Counterfeit Forever Stamps

That was what was posted 1/17/2025 above. I seem to notice that a few days later political will has changed a bit. For counterfeit stamps, perhaps for the better.

One issue with counterfeits, is that when the counterfeiters can use presses similar to those used by public "security" printers, the job is far easier. If you look you will see the rise in counterfeits grew and skyrocketed after the BEP stopped stamp production. And, during the same period the BEP has been running hard to produce currency difficult to counterfeit.

Edit:

Changes in the make up of the inks used now due to various environmental and safety requirements have also contributed to counterfeiting ease and difficulty of detection of same. Copying images is also leaps and bounds advanced from the old days back in the early part of this 21st Century, not to mention earlier computer software and hardware advances made since the dark-ages back in the 1970s and 1980s.

Especially when it is government approved.

" If you look you will see the rise in counterfeits grew and skyrocketed after the BEP stopped stamp production."

It os not because the current US printers are inferior to the BEP, it is because all the other tings mentioned.

I bought a UV flashlight to identify counterfeits, and was disappointed to find only shortwave UV light causes the stamps to fluoresce. Does anyone have a cheap one or are proper shortwave only in the $100 range?

I have a loupe and look for sharpness/fuzziness and rosette patterns, but are there any telltale signs I should look out for? Any parts of the stamp that are particularly easy to identify?

I'm dealing with large quantities of Forever flag stamps from various years and Colorado Hairstreak non-machinable, about 1000/year for work. So I have a stack of about 600 already and can't verify who bought them or where.

FYI - The counterfeiters are now tagging their stamps. Don't know how long ago they upped their game.

shortwave uv light are more expensive than longwave

counterfeiters using tagging is a relatively recent thing (2? years)

AwesomeFresh: For answering yes/no questions, you can probably get one of those hand-held thingies that run on 4AA batteries from ebay. Just make sure it is the short-wave version.
I built my own (high powered 8W) uv lamps with stuff from Alibaba, probably cost the same as the hand wiggle thingies..

I have been shown a new collection of modern counterfeits that is now part of the PF reference collection, along with specifics on telling them from genuine issues. They are scary good, too.

Not Forever, but 3635(CF1):


Currently available on ebay for $250 against a Scott Catalog price of $350.00.

On cover usages of all counterfeits are sought after as well. Usually not priced in Scott other than a "--".

Now back on subject of Forever Stamps. If you look here: https://goscf.com/t/89379 you will find the regulation regarding tariffs on unused but having a postal face value of imported stamps.

Gee, does that mean the counterfeiters will raise their prices in order to lawfully pay the required tariffs? I think not.

HOWEVER, failure to pay tariffs may motivate the Powers That Be to more aggressively seek out the counterfeits as tariff avoidance is a stronger penalty than just faking the stamps.

Counterfeiters ship multiple small orders to avoid the issue of tariffs. Section 321 of the US Tariff Act, allows individual packages valued at US$800 or less to enter the country free of duties and inspections.

@ Alub - but no longer from China as per one of the more recent executive orders

Since all of these counterfeits are a political move rather than a financial one, they won't care.

It is financial for the "retail" sellers.




Except some of the interceptions involved part to full shipping containers.

The retail sellers are part of a network designed to distribute the counterfeits; they are being taken care of either way. There is no point in doing it any other way at the low prices involved. As I said before, this is political, not financial.