This Stamp Makes No Sense - Why Forge A Stamp That Does Not Exist

When I first saw this stamp (a Persian from the 1886 series that was prepared for official use and then used for regular postage) I thought it was a forgery. But then I got thinking, why would anyone forge a stamp with the wrong value on it. It seems a little like forging a $30 bill. Unless I am wrong, I thought the 8 cent surcharge was for the 50 cent stamp, but here it appears on a 5 cent stamp. What am I missing.

Maybe there are two stamps : one with 8 cent over 5 cent (Michel # 59) and one with 8 cent over 50 cent

On your broader question, from memory, if you look at early Cuban issues, you'll find creations by forgers of stamps that weren't issued - a bit of tantalising garnish for the collector.

There exists a genuine error surcharge with a 3 on the 5s;Inverted(instead of 6).Others are bogus errors I think.I have one bellow with an 18!
https://goscf.com/t/13608

Back in the day, it was quite difficult to confirm that new stamps were actually authorized by the postal authorities, especially for places like Persia. If you look at old editions of Scott catalogs (say from the 1930s or before) you'll find hundreds of emissions now recognized as bogus or fantasies listed as genuine postal issues, with Persia alone having dozens. (The many breaks in number sequences in Scott's current listings for classic Iran is largely because of those bogus issues being removed over the years.) The old Brown Internationals, and the early Scott Specialty albums, even include spaces for them.

As for why somebody would do it: simply, profit. They made them to sell them to collectors or dealers as 'discoveries'. They might aim low and sell their creations in bulk to packet makers or small dealers, or they might aim high and target wealthy collectors. Count Ferrary, one of the most famous collectors of the early 20th century, was well-known for buying anything that looked like a stamp that he didn't have, even if it was completely unknown previously, and he paid good money for anything new. Some of those purchases turned out to be real (and often rare) stamps, but most of them were fantasies or forgeries of one kind or another. It could be quite profitable to produce and sell bogus stamps.

This is very common with coins.....

For example, 1797-CC Trade dollar, never existed.

Persiphila lists an 8sh on 5sh OFFICIEL overprint, #70A, but does not price it. It lists 6 types for the handstamp as well as mentioning numerous fakes, but beyond the scope of the catalogue. Mine isn't the most current version, so that issue may be covered more extensively in a newer edition.