Hello. I don't think it's a reprint, but an overprint. Poland was part of the Russian empire and the Austro-Hungarian empire until it disintegrated in 1918 and the new states were born They overloaded the stamps they had while making theirs. Regards.
If this stamp were genuine, it would be Scott 42 in Poland, and is one of the Cracow Issues, Scott #'s 41-71. An advisory statement just before this section states that All Cracow issues have been extensively counterfeited. Competent expertization is necessary. The basic stamp without the overprint is extremely common and catalogues for 25 cents. The one with the genuine overprint catalogues for $625.00 (2015 price). In many cases where an overprint vastly increases the value of a stamp, there have been numerous forgeries. This is probably because an overprint is the easiest aspect of a stamp to forge, because all other aspects: the basic stamps, including paper, color, printing technique, watermark if any, perforation etc. are all genuine and don't need to be faked. Reprints are a result of the government reissuing the original stamp, usually from the same plate. This is not a reprint, but almost certainly a forgery. Forgery and counterfeit are more or less interchangeable terms and refer to stamps created to defraud collectors.
Thanks for your feedback. I have another stamp in the collection that I am now questioning based on your replies. Any way to tell based on the image if it is real or fake?
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Stamp Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Stamp Community Family - All rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Stamp Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Privacy Policy / Terms of UseAdvertise Here