Share images of the UK Machin era stamp forgeries

[adw]

That looks like both the iridescent overprint and the slits are being represented by the texture in the surface.

[norvic]

The forgers left it a bit late for those didn't they?

[peterh]

That looks like both the iridescent overprint and the slits are being represented by the texture in the surface.

You may be right there. It almost looks as if the surface of the stamp is moulded or pressed rather than printed.

[peterh]

I’m not sure if these warrant a new thread or if they should be here, but these appear to be the first King Charles forgeries that I have seen.

I don’t have a genuine pane from a counter sheet to compare the marginal inscriptions, so I don’t know if these are accurate.

The barcode feels correctly raised, but the closeups show that the genuine stamp clearly has two colours. If anything, the fake is more clearly printed.

The micro printing across the face is too legible on the fake, and also the source code is ‘MBIL’, which is wrong for a sheet stamp (should just be ’MAIL’).

Under UV, there is little difference in the stamps themselves, but the backing paper of the forgeries is brightly fluorescent in comparison with the genuine which does not show any brightness.

They came as a pane of 25 as shown, but the photos show the differences between these and some genuine sheet stamps.

Charles III UK counterfeit stamps

Charles III counterfeit stamp

Charles III genuine stamp

King Charles genuine and counterfeit stamp under UV

King Charles genuine stamp closeup

King Charles counterfeit stamp closeup

King Charles III counterfeit stamp

[norvic]

Well the most obvious indicator that this counter sheet stamp has a source code of MBIL = Business Sheet.

The barcode on genuine stamps is printed in FOUR colours - magenta, cyan, yellow and black. The marginal inscriptions are accurate; the reproduction will have been copied from a genuine one. The iridescent ink has taken the template from the forged business sheets.

[peterh]

Here’s another interesting item received by me this week (after paying the charge).

Sent 1st Class Signed For with franking of counterfeit stamps making up the £2.60 rate.

Shows the lack of joined-up service between post offices and Royal Mail because it was clearly accepted at the P.O. before being spotted at some point in its journey to me.

The office name is illegible, with the cancellation applied over the barcode, which also shouldn’t happen.

UK Fee to Pay cover with counterfeit stamps

[adw]

The post office name looks like Green Lane, which is near Croydon.

[norvic]

Here’s another interesting item received by me this week (after paying the charge).

Sent 1st Class Signed For with franking of counterfeit stamps making up the £2.60 rate.

Shows the lack of joined-up service between post offices and Royal Mail because it was clearly accepted at the P.O. before being spotted at some point in its journey to me.

The office name is illegible, with the cancellation applied over the barcode, which also shouldn’t happen.

Post office aren’t paid by Royal Mail to notice forgeries. Let’s face it, they don’t pay enough that they can sanction branches who fail to obey the cancelling rules and allow special delivery letters to pass through uncancelled at £6.85 a pop.

And whilst reusing self+adhesive stamps can be difficult, if you get an SD letter with that amount of uncancelled stamps with ordinary gum, of course the temptation is there to soak and reuse. The stamps could pay for six ordinary letters!

[norvic]

These fall squarely in the Machin/Carolean era although they are not Royal Mail stamps.

The forgers are now copying the stamps of the second licensed postal service provider in the United KIngdom, Universal Mail UK. I was shown these last month. The originals are sold exclusively at York Minster, St Paul's Cathedral, Historic Royal Palaces, The National Gallery, the National Railway Museum and Westminster Abbey (right to left).

Forged examples of Universal Mail United KIngdom International Postcard stamps.

[norvic]

Christmas 2018 GB miniature sheet. Spot the difference (ignore the barcode, they come both with and without).

Genuine and forged Great Britain 2018 stamp miniature sheet.

Detail

I don't know for certain which is genuine; I think it is the top one as my informant usually buys his MS without barcode.

[Gerard]

Here’s another interesting item received by me this week (after paying the charge).

Sent 1st Class Signed For with franking of counterfeit stamps making up the £2.60 rate.

Shows the lack of joined-up service between post offices and Royal Mail because it was clearly accepted at the P.O. before being spotted at some point in its journey to me.

The office name is illegible, with the cancellation applied over the barcode, which also shouldn’t happen.

I received an item from the same seller, no surcharge and a very fine counterfeit £2.55 Machin on the cover. The items were posted at Green Lane Post Office CR7. The postage should have been £2.25 for a Signed-For standard letter.

