Help With How To Identify German States Reprints

Hi Everyone,
I'm about to start sorting my German States Stamps and, when researching the Stamps of Baden (alphabetically first) I found that, apparently, 'the first issues' were reprinted in 1865 and such reprints' values are much less than those of the originals.
Could anyone help me with how to identify the reprints of Baden, and German States' Reprints in general?
Thanks,
James

The subject needs a lot more explaining than can be posted here , but watch for better quality of paper ,sharper printing , shade differences and out of period cancelations .In building your own reference library don't be afraid to buy damaged originals and defective copies if they have a certificate for a small fraction of catalog ,surprising that your reference library you build will pay back over time because you are your own expert .

Hello James,


Besides official reprints, you should be cautious for the many good forgeries of Baden #1.

Anyway, here are a Michel 1 ND (reprint certified by BPP):

My old SG catalogue refers to reprints of all of the first nine stamps except the 9k having been made in 1867. It mentions that the paper used is thicker for all values except the 6k on orange, and that the gum is white and smooth. Shades also differ from the originals.

Thank you everyone for your help Looking through all my German States Stamps, I seem to have an abundance of Bivaria, Wuttemburg, and others, but only one Baden Stamp and a less valuable one at that! I think that it is a great idea to build a collection of certified lesser quality Baden, before investing in higher quality material, Floortrader -- that's exactly what I shall do
ClassicalStamps, thank you for the warning of forgeries; I don't think that I'll begin with buying Baden #1, as, really, I don't think that the risk of forgeries is worth the investment to begin with, but I may revisit the area by buying Official Reprints and refraining from tackling Baden #1 originals, as I don't intend to specialise in the area; the growing pile of Germany just needs sorting out!
Thanks, GeoffHa, for the tip on thicker paper. I 'll just need some certified originals to compare them to *sigh*
Thanks again everyone. This Baden project just got a lot less daunting!
James

Obviously, I meant Bavaria, not Bivaria! Gosh I really should start previewing my replies before Auto Correct ruins my Philatelic Reputation!

The Germany Philatelic Society (GPS) also sells forgery manuals on CD to help identify forgeries. You don't have to be a member to purchase them. They can be found here (you'll need to scroll down a bit):

http://germanyphilatelicsocietyusa.org/sales.html

The material in the GPS manuals is on the older side and they may not list every single known forgery, but they do show pictures and list characteristics of genuine copies, as well of examples of all known types of forgeries at the time they were originally published. It's a pretty valuable reference tool for collectors of German States. They also sell forgery manuals for all other German areas as well.

Thanks, 'TheArtfulHinger', such manuals, I suppose, are almost vital to personally authenticating the ever so commonly forged stamps of the German States and no board should be more specialised than the German Philatelic Society itself. It seems so obvious now to purchase German Catalogue Material over the British Catalogues I have been considering. I don't suppose age matters too much in the material itself, as the number of pages specified on the website seems a comprehensive enough compilation of almost all the forgeries I'll come across when I make future purchases of Baden!
Thanks again,
James