How To Spot A Counterfeit

Are counterfeits affecting every known stamp or is it limited to older issues? I heard that even the newest forever stamp are being faked. I was wondering if anyone ever came across a counterfeit stamp and how to spot a fake one? Being a new collector, I am nervous about purchasing a counterfeit stamp. I don't know how to spot a fake.

Counterfeit Forever stamps are everywhere. It has totally destroyed the trustworthiness of buying them online. ebay examples:

The obvious counterfeits: 500 Forever stamps for $158.90.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3899872386...Q=&plcampt=0:

The unknown: $780 face in Forever stamps for $650. Seller has over 11000 reviews and is 100% positive. Are the stamps going to be real or a mixture of real and fake? That is the uncertainty of buying forever stamps anymore.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1677476222...rever+stamps

Since you posted this in a non-country specific section, the simple answer is "neither." Continental European stamps see very few new counterfeits. Old stamps are forged. UK stamps see a lot of counterfeits of modern issues. But forgeries of old stamps are less of a problem.

Use SCF search function for more information.

CHRIS --- " I was wondering if anyone ever came across a counterfeit stamp "

Yes -- I got much more than 10,000 fake stamps .about 8 binders full .

I have found about a dozen on letters that arrived at local businesses.

There's no general rule for separating fake from real: it depends on the individual stamp.

If you want to reduce the risk of paying good money for bad stamps, buy from reputable dealers.

Some classic forgeries are more expensive than the real things. An example is the celebrated GB "Stock Exchange" forgery of 1872-3. Perhaps the same will prove to be true of some modern forgeries, so they're worth keeping if you acquire them by accident, especially if they were postally used without being detected.

I didn't realise how careful you have to be when buying stamps.

If you consult a recent (not current) Scoot US Specialized, you will find a large section listing the forgeries and counterfeits. It grows larger each year.

Edited to scoot Scoot to Scott.

parcel - that section is no longer a part of the US Specialized, but rather a separate publication

Yes, that is why I wrote recent. I added the parenthetical "not current" to my post so as to point out "recent" and "current" have different meanings. Here I will further add, cover date 2024 or earlier. While the detailed "modern" listing were transferred footnote were added to the modern issue to note design counterfeits exist. As to the mentioned new volume, I don't see much demand for that unless by specialists. The main piece of information is that counterfeits used on mail are relatively pricey and should not be removed. Registered usages are really scarce.

Sperati's reproductions can sell for more than the original. Most fakes are easily spotted when compared to the real thing. There are however some excellent fakes that will fool most collectors. For example, I have to put Sperati's reproductions under a microscope to notice the slight changes from the original. The problem with fakes is the literature needed to spot them is all over the place in various reference books. For newer counterfeits of older stamps, it's' the paper that is tough to forge. You can't tell by the picture on the internet in some cases due to advanced imagery. However, the paper is off when you see it physically.

Modern Chinese fakes are next to impossible to spot because they are using the same materials AND production equipment. These are not back alley counterfeiters. They have multi-million dollar plants that operate openly with the CCP's blessing.