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Hi All: I just wanted to see if anyone would be willing to share some knowledge on good methods for determining Forgeries in the Overprint area: ie: OS, BCOF, Specimen, and Surcharges.
Its always a question with ANY countrys stamps. Russia, for one is NOTORIOUS for such fakes. But Australia?
Comments, Examples please?
Davpot

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david b. potts

It's a difficult area, because technology today is such that the fakes are so close to the genuine articel that it's harder than ever to identify the fakes.

One method I use with OS perfs is to insist on purchasing on approval if I'm doubtful, and then lining up the perfin with one which I know is good. Obviously only works with reputable dealers - it's hard to get "approval" from an ebay seller - but it has worked well for me in the past.

A few years back I was offered, by a reputable Melbourne dealer, some KGV CofA wm with OS perfs (which in theory shouldn't exist), from an estate lot. When I lined them up against a good stamp, it was impossible to get a match, and many of the punctures had quite large straight edges in parts. So I rejected them. I later heard from the dealer that he had subsequently found someone who wasn't as fussy as I, and who had been happy to take them. I haven't seen them subsequently offered, but of course one can't keep abreast of every item for sale.

My understanding of the production methods for perf OS (please butt in Glen or Simon, if I've got it wrong) is that a sheet-sized jig was prepared with the requisite number of sets of OS pins, and batches of sheets were perfined in one go. This explains why some stamps have blind pins, where the circular indentation can be seen but the paper is not fully punched - this stamp was from a sheet very close to the bottom of the pile.

Unless a forger is prepared to go to the trouble of preparing a full OS jig (for a single stamp), the method of punching individual holes cannot possibly get a perfect match with a genuine OS perfin. Lining up a good stamp with the suspect stamp will almost always show up a dodgy punch job.

And I haven't even mentioned postmark ink in the punched holes yet ....

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John

Looking for used pre-decimal OS/NSW and G/NSW state perfins, and NWPI KGV overprints.