Classic Stamp Forgeries: Germany - Lubeck 1859

The paper is smooth and pure white.

Numbers 1 to 5 contain a watermark

Numbers 6 and 7 do not show any watermark.

The stamps were arranged in 10 rows of 10 on the sheet.

The circulation figures for the individual issues:

No. 1 ½ shillings: 400 sheets (40000)

No. 2 1 shilling: 200 sheets (20000)

No. 3 2 Schilling: 1386 sheets (135828 and 2772 misprints)

No. 4 2 ½ shillings: 500 sheets (50000)

No. 5 4 shillings: 1499 sheets (149900)

No. 6 ½ shillings: 1100 sheets (110000)

No. 7 1 shilling: 499 sheets (49900)

Genuine stamps

1859 Issues

Genuine Features #1

1. 2 almost touching diagonal

2. Dot in ribbon

3. 7 lines in shield

4. Single dot above bar

Genuine Features #2

1. Both connected

2. Line broken

3. Pair of dots

4. 1 dot between heads

5. 1 dot below bar

6. Thick lower end

Genuine Features #3

1. Dot above lower dot

2. No dot between heads

3. Claw touches frame

4. 2 Dots below line

5. 7 lines in frame

Genuine Features #4

1. Bottom of 2 slopes downwards

2. Between the second and third dot from the left in the top row of the coat of arms another dot

3. 2 dots between heads

4. Claw touches frame

5. 1 dot above & 1 dot below the line

Genuine Features #5

1. Large dot here

2. LUBECK shifted right and almost touching frame

3. Dot below line

4. There are two dots between the eagle heads, one at eye level, one at the bottom

5. Dot connecting feather to frame line

6. Tip of claw a dot

7. 4 dots below the line

1862 Issues

Same features as #1

Same features as #2

Above is an erroneous impression (right) of the first issue: 2 Schilling brown "Zwei ein halb" instead of "Zwei", it appears twice in a sheet of 200 stamps

Remainders

All the remainders of these stamps are ungummed (stamps were only gummed when they were required).

The following quantities were sold in 1868 to Ch. Pelletreau (Paris)

1/2 Sch; 72,500 stamps (unwatermarked paper)

1 Sch; 29,500 stamps (unwatermarked paper)

2 Sch; 79,500 stamps

2 1/2 Sch; 26,500 stamps

4 Sch; 107,500 stamps

Forgeries

The following are al very different from the originals, particularly in the shape of the bird, talons and tail feathers. As well they lack the engraver marks described in the originals.

In the last one, LUBECK is spelled with an R

Misprint forgery

Engelhardt Fohl forgeries

Note the spiky tail feathers. The Serrane guide refers to these forgeries as the 'Dresden set'.

Spiro Bros forgeries

Note the thick featureless tail

a Fake cancel set

The cancel appears in Torres forgeries?

Peter Winter forgeries

Fournier forgeries

These forgeries closely resemble the Engelhardt Fohl forgeries and may have been supplied by him.

With typical cancels

1) "LUEBECK 10/9" in a double circle

2) "LUEBECK 28/11 8-10 1/2 M" in a double circle

3) "LUBECK BAHNHOF" in two lines

4) "LUBECK 6 10 8-9A" in a double circle

5) "L" in three circles

Full sheet sections

Sperati forgeries

1859 Issue 2s "ZWEI EIN HALB" error

1. The top of the "2" in upper left corner has a flat top

2. there is a projection into left margin at top left corner

Reprints

This is the biggest issue facing Lubeck collectors, the many authorized and unauthorized reprints.

1872 Reprints

The so-called "Wounded Soldier" Reprints were produced for a highly decorated soldier returning from the Franco-Prussian War. When asked by the Lübeck royal family what he wanted for his service retirement, he asked for "some of those beautiful old Lübeck stamps that we used to use."

The printers were ordered to produce a few sheets of each of the 14 issues of Lübeck (1859-1865) and give them to him, with a small supply being held in reserve for the postal museum.

These reprints were produced from the original plates (possibly re-touched) and were printed on unwatermarked paper (Mi. #1-5 ND). The colors are a bit sharper than those of the original 1859 printings.

These are naturally very uncommon.

1959 Reprints

The issues of 1959, which were then approved by the Lübeck Senate and printed at the request of the Lübeck transport association.

However since the original stones were now more than 80 years old, they had to be cleaned and in the process minor items were removed or added.

The 1/2 Sch has 4 points below the bottom line

The 1 Sch 2 additional points were added

The 2 Sch has 4 points below the bottom line

The 21/2 Sch has the point above the line removed and added below the line

The 4 Sch the point before "LÜBECK" was simply removed
All this makes for truly non-philatelic reprints

1959 Reprints

1961 Reprints

It was decided to produce another edition. This time, a philatelic expert was brought in, and thanks to the expertise of Kurt Karl Doberer, a reprint was created here, which is really valuable philatelic material, as he works out the finest details of the original stones perfectly