Fundy Stamp Collectors Club

P. O. Box 302
Moncton N.B.
E1C 8L4
Since 1997

Issue No. 15, June 2006

The Fundy Stamp Club News
Published by Fundy Stamp Collectors Club

Feature Article

By Francine Lemaire, Moncton

Stamps of Australia, Part 2, Forgeries

In 1932, a gang of three men (including a photo engraver), operated a racket by forging bogus sweepstake tickets. They next moved on to forging quantities of the 2d red King George V and 2d Sydney Harbour Bridge stamps.

Here is where they got careless. They used the forged King George V stamps to mail out circulars. All were on envelopes bearing the inscription "if not claimed within 7 days, please return to T. Maher, 336 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, N.S.W." All were postmarked on or about March 24, 1932.

An Adelaide philatelist detected the forgery and notified police, who, on April 27, 1932 arrested all three men and seized 60,000 forged stamps. Thanks to the alertness of the philatelist, only a small quantity of circulars had been mailed with the forged KGV 2d stamps.

None of the 2d Bridge forgeries was used but copies are known to exist unused. Both forgeries can be detected by the absence of a watermark in the paper. These are the only Australian postal forgeries (i.e. stamps forged to defraud the Post Office).

In 1942, a man named Jean de Sperati was charged at Chambery, France with producing counterfeit stamps. The 500-odd different types of rarities he forged, many of them in quantity, would have a value of over 4 million dollars US on today's market, if genuine.

1913 Kangaroo Issue

Rare 2pd Kangaroo Issue

The great problem in detecting Sperati's forgeries lies in the fact that many are part genuine. Sperati took a common low-value stamp and completely faded out the designs on it. This left a piece of the correct paper and the correct watermark, correct perforation and even correct cancellation! Sperati then treated the postmark chemically so as to make it porous and subsequently printed the design, denomination and correct colour for a scarce value through the postmark so that the postmark appears to be on top of the design.

The only Australian Commonwealth stamp he forged was the 2pd kangaroo (first watermark only). This is a particularly good and dangerous forgery. The 2pd Kangaroo pictured above is currently selling on eBay with a starting price of $667 US.

Editorial

By Don Mills, Moncton

Once again it is time to bid adieu to another season of philatelic pursuits, as the warm summer weather descends upon us, and our thoughts turn to outdoor activities, vacations, etc.

The past season has naturally had its highs and lows. Several clubs held exhibitions and bourses, and plans are being made for the fall 2006 schedule.

The movement of NOVAPEX from a spring show to a fall show may have fell below expectations, but credit must be given to their organizing group to forge ahead. The granting of "National Status" for this prestigious show is terrific news for the Nova Scotia Stamp Club and all philatelists in the Maritimes. It will be held from September 15-17 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex. This should definitely be a highlite of the fall season.

The return of a fall show hosted by the Saint John Stamp Club is a welcome addition to the local show and bourse scene. It will be held this year on November 18 at the Coastal Inn / Fort Howe Hotel. The South Shore Stamp Club's annual Fall Fair will be held again on October 28, at the Wandlyn Inn in Bridgewater, NS.

Another highlite one month later will hopefully be BRUNPEX, the bourse sponsored by our own Fundy Stamp Collectors Club. It will be held on October 14, 2006 from 1000am to 400pm, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly Howard Johnson's). Building upon the successful shows of recent years, organizers are hoping for continued growth and participation. The committee consists of Nicole Demers, Gilles Otivier, and chairman Rod Allison.

Other venues to look forward to in the fall are the monthly Stamp Fairs held in Moncton, at the Park House Inn on the first Saturday, starting in October; and in Dartmouth, at the Burnside Hotel on the second Saturday, also starting in October.

The Fundy Stamp Collectors Club currently has 21 members, and attendance at the monthly meetings averages about 15 members. Activities have included presentations on the "Tiger Moth" airplane, by Ron Messenger (March), and one- page displays on the letter "A" in April and the letter "B" in May.

This was a new initiative copied from articles in the Canadian Stamp News, and the results were very entertaining and informative. It is also a way to get more club members involved. The feeling was to continue to use this activity to complement the more traditional presentations and slide shows. The June meeting will feature a presentation on stamps of the United Nations.

The other club initiatives - the Junior Stamp Club, the 2006 Scott catalogues, the circuit books, and the new club website - all continue to see more users and to grow and prosper.

The new web page is realty worth checking out! More and more items and articles will be added to it over time. You can find it at www.fundystampclub.ca. Webmaster Reid Eisenhauer has dedicated a great deal of work to this project.

In the field of new initiatives, the club is working with stamp designer Jim Hudson to create a club logo, to be ready in time for Brunpex in October. Also we will be seeking to bid at auction on a lot of stamps from the South Pacific Islands, to be broken up and resold to club members.

All in all, it appears that the Fundy Stamp Collectors Club is undergoing a renewed growth and interest. The executive and members are to be congratulated for their hard work and initiative.

Finally, this issue welcomes a new column on Philatelic Literature from Paul- Emile Bourque of Moncton. Paul is a well-respected part-time stamp dealer, and full-time university professor. The sharing of his philatelic knowledge should make for an interesting article. I hope all enjoy it, and this is anticipated to be a regular feature of this newsletter.

Look for the next issue of The Fundy Stamp News in October 2006.***

Don Mills, editor e-mail: donmillscanada@yahoo.com

Philatelic Corner

By Paul-Emile Bourque, Moncton

In the next few issues of the Fundy Stamp Club News, I would like to share with you some of my favourite classic philatelic literature. But before presenting some of these classic books, let me just address the importance and value of consulting philatelic reference material.

Evidently, every seasoned stamp collector has the basic stamp catalogues and various how to manuals. In addition, some stamp collectors have reference books on pre-cancels, revenue stamps and perhaps a few specific books on the country of his or her stamp collecting interest. Some bookshelves are extensive and others are probably basic. Nevertheless, these collectors have recognized the importance and usefulness of these reference books and have discovered a whole new dimension to collecting.

Over the years, my bookshelf has grown considerably. That does not mean that I have read them all, but this aspect of the hobby has become for me a specific collecting interest and a very useful source of information. However, collecting philatelic material can become a challenge in itself. To build a sizeable bookshelf one can find titles in various stamp auctions. Some of the more specialized dealers such as Robert E. Lee, Ian Kimmerly, R. Maresch & Sons, Vance Auctions and Gary Lyons offer good selections. But one of my pleasures is rummaging through used book shops for sources of philatelic material. Although the selections are few, some of my best finds have been in local book shops. One of the strategies is to ask for books on stamps or postal history. Don't forget some of these books are available at your local library or lending services through the American Philatelic Society.

One may ask, why should one read about stamps? Although, much of the philatelic books focus on catalogues and stamp evaluation, there are a number of very readable and knowledgeable books on the history and the study of stamps and stamp collecting. These books add another whole dimension to your stamp collecting hobby. These books help one better understand and discover a wealth of information on stamp production, postal history and research on specific issues. Some of these books even offer a glimpse on the psychology of collecting and the biography of great stamp collectors. Finally, these books can help one prepare presentations to your local stamp club or annual event.

Enough about theory, in my next column I will start off by presenting some of the classic philatelic books that I have enjoyed the most over the years. It's going to be a difficult task, but I will do my best to share with you some of these titles to spark some interest in philatelic literature.