£2.55 Counterfeit on cover

[norvic]

I received an item from the same seller, no surcharge and a very fine counterfeit £2.55 Machin on the cover. The items were posted at Green Lane Post Office CR7. The postage should have been £2.25 for a Signed-For standard letter.

Does it definitely have the MBIL code at the top right?

[Gerard]

I received an item from the same seller, no surcharge and a very fine counterfeit £2.55 Machin on the cover. The items were posted at Green Lane Post Office CR7. The postage should have been £2.25 for a Signed-For standard letter.

Does it definitely have the MBIL code at the top right?

Yes indeed Ian.

[norvic]

I received an item from the same seller, no surcharge and a very fine counterfeit £2.55 Machin on the cover. The items were posted at Green Lane Post Office CR7. The postage should have been £2.25 for a Signed-For standard letter.

Does it definitely have the MBIL code at the top right?

Yes indeed Ian.

Oh well, that nails it. A nice example. You can report the user to Royal Mail through their website.

[LewP]

Just received this in the mail - no phosphor response yet still got through the machines. RH copy is the used one which has been in my album for 12 years. In some ways the "new" stamp is better quality.

higher resolution:

Note the writing on the letter in his hand is different. Comments?

[norvic]

As I told one of the Stamps and Collectibles managers last week, whilst the genuine stamps often have 95% accurate registration - because it really doesn't matter more than that - the forged Classic TV stamps shown earlier are nearer to 100% accurate registration.

Yours is very close (and that's his right hand )

[Rob K]

Note the writing on the letter in his hand is different. Comments?

I suspect it might be dirt or postmark ink that coincidentally falls in the right place to look like extra writing on the envelope?

Edit: I'm wrong about that. I just found a high-res image of the original stamps and the extra bit of writing is there (and legible in this pic as "North Pole"!).

So the faked stamp is missing a bit of the writing.

I also disagree with the comment that the forgery is better quality - look at the collection times on the postbox. Much fuzzier in the fake.

[LewP]

look at the collection times on the postbox. Much fuzzier in the fake.

But you are showing the larger 1st Large - compare like with like and I stand by my comment.

[LewP]

Here is a magnified comparison - Fake on the left as before. I still contend the fake is sharper.

[norvic]

There are two distinct factors here.

1. The forgery is printed by litho and the original by gravure, albeit higher resolution than in the old days.

2. There is slight mis-registration on the left-hand stamp.

While this does not affect everything - noticeably the ribbons on the Queen's profile, which are MUCH finer and better defined than on the RH stamp - some parts of the design will be more affected.

Take into account also the vertical striping caused by the scanner which only appears on the LH stamp, and that will affect your interpretation of 'fineness'. My view, the LH stamp is a better product, undoubtedly because it is litho.

[Rob K]

There are two distinct factors here.

1. The forgery is printed by litho and the original by gravure, albeit higher resolution than in the old days.

2. There is slight mis-registration on the left-hand stamp.

While this does not affect everything - noticeably the ribbons on the Queen's profile, which are MUCH finer and better defined than on the RH stamp - some parts of the design will be more affected.

Take into account also the vertical striping caused by the scanner which only appears on the LH stamp, and that will affect your interpretation of 'fineness'. My view, the LH stamp is a better product, undoubtedly because it is litho.

Interestingly when looking for a better image of the original stamp (failing to notice the 1st/1st Large mix-up!) i found this image which is far better quality even than the original printing! Presumably created using the original artwork that the stamp design used.

Wallace and Gromit Christmas stamp

[Global Admin]

They have copied this clear image in Shanghai and are working on it now.

[norvic]

There are two distinct factors here.

1. The forgery is printed by litho and the original by gravure, albeit higher resolution than in the old days.

2. There is slight mis-registration on the left-hand stamp.

While this does not affect everything - noticeably the ribbons on the Queen's profile, which are MUCH finer and better defined than on the RH stamp - some parts of the design will be more affected.

Take into account also the vertical striping caused by the scanner which only appears on the LH stamp, and that will affect your interpretation of 'fineness'. My view, the LH stamp is a better product, undoubtedly because it is litho.

Interestingly when looking for a better image of the original stamp (failing to notice the 1st/1st Large mix-up!) i found this image which is far better quality even than the original printing! Presumably created using the original artwork that the stamp design used.


Wallace and Gromit Christmas stamp

It looks like a studio publicity image; the perfs are wrong for it to be a scan.