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| Robert Todd |
the right to carry mail between Caracas. La Guaira. Puerto Cabello. 75 miles to the west, and St. Thomas, in the Danish West Indies.
The concession was sold to Blohm, Nolting & Co. of Curacao. which took over the steamer, the Robert Todd, and issued special postage stamps.
At the beginning of 1866 the Curacao firm of J.A. Jesurun & Zoon bought the rights and continued the service, using first the issues of 1864 and, from 1868, stamps bearing their initials.
The Robert Todd, wrecked in 1868, was replaced by the Honfleur. and Curacao became the headquarters of the service.
The stamps themselves are listed in different order and numbers in 6 catalogs/books I have.
All the colors, perfs and stamp sized are likewise varied. To simplify matters they are listed here in the order they appear.
Genuine Stamps
Features
The left leg of the L has a shadow doubling.
The top right frame corner is broken.
Background lines on the right extend into the side letters.
There are several dashes and an end blob in the letters of CENTAVO.
Under the same letters there are several marks.
above - 1864 #1 Intense Black & 1a Greyish Black
1864 1/2 Centavo
There are 4 transfer types of the 1/2 stamp
Type I - Break in right hand outer frame line opposite RA of GUAIRA.
Type II - Break in bottom outer frame line under right hand corner ornament.
Type III - Deformed t in St.
Type IV - Break in top thin frame line between A and I of GUAIRA.
1868 1/2 Centavo - Black on yellowish paper
Type I - Coloured spot in white margin above second leg of U in GUAIRA
Spot in cross bar of H in THOMAS.
Type II - Coloured spot in upright of R in GUAIRA.
Type III - Large white flaw in vignette below P of PTo.
Type IV - Break in loop of Pin PTO.
Type V - Coloured nick in upright of L in LA.
Plate flaws
These are the most noticeable
Forgeries
A crude forgery.
The fraction is awkward with a wide 1
The background lines are thick and uneven
No dot after Centavo, PACKET or CABELLO
A very awkward fraction
The letters are smaller
The ornaments below Centavo are different.
NOTE - this may be a Torres forgery with a deliberate error - instead of Pto we have Pio
A decent forgery
Background lines are broken
Centavo has small letters is not inside a ribbon frame. There is no end dot
The fraction is shorter
A very crude forgery
Overall very indistinct heavy shading
The fraction is very large
The a in Centavo looks like a u
Letters are short and thin
Poor facsimile taken from a 1964 philatelic exhibition card
Very indistinct design and shading
Background lines are heavy and uneven
1864 1 Centavo
3 stones were made for this value with very specific features.
The lines in numeral feature of Stone I does not apply in one specific case of the position 19 (shown above) on the sheet where the stamp shows no lines in the numeral.
The type III stone has 4 sub-types (image above) with the following features
Type l - The lines on either side of the numeral are on different levels; the t in Centavo is to the left of the cleft in the numeral ; there are three short curved lines on the right of the numeral.
Type II - The lines on either side of the numeral are still uneven ; the t in Centavo is under the cleft in the numeral: no curved lines on right of numeral.
Type III - Bad breaks in lines on left of numeral ; the t in Centavo is to the left of the cleft in the numeral; one short line on right of numeral.
Type IV - The lines on either side of numeral almost even and on same level ; two short marks on right of numeral.
Forgeries
Poor forgery
Letters are thinner
The 1 is larger
Ship is indistinct
No period after Centavo
Thick background lines
Letters are very thin
The 1 is larger
Ship is indistinct
Lacking background lines
Centavo letters are spread out
Side letters are narrower
The 1 is higher on the left top
Large flag on fore mast
Ship is larger
1864 2 Centavo
There are no lines across the figure of value.
The earlier printings were in a more intense black than the later issues, and the paper varies in shade from green to bluish green which may be a chemical reaction of the ink used.
There are 4 transfer types.
Type I (shown above) - The lines on the left of the numeral are on different levels and do not meet
The t in Centavo is to the left of the cleft in the bottom of the 2
White flaw over H inTHOMAS.
Type II - The lines on the left of the numeral are more regular and almost meet
The t in Centavo is to the right of the cleft in the 2
Slight break in cap of t in Centavo.
Type III - Lines on left of numeral almost regular
The t in Centavo is under the cleft in the 2
Top of t in Centavo is broken
Short diagonal line on right of bottom of numeral.
Type IV - Lines on left of numeral almost on same level with small breaks
The t in Centavo is well to the right of the cleft in the 2
No deformity on top of the t in Centavo
Forgeries
Letters are uneven in size and position
Letters are thin
Background lines are coarse and widely separated.
Very crude forgery
Letters vary in size
2 is oddly shaped and large
The ship is indistinct
The top G looks more like a C
The 2 is wide and oddly shaped
The ship is larger
1868-70 2 Centavo on bluish paper with lines in the numeral
Forgeries
The forgeries match the Greenish-Blue but none of the numerals have lines.
Very large ship
Odd 2 with large foot
The O in CABELLO is too round
Letters are large
Letters are shaped unevenly
Tail on the 2 is too long
Background lines are uneven
Letters are uneven
Background lines are uneven and broken
The ship lacks rigging
1864 Deep Yellow and 1868-70 Brownish yellow with lines in the numeral
Some stamps on the sheet, the lines are faint.
4 transfer types
3 Centavo
Some stamps on the sheet, the lines are faint.
Type I - The horizontal line above the numeral is almost missing
There are three horizontal lines across the C of Centavo
Type II - The horizontal lines on either side of the numeral do not join up
The spacing between the two horizontal lines above the numeral is not even
There are only two lines across the C of Centavo.
Type III - There is only one line across the C of Centavo
The horizontal lines on both sides of the numeral almost joined and level
Type IV - There are no lines across the C of Centavo
The lines on either side of the numeral almost joined and level
Forgeries
Uneven, broken background lines
Ship different shape
3 is wider
No ribbon around Centavo and smaller letters
3 is slightly inclined to the left
Thick smoke
No dot after Centavo
Letters generally thinner
S in Centavos not in original
Thick smoke
3 is very high
Large letters in right frame
3 inclined
Coarse uneven background lines
No dot after Centavo
Letters different sizes and uneven
Thin letters
Large 3
Few uneven background lines
Heavy shading
4 Centavo
Type I - Three lines across C of Centavo
Lines of shading on right of cross-bar of 4 partially doubled
Horizontal and curved lines above "a" of Centavo are broken
Two horizontal lines between " tav" and the heavy shading of the numeral.
Type II - No horizontal lines across C of Centavo
Breaks in horizontal lines above numeral
A pearl on top of numeral
Dots on left of numeral and short curved dash on right.
Type III - Break in foresail of ship below top sail
No lines across C of Centavo
Large break in horizontal line above numeral.
Type IV - Three lines across C of Centavo
One horizontal line between "tav" and heavy shading of numeral
Small sloping line joining A of GUAIRA and P of PTO.
Forgeries
Wide squat 4
Uneven thin letters
Heavy shading particularly in the ship
The 4 is similar to the previous forgery
The letters in Centavo are spread apart as is the St and the T
The letters are generally thicker
Background lines are broken
Cancels
Genuine below
Fakes below
Addendum
Full Original Sheets
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