By stamp falsification one understands a copying of stamps with fraudulent intention, in order to use or sell as such these as genuine. Falsifying of Postwertzeichen is legally forbidden.

One differentiates altogether three different kinds from stamp falsifications:

• Falsifications for the damage of the post office
• Espionage and propaganda falsifications
• Falsifications for the damage of the collecting tanks

Falsifications for the damage of the post office

By falsifications for the damage of the post office one understands the imitation and the production of post office-valid stamps, which are manufactured by private people. These serve for it postage for mails not to pay not to have.

Already briefly after the introduction of the first stamp at the 1. May 1840 in Great Britain the first complete falsifications of stamps emerged. Since the letter postage was at that time comparatively relatively high and the importance of letters was likewise greater than nowadays, falsifying of post office-valid stamps was quite lucrative.

Beside complete falsifications of post office-valid stamps there are also partial falsifications. To them for example the color change by chemical means as well as the manipulation of the Wertziffern belong, in order to imitate stamps with higher nominal values. Further much was using from stamps already used likes. One could do this, by together-tinkering an unused stamp from two (or more) used pieces in laborious manual work. One tried to remove the feather/spring course or the postmark by chemical means. In addition one knew stamps, where only a small part was provided with a postmark by an original mark this part covered and use it both together.

Famous post office falsifications

Post office falsifications, particularly from that 19. Century are with stamp collecting tanks much likes. They are more value than the actual original mark usually much. Among the most famous post office falsifications rank:

• In Germany:
  • Chemnitzer post office falsification
  • Diestel post office falsification
  • Schweidnitzer post office falsification
  • Rott' post office falsification
  • Cologne post office falsification
• In Austria:
  • Veroneser post office falsification
  • May countries post office falsification
  • Andritzer post office falsification (postage marks)
  • Rovereto post office falsification (newspaper stamps)

Measures against post office falsifications

To protect already early protection devices of the individual postal administrations met around their stamps against falsifications. These resemble the preventive measures against the counterfeit money. The postal administrations developed however with the time ever more preventive measures, which were longer or shorter in use. To the most important measures against post office falsifications belong:

• Stamp water-mark
• Colored paper
• Fiber paper
• Lacquer strip
• Silk threads
• Invisible secret characters:
  • Unterdrucke
  • Secret character in the motive

Espionage and propaganda falsifications

Espionage and propaganda falsifications are stamp falsifications of war-prominent states, which are manufactured for the damage of the enemy. Espionage falsifications are as exact an imitation of the opposing Freimarken as possible, in addition to be used the propaganda material over intermediaries by the hostile post office set to let. They are called therefore also war post office falsifications. A purchase of a large quantity of stamps from private people would have been noticeable, particularly during a war, to the enemy immediately. With propaganda falsifications it concerns the falsification of the opposing stamps, whereby the picture content is changed for propaganda purposes (e.g. German Reich - > Fut realm).

The First World War

British falsifications for Germany

During the First World War by Great Britain German Freimarken were falsified. With all stamp falsifications it concerns espionage falsifications.

The values to 5, 10 and 15 Pfennig of the Bavarian expenditure for free mark at that time with the portrait of Ludwig III. fell war post office falsifications to the victim. There is well-known however only unused pieces. of test prints were likewise found by these falsifications. The war falsifications deviate in the design and in the paper from the original marks.

The second German expenditure for free mark, which was falsified by Great Britain, are the free mark values to 10 and 15 Pfennig with the portrait Germanias of the German Reich. The design deviates, like also the too thin water-mark and the lime-white paper from the originals. Differently than of the preceding espionage falsifications here also pieces with genuine postmarks of both falsified stamps exist.

British falsifications for Austria - Hungary

Briefly before end of the First World War in England war falsifications of the values were manufactured to 5, 10 and 25 Heller of the then current expenditure for free mark by Austria (Hungary had 1867 own issues of stamps since reconciliation). The stamps show the Austrian emperor crown as well as emperor Karl. The falsified Freimarken were printed on somewhat more yellowish paper than the originals. In addition the mark pictures of the falsifications are minimum higher (1/4 - 1/2 mm). Used espionage falsifications are up to now yet do not admit become, it exist however post office-fresh pieces of all three values as well as pressure samples 10-bright-worth in the small elbow format in three different colors with the date note 25 September 1918.

The Second World War

Articles in category "Stamp falsification"

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