Question On Persian Stamps From 1918.

Hello! I was just wondering if somebody can be kind enough to tell me if the stamps in the picture below from 1918 are the originals with a genuine overprint, or are they all just reprints with fake overprints?
Anybody that knows what they might be worth?

I'm very greatful if somebody can answer this. Thanks!

Somebody should have more detail than I on these.

The 2kr might be a reprint or original, with what appears to be a genuine 1337 overprint. The other 1337 overprints appear to be forged.

The 1334 overprints look to be fake. The curve in the top part of the "4" should be very thin.

Used by itself means nothing. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th stamps are cancelled-to-order and forged overprints are often printed on them and on used stamps. You need to check whether the overprint is over or under either type cancel. It is impossible to tell from the scan.

Thank you for taking the time to answer! Best regards /Dan

All fakes ,the first clue is the dark color of the metal-flake ink used on printing the borders .A scan is poor way to determine the shiny metal ink but you can guess 99% of the time these are fakes and be right .Yours are too dark .

But genuine overprints were done on reprints, which have the characteristic that floortrader notes. So those with the duller frames are not fakes but official reproductions, if you like, made for collectors. The thin paper characteristic given by Scott is only for earlier printings of the original, as I understand it. With multiple printings of genuine and multiple printings of reprints, it's not easily sorted out.

Oh ok, so are they worth even a penny? Very confusing I have to admit lol.

The true value of all those early reprints and fakes is to sell them part of a collection of Iran stamps then your getting 10 to 25 each for them .

The value of any stamps is in the way it is sold .

"10 and 25" of what? Pennies, dollars, euros?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

These do not even fall into the "it might be fake so I'll only bid 10% of catalog value". That legend is engraved on the tombstones of those who buy from NYSt***s and the like. My experience is that, particularly on ebay, people pay close to nothing for suspected Persia/Iran forgeries of this era; they are that suspicious of forgeries from that country. With references like the Persiphila catalog, I have been able to pick up lots with forgeries but including clearly genuine stamps extremely cheaply, including a few items that turned out to be signed by experts Dr.Dadkah or M. Sadri.

If you sold these individually, the suspected reprint as a reprint, and the forgeries would be worth a US dollar or so each. So you did not lose in buying these for €4. But should you be expecting any to be genuine at that price especially without any reference or expertise?

And thanks to floortrader for suggesting fraud in selling these, even though it wouldn't get the prices he suggests. Shame!

hy-brasil What you describe is quite interesting, that collectors are so suspicious of this era/time period from this country that many are reluctant to even bid, and some genuine ones slip through, which creates opportunities for those like you who knows old persian stamps very well and are able to get a hold of real bargains.

Yes, but it is a double-edged sword. To find hidden rarities is an equally rare event; you really don't even see forgeries of those in Persia collections. I've never found one, that's for sure. It is then much more difficult to sell (say) genuine duplicates without signatures or certification. A stamp truly worth $25 with a certificate costing $40+?; no sensible person would obtain one there.

It makes it equally difficult to sell stamps to even a knowledgeable collector for any kind of legitimate price, i.e., more than a dollar or two. Collecting the country and era becomes even more of specialized area. That I think largely eliminates the intermediate to advanced general collectors that would eventually become the specialists of the future. Those people would help carry the long-term interest in the era beyond "I need a few stamps to fill some spaces in my worldwide album".

No problem selling those early Iran as part of a collection and pricing them at 10 cents to 25 cents each ,I done it many times in the past . I can put up 100 early IRAN for $25.00 on ebay and even get better than that with auction bidding . People still buy them to fill spaces .