France Stamp Blocks With German Eagle Swastika Overstamps. I

Any info on these? Early ocupation overstamps? What do the overstamps say? Thanks!

They look like cancels rather than overprints to me.

Thanks Revenue. I thought maybe cancels too but was unsure. I'm thinking early German ocupation?

VEERY nice if genuine. "Besetztes Gebiet NordFrankreich" (Punch that into google LOTS of references) These have been forged so they need to be proofed. They are in fact overprints from 1940 on French definitives used by German troops after the British evacuation of Dunkirk. The overprint reads " Occupied Territories North France(reich)"

Listed in Michel-German Occupations-1939-45-France. Catalogue #2, overprinted on the French 50c definitive of 1932 (Michel 276)

There are two types: Type I the top frame has rounded corners, Type II all corners are square.

Here is the info from http://www.ipdastamps.org/wiki/pmwi...rdfrankreich

"Besetztes-Gebiet-Nordfrankreich

An overprint applied to the 40 and 50 centimes French stamps of July 1940, following Germany's occupation of France.

Two types of handstruck overprints were applied. The first had larger lettering and a rounded frame. This was applied at Dunkirk. The second with smaller lettering and a rectangular frame was applied at Coudekerque-Branche.

This issue, (in both types), was printed for the provisional civil postal administration under the German military commandant in Dunkirk operating between the 1 July and the 9 August 1940. Due to the size of the overprint it was applied to pairs of stamps. During this period the overprinted stamps were cancelled with normal French postmarks. Other French stamps were also valid for postage but these were usually overprinted on the cover."

Thank you for the detailed info Polska! I just also read something on the net about fake over stamps of these type on currency documents. The stamps above seem slightly different than the ones on the net I was looking at. I found these stamps today searching through a "unsorted" box I bought from a local antique shop. Any thoughts on how I should maybe
authenticate these?

Both the overprints and the cancels are forgeries.

The overprints are listed in the GPS forgery manual as either Type II or Type IV forgeries (tough to tell which without a larger scan).

The proper cancels for these should be local town cancels (typically Dunkerque). Yours appear to have Feldpost cancels.

Thanks postmaster. Really confusing. I just read the fakes were typically on covers? I found a pair that looked identical on Cherrystone Auctions. Apparently those had a certificate.

Here's closeup of one of these blocks. Also, I have linked a listing on cherrystone below. This overstamp looks awefully similar?




http://www.cherrystoneauctions.com/...0809/486.jpg

Again, the link in the post above is from cherrystone auction. The picture below is my stamp.

Those stamps would need to be expertised and then placed in a major auction to find the correct buyer. Too much of the fake WWII German overprints are floating around .Regency Stamp Auctions recently had a nice collection of French overprints that came from a 70 or 80 year old man who claimed he was a bike messenger between villages in France while the war was ending and each village printed their own liberation overprint .Amazing how much of this overprint material took 30 to 40 years to surface for the first time .But again have someone issue a certificate for it that others respect the opinion .

Thank you floor trader for that fascinating info! The antique store I bought these from, is near Frankenmuth, Michigan, a city with deep German roots. A lot of people in this area have German ancestors. Maybe they were in a relatives collection that came from overseas? Just a thought. Either way very unique!

The German Philatelic Society forgery reference manual that PostmasterGS refers to has a couple pages of original overprints and usages, and then illustrates 5 types of the Type I (rounded corner) forgeries, alone.

I don't think yours match the original examples, but I don't like matching up scanned images to the forgeries; I much prefer holding the stamp in my hand, alongside the page, so that I can turn it around in different orientations and go up and down the row of pictures.

[edit to delete guesses as to which forgeries these are...my eyes are crossing and I keep changing my mind.]

Just my two centimes. In any event, they've got eye appeal, and I'd be keeping them.

By the way, there aren't any notations or markings on the back sides, are there?

Thank you Cjd. Very interesting. No, there are no markings on the backs of these. Just a little bleed through from the over stamps.

Who was responsible for the forgeries mentioned?

I have emailed a few French and German international specialist for more review of these. Like you mentioned, at any rate, they do have eye appeal. Thanks again!

The GPS Manual doesn't mention who produced the various forgeries.

I see. Does it mention when these first appeared?

Another note,the backs have full gum.