Newfoundland Early Stamps 1-15 From The 1860-S

I already posted two copies of the One Penny for Tommy to take a look at, but the stamp I am most curious about is this Four Pence....

( Edit Note: A Spiro Forgery - see later comments)





It has a different color tint than my other "rose" stamps, such as the group of six pence stamps it is with here...



I am most curious what Tommy thinks of it?

Nice stamps! The four pence is an obvious forgery

Thanks Coriandre!

The four pence is quite crude alright. Are there on-line sources for checking out early Newfoundland forgeries?

Well, I've answered my own question.

My Four Pence is a Spiro Forgery - same color, same design etc

Thanks to Bill Claghorn's site.

http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p.../Newf04x.htm

http://www.geocities.com/claghorn1p.../Newf04b.htm

JKJBlue,

Sorry for the delay. Your stamp is very interesting and I wanted to ruminate and research more. The first stamp.

1. This is typically a very difficult stamps to distinguish apart. #1 and #15A (and #15Ac) are sort of coin tosses, and a classic puzzle for Newfies.

2. The easiest way is if you have comparisons to authenticated examples, and I have done this with mine--years ago at a dealer with Cherrystone. Because then you can see and touch real examples. I'd recommend considering this at a stamp show or a dealer--it can be fun to share and informative

3. That aside, in my opinion, the paper differences are the key, as color's can fade. #1 is thick paper and white. It is thick so that if you hold one corner with the tong, and gently flick the other corner with you index finger, you will feel it move differently. sort of like a postcard--so they paper moves stiffly. the #15A and #15Ac is dull yellow white paper and with the same technique above, it sort of flutters like a feather--or the NSSC describes it as "snapping".

4. Turning next to color. A good color chart can be a great way and in combination with paper pretty solid. but these stamps are 150 years old and colors change, eh? The #1 is listed in Unitrade as "Brown Violet" but the NSSC uses "Brownish Claret" instead. Go figure. The #15A is "Violet Brown in both". The real curveball is the 15Ac which is "Chocolate Brown". To me, the #1 and 15Ac look more alike with more red/violet than brown.
5. Mesh. For me this is hard and less reliable. My understanding is that #1 has crosswire mesh and the others just mesh.
6. Date. Clearly having a cover with it would be definitive way to ID them, because the #1 was in 1857 and the 15A/15Ac were in 1861. Best not to throw away covers, IMHO
7. Watermark. Not my standby nor expertise, but the 1 does not have one. The 15A/15Ac have a two line "Stacey Wise 1856" but not on ever stamp (which is why I don't use it).

All that, my opinion is that your 1st stamp is 15A. I LOVE the cancel; sort of uncommon I think

Your second stamps is either 15Ac or #1 (depending on the paper). If it was me, i'd lean towards it being #1. I do have a caveat. At my first impression, I felt that your second stamp presented falsely. It just felt too colorful. Too nice for the age. Looking at the back, it is so white and while there is a thin and some colorization, I just wondered. Where is the cancel? Also, look at the margins on the front, they feel so precise when compared to the first stamp, which had irregular straight edges. As I looked at it more, my feelings subsided and I think it probably is genuine, so not worth having any alarm; still I figured you'd want my feelings to take with a grain of salt.

Here are images of my three stamps (#1 on top row; #15A and 15Ac on second row)

Tommy- I really appreciate the careful evaluation of the 1/15A/15Ac stamps. If you have the energy, I have one more example in my collection.

Paper- All three stamps tend to "snap" when flicked while holding with a tong.

This last example illustrated here- I thought I saw some "speckles" through the paper when holding it up to the sun (not quite direct!) outside. I've had a little experience judging paper and mesh for the Greek Hermes Heads, and that was one of the tests for mesh paper.


But,as you said, it is helpful to actually take a look at a certified #1 or 15A for paper differences. I will attempt to do that at some point.

Color- I see what you mean when you say that the #1 and the #15Ac are closer in color than the 15A.

I agree that the second specimen you looked at is almost a little too "perfect" (except for the thin). One of the other stamps- the 4 pence- turned out to be a Spiro forgery.

I certainly see why us newbies (who are trying to become Newfies!) have difficulty evaluating early Newfoundland!

Well, my first instinct is that the color lends it to be 1 in comparison. But could easily be 15Ac. Interesting about speckles and the mesh; its inconclusive to me. The NSSC catalog that I have open in front of me has an image of the mesh and non mesh--but both have speckles. It refers to the mesh as "cross-wire" and there is the faintest cross hatching going on (in the #1). Hmh.

To me the paper snapping is the best compass, and if you can establish that the other two are 15A and 15c and this one feels the same--then you can triangulate on it, and rule out it being #1. Make sense? Try doing all three with eyes closed and feel if the paper is the same. if there is one that is different, then the browner one would guide you to 15A.

Your last stamp is nice. I like the little handwritten 4 in the LL and I love that the margin at the bottom as a snippet of the top color of the stamp below. Makes it real and less likely to be a forgery (IMHO).

For years, I would bank my head as well and go back and forth on these 3 stamps. Finally, I just bought like 3 of each, and have figured that the depth and breadth assured that I had each; and then I could move on. Then I happened to bring all before a dealer who had definitive ones, and nailed it down.

Thanks again Tommy.

I put the last example in the #1 slot, the "brown" one in the 15A slot, and the second example in the 15Ac slot.

I'll let it rest awhile, and then come back and do some comparative "paper snapping".