Kanton Bern?

I just purchased a Swiss collection from a very well known dealer and at the beginning of the book I find a small (20 x 26mm) stamp a 10 rappen labelled Kanton Bern.

I am under the impression that the only cantonals to be issued out of the Switzerland were from Geneva, Zurich and the Basel Dove.

I very much suspect this this is some sort of make believe stamp that someone printed up. And, is probably totally worthless. The paper is faultless and the centering is perfect.

Any other views on what I have here would be appreciated.

I don't know...maybe a revenue of some sort?

Welcome to Stamp Community Forum, Idhaber!

Yes, it is a revenue stamp issued in the 1860s(?).

Occasionally, you will find one that is postally used. However, your example has a revenue cancel.

Also, the ones I've seen are perforate. Yours appears imperforate. However, I can't see where the paper ends; it looks like the margins are razor thin. The actual perforate revenue stamp has decent margins, so I'm wondering if your copy may have had the perfs trimmed off?

Kim

Thanks for the replies and welcome.

Let me provide a little bit of the back story here. I purchased this Swiss collection from a very well known dealer and I focussed on the description that it would be pretty complete from the 1930s to the 1970s.

I got the package yesterday and opened it up and it is a Lindner style album and on the front page I see Zumstein 2, a 6 rappen Zurich cantonal and a Zumstein 8, the Basel Dove. I am pretty surprised and question whether they are real and might be copies from a catalogue that were cut out and mounted because the original owner of the album liked to se these. I didn't think I paid enough for these stamps to be in the group I bought. Based on catalog, these are pretty expensive items.

I also noticed this Bern cantonal and questioned whether that was even real. I never heard of a Bern cantonal.

I have rescanned and show all three stamps.

The Bern revenue stamp was affixed (unbeknownst to me) on a backing paper which I have removed and it shows that it was clearly cut with a scissor. I now understand it is a revenue stamp. Question: How can I understand that the cancellation is a revenue cancellation? Is it the fact that the mark has letters?

I also have here the Zurich 6 rappen and the dove. I am really not sure that these are real and the color of the dove seems odd, but could be the 8I version.

I'd appreciate any thoughts about what I have got here.

Both the Basel dove (angle between tail feather large) and the Zurich stamp ("Cantonel Taxe" instead of "Cantonel-Taxe") are definite forgeries.

As I mentioned before, the Kanton Bern fiscal is likely altered, but since the other two are clearly forgeries, I now have doubts about the Kanton Bern. I don't know enough about revenues to tell you whether the Kanton Bern is genuine. The cancel on the Kanton Bern is pretty standard revenue cancel used at that time. However, I also don't know enough about revenue cancels to tell you whether that cancel is genuine or fake.

Sorry.
k

G'Day ldhaber and to the forum,

If you have doubts about your stamp (Kanton Bern)why not send it to APS and have it expertized by them,if your a member the cost is $25.00 for stamps with a catalogue value of under $1,250.00,It could be worth it but this is only a thought.

regards Harry

Thanks and actually that's what I think I am going to do.

I am a member of the APS so why not use the expertizing service? I was though thinking of using their "what is it service" first since I figured if these are out and out forgeries, I would find out sooner, since the website says the expertizing service takes some time. Only if these didn't bomb out would I then send them off for expertizing.

The Kanton Bern stamp usually sells for a few bucks. Probably not worth your money to have it certified.

As I stated before, the Basel Dove and the Zurich stamp that you have are both definitely well-known forgeries.

here's my contribution:

Enjoy !