Swiss Stamp??

Can someone please help me in identifying this stamp??

That is a forged example of a Geneva cantonal stamp from the 1840's.

Originals came in two versions...in 1845, the eagle's wing does not touch the shield's edge, and in 1846, the wing does touch the shield's edge.

Thanks for the reply. How do we know it is a forgery? What kind of things should I look for??

Bob ("Can I call you Bob?") Earee's Album Weeds has any number of forgeries. Mine is the first edition, and it lists 14 forgeries. I believe further editions (up to 1906) add many more.

This is one of the most frequently forged stamps. Not that there is anything wrong with that. In early days, collectors needed to fill spaces and there was little shame in it.

Paper, ink, design issues. Lots of clues. This one is frankly not close.

Just one example, the crest of the seal for Geneva has the initials I H S but many of the forgeries mistakenly list I N S. Go figure.

Thanks,Cjd. You have been a great help.Is there any value in a forgery or is it simplay a space filler??

It is true that there is sometimes value in specific forgeries. You'd probably have to be able to identify the forger in order to have a shot at getting anything much. Yours does not match Fournier's or Sperati's attempts.

I'm guessing this has minimal value, but there is no accounting for ebay.

Here is a pair of Sperati forgeries that realized $250 at a Harmers auction against a pre-sale estimate of $150-200:




I don't know nearly enough about the forgery market to say whether one or the other of these was more responsible for the price realized than the other.