Azerbaijan Inverted Hearts?

I was going through some of my long neglected old stamps and found these two copies of Azerbaijan #8. Scott notes that two printing exist, white paper and grayish paper. This appears to distinguish these to, but I then noticed the black ornamental heart-like design on the left stamp is inverted, while it is upright on the right stamp. Can anyone confirm these two stamps from a different catalog?

Wow! well spotted BeeSee

Never seen before.
Klasboer suggests all this series have been forged
including your examples of the "baku city walls"
How to tell the genuine? I have no idea

My example:

Maybe this will help.
According to the "Postage Stamps of the Soviet Republics, 1917-1925'
by Godfrey M. White, the new Azerbaijan Soviet government established in September, 1920 would reissue the former National Republic "Moussavat" issue. These were printed in Baku on thick smooth paper, imperforate and lithographed.
In the Soviet reissues of the 5 & 10r the ornament on the left side of the stamp points downward, whereas the National Republic issues of 1919 both sides pointed upward. This catalogue shows all 10 issues were reprinted by the Soviet government and are all omitted by Scott. Take note that they may have been previously listed since Scott's numbers jump from 10 to 15.
Further research in my Russian Language catalogue 2004/05, lists the 5&10R stamps with the downward points as #7A & 8A.

Hello BeeSee,

These are also catalogued as SG 8B (dark paper, points down on left) and SG 8A (white paper, points up on left).

There are lots of forgeries but these look genuine to me based on the description in Varro Tyler's book (centred star within the crescent and unbroken frame around the Arabic 10 at the top right).

Aha, yes, my 1963 Gibbons list the two types,
Gibbons warns the forgeries are on white smooth paper
and white gum flecked with very small specks .
Thanks gentlemen.

Wow! Thanks for all the useful information guys, this forum rocks! I know I have quite a few of more of these Azerbaijan stamps, I will have to dig them out. It is amazing that someone would forge such inexpensive stamps.

Edited:
My "white paper" stamp may be a forgery, here is the reverse:



What is the catalog value for SG8A?

Hello BeeSee,

My SG Part 10 (2008) has:

8A unused £1.50 used £2.50

8B unused 60p used 60p

Thanks Nigel.

Nice info guys. Something new today.....

BeeSee,

Can you scan the left panel with upright 'hearts' ? Would be grateful, just for curiosity's sake.
It looks like the black has been 'inverted' but not the whole panel. I have a few copies of the 2,5 and 10 and one clearly shows only a black variety.
Also, I noticed some varieties on other values with different designs.
I will post scans tomorrow.
Interesting.
I quite like these crudely printed stamps, they have character.
Oh yes, check out your green/yellow colour shift too !

Londonbus1

Yes you are correct, Londonbus. The colour is not inverted, just the black. Here is the scan, plus the "normal".

Thanks BeeSee !
But your 'normal' is anything but. The left shift of the Grren/yellow has resulted in a mish-mash panel design ! The white should be inside the balck outlines of the 'hearts' but it isn't. I only have a few copies and some have this effect.
The left panel of Rod's 2R stamp looks just about how it should be.

Londonbus1...until tomorrow

Hello Londonbus1,

That's a very good point you make about the black ornaments being inverted with respect to the underlying pattern.

All my copies of the 5 rouble (SG 7B) and 10 rouble (SG 8B) stamps show this too.

I found the rest of my Azerbaijan stamps - I will post them over the next couple of days!

Azerbaycan: Trans-Caucasia Stamps first issued 1919

Well I did have an example in my collection,
just spotted it today in the opt section.

From Azerbaycan part of the European "Dune Stamp Labels"
This is a middle value of a set of six,
printed in Udine (Italy) in 1923, along with other
bogus stamps from Armenia and Georgia.

Listed in "Phantom Stamps" LN&M Williams
and Billigs Volume 30

Presumably the Brown Bear