Help With Ceylon Stamp

Hello I cant find that stamp in cataloges… please help

As for the type, it should be one of the first stamps in a listing of Ceylon stamps (1857, 1 shilling).

I am with you, the shillings appear to be Violet.
Going by Her Majesty's visage, I'd suggest you have a forgery
or a cut out from some form of print media.



There is this one "Slate Violet" ?
listed as Stanley Gibbons #10 which does not appear in my catalogues
(SG Type 4)

Gibbons, in their wisdom have Ceylon, under Sri Lanka.

Have you checked for Watermark?

Any members have a swatch for "Cold Violet" ?
Gibbons lists such a colour,
I cannot find it with Google.
Stanley Gibbons colour swatches, do not include this colour.

Why should SG not list it under Sri Lanka?
Ceylon became a republic in 1972 and changed its name to Sri Lanka. The country is the same as Ceylon.
It does depend on the catalogue you use. The 1840 - 1952 Empire catalogue (2007) lists it as Ceylon as it was known at the end of that period.

I agree that it looks strange - hence I referred to 'type' -. My first thought would be that it was cut out from some kind of old stamp album. However, the item is severely damaged. That may have changed its appearance and colour. But the engraving is much too crude.

Currently on SG's website

Which looks more like the SG one?

Irksome that Gibbons lists Van Diemen's Land under Tasmania.

You'll first have to find Tasmania under Australia. Looking between Tanzania and Togo would not make you much wiser.

Regarding Ceylon and Van Diemen's Land - StampWorld follows the same logic as SG.

You got a forgery , That is a fake copy .

Here's a brace that look genuine, for comparison.
373643667723

Ok thanks pals:)

No problem .........some 95% of the forgeries that most collectors have are already in my forgery collection . It is a waste of money to submit them to a expertising group .

Over the past 20 years it is the same common forgeries that we see posted on chat boards ,over and over again . I believe the various expert committees see the same stamps from new owners ,time after time as the stamps move to new owners . Most can be identified from a scan .

There will be those unknown and difficult Forgeries that have to be viewed in person like the Russian Lativa issues where it is how the light reflects off the overprint that makes a difference and a scan is of no help to make a decision .


I learned from Philipp Von Ferrary , to buy damaged expensive stamps that have known forgeries . He would take his book of damaged stamps with him as he traveled around Europe while visiting the various stamp dealers . Nothing beats a side by side comparison . Today scans also help but having it in front of you is still better .