/tuv-ph/tc-more.htm and here:

http://tuvaluislands.com/tuv-ph/tc-ovals.htm

LOW issues were quite commonly used on mail by the Philatelic Bureau in Funafuti in the mid 1980's. However, they were never place on sale in the main Funafuti Post Office. Some low values were sent to some of the outer islands when there was a shortage of definitive stamps - such covers are very rare.

SV: LOW stamps, especially mint, have very little value. Then can be bought for as low 20% of face value. Millions were dumped on the market at a fraction of face value by the liquidators when the philatelic agency and printer went bankrupt in England.

Needless to say, the LOW stamps were declared invalid for postage afterwards.

I guess some dealers think they can get rid of them by creating fake kiloware - a rather strange situation. I have seen fake cancels made with rubber stamps, and also applied by ink-jet printer.

Despite all this, some of the stamps are quite attractive, especially the trains and automobiles - topical collectors like them.

I guess it comes down to this: Tuvalu has two levels of 'fakes.' In my humble opinion, CTOs are fakes so we have the official, state sponsored fakes and the unofficial, second source fakes.

That's as clear as mud.

Well most countries do CTO's and/or favour cancels, which of course are undesirable to many collectors. However, they are legal, like it or not.

With fake cancels, from any country, they are illegally done and illegally sold as genuine.

There's no question you're right BeeSee. It's just my take on it.

Laswabbie, I guess all of it can be considered philatelic terrorism, one way or the other

Tuvalu...

Interesting bits of information on the cancels. Don't know a whole lot about those I'm afraid. I just like the stamps.

Tinus, since you like the stamps, here are the latest from Tuvalu:

Earth Day, 40th anniversary


China Exposition (Tuvalu has a pavilion)


The expo stamps show scenes of the stunning lagoon in southern Funafuti (Funafala).

...and has the Bee been to Funafala?

Aaaah Nice one BeeSee,
who's holding up the other end of the hammock?
16 dusky wenches?

The Hammock, invented by indigenous Americans
hence Colombus and his mates, must have slept
on the floor.

Nice, nice, quite the beach. Are there flies there? Is it safe for me to visit? Will Tuvalu be safe to visit when I am visiting?

Where are all the wahinis hiding?

You're a genius. That's an outstanding way to put it.

If you give 72 hrs min warning, I am sure they can adapt

The flies are no worse than the dive bombers of eastern Canada which I am all too familiar with

Nice BeeSee.

Here's one of my favourites:



And me on the tarmac of Funafuti International Airport.

Tinus, the wings appear to have fallen off your Magnifiscent Flying Machine