S.A. Taylor - BNA Bogus- Winslow & Co.

Records indicate Taylor made these stamps in 1864 while still in Montreal

Winslow & Co. was a genuine carrier operating a service from Boston to Portland in the 1850's.

The company was taken over by Eastern Express in 1857.

Although the genuine Winslow & Co. operated out of Boston, Taylor gave them an office in Montreal with an actual address

I have copies of 3 types - note the main difference in the size and type of the "No 3"

S.A. Taylor - BNA Bogus - College Stamps

 Starting in 1871 colleges issued their own stamps to be sold to members so that they could pre-pay the cost of a college messenger delivering their mail.

The official post office ended this practice in 1886 as it apparently infinged on their postal monopoly

Taylor made bogus stamps of fictitious and existing colleges.

Bryant Stratton & Co.

British American College

As an added note - Fournier also sold copies of the original British colleges who used these stamps for their own mail.

S.A. Taylor - BNA Bogus - Barnard's Cariboo Express

In March 1863, Francis Barnard formed the "Cariboo Express" operating between Yale and Lillooet and the Cariboo mines.

The adhesives are of many types and are both PAID and COLLECT and were used until 1871

A very scarce original

There are apparently 3 forgery/bogus types

One from an unknown source, one from J.W.Scott and the most common one from Taylor

Taylor Bogus issue

Produced in 1864

The first three varieties (green, yellow, brownish red) were printed from a composite form of 19 other locals

Other bogus issues

Note the 3 frame lines not in the original

Source unknown

JW Scott bogus issues

Different fonts than the originals

S.A. Taylor - BNA Bogus - Bell's Dispatch

 

S.A. Taylor

Taylor created the stamps for this bogus post around 1864.

The stamps feature an image of Montreal’s first coat of arms.

These stamps were one of Taylor's most popular items.

They were also reproduced by several other forgers who copied his design.

The Taylor stamps can be identified by several flaws that show up in the printings

Some will have more than one flaw.

- A break in the ribbon above the “T” of “MONTREAL”

- A break in the ribbon to the left of the “L” of “MONTREAL”

- An extra small dot under the period after “DISPATCH”

- A dot to the right of the coat of arms, above the left split of the ribbons end.

- The “C” of “CENTS” is broken in the middle.

Taylor Flaws

Taylor paper & color variations

Samples of printed paper Taylor used

Bogus replicas of a bogus issue !!

This bogus issue was Taylor's most successful.

This prompted others to create replicas of his bogus issues.

They key differences are:

- The shape, size and position of the 2's

- The position of the top of the crown relative to the letter "D" above

Type II bogus replica

- The middle arm of the "E" of "Montreal" is very small or missing

- The crown top is directly under the "D"

- There are 5 dots under the right bottom of the shield

Type III bogus replica

- The top circles touch the frame line

- The "2's" are smaller

- The crown top is to the right of the "D"

Type IV bogus replica

- There are no periods after the words

- No apostrophe in “BELLS”

- The top of the crown points to the “I” in “DISPATCH”

S.A. Taylor - BNA Bogus - Bancroft's City Express

 

S.A. Taylor

Bancroft's City Express

These stamps were designed in 1865 by John Appleton Nutter, a young Montreal stamp dealer. lt was based on a nearby company operated by Edward I. Bancroft. 

Nutter's first woodcut design was not approved, so he worked to produce a second design with the face in profile. 

Before Nutter's final design was printed, S. Allan Taylor copied the rejected die and offered his bogus copies for sale which became the most sought after design.

The bogus issues were made in different papers and a Taylor Type 1a can be seen with the top right corner damaged.

Paraguay 1868 Bogus Steamship

 A Bogus issue produced by Samuel Taylor and the Boston Gang 2 years before the first official Paraguay issue.

The original was engraved which led some to believe it was genuine. 

Lithographed forgery copies soon followed.

Original copies are not easy to locate.

Original Taylor Bogus stamp

Type I Forgery

Lithographed

Heavy background lines

Smoke reaches or passes small ship in background

Imperforate and perfed 11.5

Type I Block

Type I with typical cancels

Type II Forgery

Smoke does not reach small boat

Small boat is more visible

Background shading lighter than Type I

Found imperf and perfed 11.5

Perhaps a subset of Type I

Type III Forgery

Large white clouds

Smoke goes well past the small boat

Generally on heavily toned paper

Appears to be generally imperf and uncancelled