US Locals - American Letter Mail

Lysander Spooner

 The American Letter Mail Company was started by Lysander Spooner in 1844. He did so to combat the excessive prices of the USPS. 

It cost 18 3/4 cents to send a letter from Boston to New York and 25 cents to send one from Boston to Washington, DC.

This competition dropped prices dramatically with postage of 6 1/4 cents per each half-ounce and stamps 20 for a dollar. Deliveries were made twice daily between New York City and Philadelphia. 

He was challenged by the government but the U.S. Circuit Court expressed doubt that the U.S. had the right to monopolize the transportation of mail.

Congress eventually forced him to cease operations in 1851 by legislating mail delivery as a US monopoly.

Genuine issues

1844 SL1 in sheets of 20

Only on the genuine is the tail squared off  with about 4 distinct feathers

The top of the 2 curls completely into a loop

The top inscription is in serified capitals with extended serif

Trial die proof on India paper 5L1TC

Note, the same scratch through the E as the original

Another trial die proof

Forgeries

Forgery Type A - Hussey

Forgery type B- Scott
Round O's

Forgery Type C - Scott with common cancel

Forgery Type C - Scott 

Forgery Type C - Scott 

Forgery D

Forgery G

Forgery H Moens

Reprints

This issue has a lot of reprints that often show up as being trial colors or originals.

These are reprints from 1933

They can be distinguished by the "rust" spots from the original dies

A full sheet of 1895 reprints

Red color of 1933 reprint

1974 reprints

They are indicated as facsimiles on the reverse side

5L2 & 3 Originals

Forgeries

It appears this issue was not extensively forged or reprinted

Both the above are Scott forgeries

They do not have the names of the designer and engraver at the bottom

Note also the dangling "worm" from the beak

Sources

Scotts US specialized 2014

Moens 1894 Catalog

The Identifier for Locals Fakes and Forgeries Vol 1 - Larry Lyons

Private Local Postage Stamps - Mitchell 1887

Collector's Club online

US Locals - Penny Post various editions

Klaseboer Forgeries Vol 2 CD

Several auction sites

Spain 1873

 Genuine Issues

Ed 130

Ed 130 ec Color error

Ed 131 & 132

Ed 133 & test

Ed 134 & 134a

Ed 134 trial colors

Ed 135 & 136

Ed 137 & 138

Ed 139 & 140

Forgeries

Ed 130

These are very well done nd probably the work of Segui

Ed 133

Forgeries are always on the right, genuine left

Type I
Top letters are too short
Bottom letters are too low

Type II
Tall lower letters
Side letters too large
Face very different

Type III
Thin letters
Some bottom letters too tall
Branch in the hand is not curved at the top

Type V
Top letters are oddly shaped
Bottom letters not even
Lot of details around on on the shield are wrong

Type VI
Head and hair very different
Top letters are tall and uneven
Side frames are indistinct

Type VII
Top letters tall and uneven
Shading lines in the skirt are different
Lot of breaks in horizontal lines

Type VIII
Top letters very uneven
Very different facial features
Bottom D is squarish

Type X
Extremely poor forgery
Letters are all awkward
Heavy frame lines around the skirt
Lines uneven and broken

Ed 134

Segui forgery

Printed by lithography on medium white paper.  

1 Perfs 13 3/4 line the original 14 comb. 

2 Lacks all marks of authenticity. 

3 Ball of the scepter moved to the right. 

4 Chest nipple drawn with a line and a dot. 

5 The letter "M" of COMMUNICATIONS higher on the left. 

6 Right upright of the "N" of short COMMUNICATIONS. 

Ed 137

Large thick top letters
50 is larger
Left side letters are slanted

Overall shading and background too heavy

Ed 138

Type I
Very uneven top letters
Short left side of U
E & T shaped differently

Ed 139

Shadow around the skirt
P & E are less inclined
Slope of nose is different

Same forgery as above fakes as a Barrados cancel

Sperati Forgery – very deceptive but rare
Letters are thicker
Outer frame lines are thicker
Lower P is not inclined

Ed 140

Type I forgery

Shadows on dress much heavier

P is slightly inclined

Last S top is smaller

Hair id different

Type II forgery possibly used as telegraph stamp

Long serif on 1

E's of PESETAS have shorter bottom legs

Overall quite good - perhaps a Segui

A set of postal forgeries with same features

References
Introduccion al estudio y relacion de los sellos falsos postales de Espana – Francisco Graus
Michel Europe West 2012
Spain & Dependencies – Edifil.2009
Focus on Forgeries – Varro Tyler
Spain Specialized Vol.1 1850-1931 Edifil Tome 1
Catalogo dos Sellos De Espana – Antonio Duro
Seranne Guide to Forgeries
Torres Catalog 1879
Las falsificaciones del Sello Espanol – A. Monne 1965
SPAIN FORGERIES 1850 to 1925 by De Haene
FFE #7 FORGERIES SPAIN
Timbrex – H. Schloss
Forged Stamps of all Countries – Dorn
HANDBUCH DER BRIEFMARKENKUNDE HEFT 6: CARLISTISCHE POST – H. NEUES
Album Weeds – Earree
Tedesco Forgery Index
Handbok Fer Filatelister – S. Tullberg
Guia del coleccionista de sellos de Correos de España, 1850-54 – Tort
Members of Spanish forums
Forgeries of Europe - Bynof

Spain 1873-75 Carlista

Ed 156

1873. December 1. Charles VII

Carlist post in the Basque Country and Navarre

Printed in lithography  by M. Cluzeau, Bayonne (France). Size 21 x 27mm. 

Sheets of 84 stamps (12x 7), 121 stamps (11 x11) and 180 stamps (15 x 12). Imperforate.

Circulation: December 1, 1873. Postal validity until July 31, 1874.

Ed 156 with tilde

Ed 156A no tilde type II.

Forgeries

 Dot above U

No dot above U

Spiro forgery

High Q

O distorted

Forgeries sold by Fournier

Note large Q

Possibly some trial colors

Sold as reprints

Ed 157\

1874. April 15. Charles VII

Carlist mail in Catalonia

Printed in letterpress at Masía Ciarella (Santa María de Besara). 

Size 2 1 x 25mm. Sheets of

100 stamps, (1 + 9 x 11). Imperforate.

Circulation: April 15, 1874. Postal validity until November 1875

Genuine

Forgeries

Spiro? sold by Fournier

Unknown source

Ed 158 - 158A

Forgeries

Spiro forgery

Unknown source

Extremely crude

Fournier forgery - Spiro source?

Ed 159 - 159A

Forgeries

Torres Forgery which matches his catalog

Type I forgery closely resembles Torres

Spiro Type II forgery 

Very easy to dectect: 

1 Has a vertical hairline over the eyebrow. 

2 The beard rather than stripes has a large spot.

Type II forgery Type I

Unknown type

Essays or bogus issues

Ed 160 - 161

Eg 160 & 161

Proofs

Forgeries

Spiro? forgeries

Forgeries sold by Fournier

Fournier sheets - provided by Spiro?

Sold as "reprints"

Crude bogus stamp