Bayern 18kr Black/Gold

Thanks for the help and opinions. It is greatly appreciated.

After reading about 'transfer of color', please note you may be correct. However, this and many other stamps I soaked (the page)in water and carefully and quickly removed them from the fibrous linen paper of the old album I was left--so, I am not sure that the supposition of color transfer is correct.

This is a really odd 'duck', and I appreciate everyone's help.

If it is a forgery (or error), I have three rookie questions:
1. Why black (there is/was no color transfer as the linen pages were white--my 'old maid' great great aunt died at 104 over 30 years ago and I believe she was a librarian in Amherst, VA, USA) when 18Kr of this era are all red(ish)? Black vs. Red would not fool anyone.

2. If a forgery, is there any value or market?

3. Is there the remotest possibility this could be an unrecorded and previously unknown error printed on the wrong color paper such as the "Treskilling Yellow"?

Again, thank you for all your assistance and I am privileged to now be a member of this wonderful group of experts.

Where do I go from here??

An aside: I also need some help with identification of some US 2c stamps that (might) be 554d's. I could really use an authentic photo shared if someone has one. I have a few potentials because of perfs (10 with straight left edge [imperf or booklet position) and cancellation dates. These are also compound perforations on the right and left that exceed my perf gauge--perfs exceed scale. One friend suggested they might be #634, but frame size doesn't match my stamps.

I will scan and post for help.

Again, thanks and if anyone has a 2c 554d please send to me at: FrBobT@aol.com.
Bob+

If this is a colour or more likely tarry substance transfer (looks like what I had seen before, partially white paper on back) then it would not have come from your aunt's album pages, but from the parcel wrapped shut by oily tape of some sort. Higher denomination stamps would have been used on parcels.

Because there is no thread visible then it may be a forgery. What is the consistency of the paper? may need to be examined by someone used to handling these stamps (not me, although I would love to examine it as I am interested in these numeral stamps and their cancels.).

There are books on forgeries by different forgers, possibly at your library, some I think online her and there. There were and still are black and white stamps. Cheaper to produce, Coloured ink would cost more.

It may just be a sample produced by the Post Office for training purposes as suggested above.

Thanks for the tip.

Everyone's help is really appreciated.

I hoped my ship had come in and I was at the pier waiting, but it seems my ship was an old flat bottom boat full of holes :-o)

Thank you to everyone.

Bob+