Mexican 100 Centavos 1874 With Portait Of 1872?

Hi All,
So this stamp has me confused. It almost looks like the portait/busy of 1872 on an 1874 stamp? Does anyone have any input?
Thanks in advance.

Centralsmitty: the portrait doesn't really resemble either the 1872 portraits or the 1874 portraits (reference: "A Catalogue of the Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1910," by Nicholas Follansbee, 2015 (current) edition). Here, the head and hair is not right, compared with the catalogue portraits.

At best, it's a curiosity as the stamp is badly damaged. Perhaps someone else who knows Mexico better than I will weigh in.

Hi Climber Steve,
Thanks for weighing in... Yeah it's a pity that the stamp is as damaged as it is.
I'm not most versed stamp collector as you can tell, but I certainly do love it! I try to research as much as I can on my own but sometimes it helps to have more expertise to turn to. Researching is always a learning experience and history lesson...both of which I enjoy!
Hopefully someone else will be kind enough to join the conversation and give his or her two cents.
Cheers!

I concur Climber Steve, at best it's a bad attempt at a forgery. Hidalgo doesn't look right. You could check for a water mark.

Should look more like this.

Hi Moyock13,
Thanks for weighing in... Yeah, and the color in the stamp in question looks very different from the one you have provided.
Perhaps my naivety, but forgies of non - rare stamps always confuses me as to why anyone would waste the time and effort for very little gain... Perhaps it's more for the art/self gratification of one's own true or perceived talent! :)

Hi I am not an expert in Mexico - though I do collect. I have not seen anything similar to your stamp - I would not even have recognized it as a stamp from Mexico - is the paper thick or thin? I agree - I do not understand why there would be a forgery of a stamp that is not a high value. Was the stamp part of a mixed lot? now I am curious lol :) would love to see any other MX stamps that you have as part of your collection. Here is my MX Scott 111. Thanks for sharing.

Central Smitty and Nora: lots of cheaper stamps have been forged, or counterfeited, over the past 100+ years for the stamp packet trade, or to de-fraud governments.

Climber Steve,
Good to know. I guess there's one in every crowd :) does anyone have any knowledge of known forgeries of this stamp? Do forgeries have any intrinsic collector or monetary value?
Is an error or experimental stamp a possibility, or not at all?

centralsmitty: the Serrane Guide, published by the APS, notes the 1872 Mexico stamps have been both reprinted and forged. However, as I read it, the two types of forgeries are better than your example, but still able to be easily identified. No mention is made in Serrane of the 1874 issue. You might inquire with the Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society International (www.mepsi.org) for more information. I'm a member, and the quarterly journal; "Mexicana;" is well worth the dues.

The Yucatan Affair, published by the APS many years ago and now out of print, is another good reference. Chronicles the "work" of prolific forger, Raoul Ch. de Thuin. A quick look at my copy, though, finds much of his Mexico work was forging overprints and cancellations. I don't think your example is an error or experimental; rather, as Moyock 13 says, it's likely a bad forgery.

As to your questions of forgeries having intrinsic value, answer is a "qualified yes." Really depends on the stamp(s) and the forgers. Some Sperati forgeries of common stamps are worth more than the stamps themselves. Some other names to look for, of persons who have tracked forgers: the late Varro E. Tyler, who was a professor of pharmacy, and Dean of the School of Pharmacy, at Purdue University; and a name from the distant past, Rev. R. B. Earee, who wrote a couple books called "Album Weeds." Hope this helps.

Excellent answer, Climber Steve!

I'm a member of MEPSI as well and I highly recommend anyone interested in Mexico to join.

Thanks!

Centralsmitty: here's another reference for you, the web site of noted American philatelist, Richard Frajola ( www.rfrajola.com ). He has a write-up on the forger Jean de Sperati, who I mentioned above.

It looks more like a cut out from a publication . It was common for collectors to receive a newspaper or magazine and cut out a picture to place on a album page .

Found this in my forgery collection .

"It looks more like a cutout from a publication."

I was thinking along those lines, also. My memory on this is not that good, but my recollection is that Scott used some of the same artists who had worked on his catalog to make reproductions/forgeries for him.