Victoria 1850-58

Victoria's first postage stamps appeared in  1850.

They were engraved and litho locally by Thomas Ham of Melbourne, and featured a half-length portrait of Queen Victoria seated, holding orb and scepter. 

There were three values: 1d in orange-vermilion, 2d in lilac-mauve, and 3d in blue. The dyes were altered several times during printing, yielding dozens of minor variations.

Genuine Issues (Half Lengths)

1850 Ham printing Sc1

1850 Ham printing Sc3

1851 Ham printing, Sc8

1855 Campbell & Fergusson printing 1d 

1855 Campbell & Fergusson printing, 3d blue 

Reprints

The 2p reprint is typically from a scratched die

Forgeries

Jeffryes Forgeries

George Jeffryes was an accomplished engraver involved in forgeries in the late 1800s. 

His engraving of the Half Length has are excellent and have deceived many collectors over the years. 

The queen's medallion looks like the number 83 along with very different eyes.

Oneglia Forgeries

These forgeries are seen in several shades which resemble the genuine colors. 

The background lines are coarser and the borders on either side are a series of wavy vertical lines, whereas the genuine copies have an interwoven braided design.

The eyes are quite large.

They are generally found cancelled with a barred oval or butterfly cancel.

The 2p has a wavy line background instead of crisscrossing lines as in the genuine.

Spiro Forgeries

The most notable differences are the missing plate letters which appear at the bottom corners, which are both X in the forged copies.

The face is thinner in the forgery and more stern looking.

The gown extends into the border at the lower right corner, unlike the genuine copies.

The postmarks are typical Spiro cancels

Torres Forgeries

Image from his 1879 catalog

This is a reprint with a fake cancel applied over the "Reprint" overprint

Genuine Queen-on-Throne Issues

1852, Queen Victor  Ham printing, 2d reddish brown (Scott 14)

1852, Queen Victoria , Ham printing, 2d purple brown (Scott 14b

1854 Lithographed by J. S. Campbell and Fergusson

Forgeries

Fournier Forgeries

Key features

Bottom of dress parallel to the floor

Background of diamond shapes

Constant SW in bottom corners

Constant SW in corners

Distorted W in TWO

Oneglia Forgeries

Panelli is also mentioned in their manufacture

Head is too small

W in TWO distorted

Constant AE in corners

Both forgeries of the 1856 1p

QU Forgeries

Unknown forger

Queen has no sceptre

Odd background

Queen giving the finger

SW Forgeries

Similar to the Fournier forgeries

Head is different

Bottom of dress made up of dashes

Torres Forgeries

Torres 1879 Catalog image

Possible Panelli engraved Forgeries?

Very deceptive forgeries - beware

Crude forgeries - forgers unknown

Bogus color - 1858 issue should be blue