Guide To Identify Berlin Overprint Forgeries?

I know that the German Philatelic Society published a book on forgeries, but finding details on the contents is proving difficult. What I'm specifically looking for is a study guide to the 1949 series overprinted in black or red (Scott 9N1-9N40).

Pictured below is a lot I recently purchased as "genuine", with the exception of the top two stamps. Seeing the "forgery" comment on the top page, I think most bidders were as apprehensive as I, so the lot sold for very little - making it an excellent study lot - forgery or not.

Before I move forward with my search for MNH copies of these sets, I need to educate myself. Any help on these issues would be greatly appreciated. Bonus points for anyone who can give me good overview of the GPS forgery manual!

Brian

The only way to be sure on these issues is expertization. Many of these overprints, like the Soviet Zone "Bezirkshandstempel" series were made on original stamps with the original hand stamp but at a later date and are considered "fakes" by Michel. The only way to tell is a spectrographic analysis of the ink, an expensive process. A friend of mine who seriously collects these overprints says by his estimate over 50% of his collection is faked in that manner. He doesn't have them expertized because the cost can get as high as 500% of catalog value.

Let me give an example from what you have. In the lower left of your scan there is a 1 RM stamp with the notation "uv-." Fluorescent gum is an indicator of a Mi17c. The notation seems to indicate that it doesn't fluoresce so it isn't a 17c. The notation "b" seems to indicate that it is a 17b. (The color of the stamp seems to rule out a 17a, but that could just be the scan or my eyes). Here's the rub. There is no 17b! Michel pulled that sub-classification because all expertized examples proved "fake." (My 2009 Michel Spezial catalog)

If you find original stamps with original hand stamping at a later date acceptable, it isn't too bad. Otherwise, it's a mess.

Wow ... I had no idea. When did this process begin/end?

Your question is outside my era, but I do have the 15-volume GPS Reference Manual of Forgeries. Berlin is in Vol. 7 of my set (though the prior owner may have revised the loose-leaf sorting to match his needs).

Anyway, five genuine overprints are shown, enlarged, and then sixty forgeries are shown, also enlarged, ten to a page. Very little text is included with the illustrations.

Feel free to email me through the system if you have more questions about the listings.

Long, complicated story short.

In June, 1948 the West revalued the Mark and left the Soviet Zone post offices flat-footed because they had no stamps to reflect the revaluation (10 to 1) Until new stamps were printed in July, 1948 (actually overprinted Scott 10N1 – 10N16) the post offices used their hand stamps to verify that the new currency rate had been paid.

The hand stamps weren't in use for long so, anticipating a scarcity for collectors, some enterprising people kept making the hand stamped issues!
This applies to all the 1948 hand stamped issues in the Soviet Zone.

Pretty much the same applies to all cancelled stamps issued under Russian Occupation. (Mecklenburg–Vorpommern, Saxony, East Saxony, West Saxony and Thuringia) A lot of them were cancelled for collectors. Michel doesn't recognize "high CV" (Over 2 Euro) cancelled stamps without expertization.

I collect this area and stick to mint stamps. The color, gum and paper variation, along with the many plate flaws, are enough to keep me busy.

I think the most common do-it-yourself method for checking these Berlin overprints is to diagonally bisect a damaged stamp and compare it against a target. Differences in some of the genuine and fake overprints can be very small. (Note - I have no idea whether you can check the large format stamps against a small format stamp, as is shown here. It's certainly possible that the large format stamps used different overprints.)

Of course, it does help to know whether your template is genuine or not ...

Ryan

Ryan's last post made me realize I had a brain cramp earlier.

The Berlin overprints were not hand stamped but done with letterpress.

My point still stands though. There are a number of print shifts and plate flaws known for all the values so the template method isn't necessarily accurate.

If you really want to be sure, expertization is the only route.

five different original types and sixty different fakes ,and some original overprints were used at a later date .......thats enough problems.......thanks for that information,made notes from the postings above on my album pages.

Rileysan,

I sent you an email regarding these. Let me know if it doesn't arrive (the attachment was sizable).

Have both the red and black overprints in mint and used in my collection. Some have expertize marks and some don't. I will take my chances as the cost to have them all expertized is very expensive and I would rather spend the cash on stamps. I would hope that they are all good though. This period in Germany is really interesting from a stamp collecting stand point and a historical perspective, it holds my attention. Dan