Csa Fake Atlanta (John Fox) Cancel

Hello,

Below is a CSA #8 which I obtained in 2019. It has a fake cancel that aligns very well with the cancel described in Powell/Kimbrough CSA Fakes & Forgeries book (Page 111). The key element is the thicker "L" with an elongated arm at the bottom.



I bring this up because I ran across a very similar looking cancel on a CSA #5 stamp in the upcoming Cherrystone Auction. (Feb 01/02, Lot 263 on SAN). The stamp is listed with a 1998 PFC which at the time had the stamp on a small piece. The cancel just does not look right to me and (like the stamp above), leads me to think it is from John Fox. The PFC cert on piece is #327910.

The offered stamp is very nice with large margins but I personally would have it resubmitted if I were to bid on it. Open to other thoughts on this item. Always ready to learn.

Thanks in advance,
Hobsun

I agree completely that what you posted is a Fox forgery. It doesn't have the characteristic "dry" print look but he didn't do everything like that. T, L and A match those of forgery item 96108122 in the USPCS database.

But the #5 from Cherrystone looks good to me, compared with a few covers found on SAN. This will probably get a new cert demanded in any case. What is it that makes you doubt this one? Does Powell/Kimbrough list more than one forged Fox Atlanta cancel?

Your CSA Scott 8 shows the classic appearance on a later fake John A Fox attributed cancellation. A big difference between the two examples is the cancel on the Scott 8 is in blue and I may be mistaken, but I do not believe Atlanta ever used blue in the CSA time period. I agree that the cancel on the Scott 8 is not genuine, there is also a substantial premium for a used Scott 8 over an unused example - $75 for unused versus $350 for used. There is no premium for a used Scott 5 over an unused example - $2,400 for unused versus $400 used.

Hy-brasil,

Thanks for the feedback. The Powell/Kimbrough book provides just the single example of the fake cancel alongside the genuine example. My opinion is based solely on comparing the item to the Kimbrough/Powell photo. Although the stamp has been removed from the piece, when you look at the piece on the cert, not only does the "L" match in terms of thickness and length (vs genuine sample), the "GA" has the same characteristics of the forgery. At least in my opinion, the "GA" is wider and thicker on the item in question as compared to the genuine.

Wtcrowe,

I agree that faking the "5" makes less sense given the lack of increased value so this does not provide a motive for such an effort (leads more toward being genuine). My opinion is simply based on the examples provided and when I saw the "5' it simply caught my eye as being very close to my example. Not sure if removing the item from the piece has any significance (other than to provide a better visual for an album) but it may have been an attempt to hide any hints of other work. I was trying to see if any former cancel was removed but I did not see anything. Seeing the full piece did allow me to compare the "GA" portion of the cancel which also aligns well with fake sample.

The book does a good job of comparing the samples side by side. I could take a photo from the book and post it but not sure that is permissible. We will see if anyone else ways in with additional thoughts.

Thanks again.
Hobsun