Classic Stamp Forgeries: Italy Naples 1858-60

These stamps are engraved on paper with forty Fleur-de-Lis watermarks in the pane (only a portion will show on each stamp)

Because the distance between the lilies is somehow large, it is possible to find parts without watermark.

The hand made paper was not uniform but varied quite a lot in thickness, from very thin and semi-transparent (not common) to very thick, almost thin cardboard

The printing in many shades of pink to carmine leaves many stamps with little visible of the engraving details.

Quantities Printed

Genuine stamps

Sc 1

Sc 2

Sc 3

Sc 4

Sc 5

Sc 6

Sc 7

Sc 7a

Secret Marks

One way to tell the genuine is by the "secret marks" which spell out the engraver's initial.

HOWEVER, this is not foolproof as some like Sperati and a few sold by Fournier have them.

Cancels

Some cancels are written in a curve and with characters different from the usual ones.

They are the so called "svolazzo" ("flourish" in Italian) cancellations

There are about 40 different ones depending on the city.

Forgeries

Postal Forgeries (Counterfeits)

One of the most characteristic facts of Naples is the huge numbers of counterfeits of that time to cheat the postal service. This is not an exclusive characteristic; what is noticeable is the amount of samples produced.

Just for the value of the 20 grana the counterfeits are more common than the originals

The printing of these forgeries, very coarse, is very easy to detect. They have been printed in engraving using plates probably made of copper containing only one impression. This is evident from the fact that there are no multiples of these forgeries as well as there are no pieces showing parts of adjacent stamps.

2Gr

Both postal forgeries of the 2 g are lithographed, instead of engraved, they have no secret mark.

10Gr

This postal forgery of 10 g is lithographed, instead of engraved. They have no secret mark.

20Gr

This issue has by far the most postal forgeries

The above postal forgery of the 20 g is lithographed, instead of engraved. The secret mark "N" is missing.

"Reprints"

Private reprints exist of all values except 2 gr (the printing plate could not be found). They were made in 1896 and printed on thicker unwatermarked paper. These reprints were unofficial and made in Turin with the original printing plates. The colours are slightly different from the original issue.

They are too clear and the secret marks are very visible.

Oneglia Forgeries

These are engraved and appear to be from Oneglia or Panelli?

Torres

Based on his 1879 catalog, these are probably his or inspired by him.

Fournier Forgeries

Fournier sold a vast assortment of forgeries from at least 6-8 different sources

Assorted Forgeries

Sc 1 Forgeries

Billigs Type 5

Billigs Type 6

Unknown woodblock print?

Sc 2 Forgeries

Billigs Type 10

Sc 3 Forgeries

Billigs Type 12

Billigs Type 15

Sc 4 Forgeries

Billigs Type 30

Unlisted

Sc 5 Forgeries

Unlisted

Billigs Type 34

Sc 6 Forgeries

Billigs Type 38

Billigs Type 39

Based on cancel "909" this is a Torres

1860 Sc8 & Sc9

New tarrifs required new stamps but there was no time so the second plate of the ½g stamp was selected and the currency symbol ‘G’ was transformed with a printer’s punch into a ‘T’ for tornese. This stamp was known as the Trinacria

Once a sufficient quantity of stamps had been altered to address the urgency of the tariff reduction, the same plate continued to be modified, this time by scraping away the central part of the design, and replacing the Bourbon emblems with the Cross of Savoy. This operation was accomplished using a hand burin, and therefore one hundred unique incisions (one in each position in the plate) exist, which allows for the identification of varieties and to establish the position of each stamp within the sheet. The Cross was issued on 6 December 1860.