Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp

 Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp

During World War II in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, the Gestapo used Theresienstadt as a ghetto for Jews from Czechoslovakia, as well as many from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Denmark

On 10 July 1943, authorities in Bohemia and Moravia began issuing this stamp for use on packages sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel containing the admission stamp and instructions on its use.

Upon receipt of the parcel, the inmate could send a per-printed card acknowledging receipt of the parcel

Theresienstadt

Genuine Stamp

1. The background lines are straight and unbroken.
2. There should be 3 dots here.
3. The tower roof has 3 white lines. Note the number of windows.
4. This should be a discernible dot and dash.
5. These markers have 6 dots.
6. Lines are made up of short dashes.
7. The engraver‘s initials “FC” are here

A used genuine

A used genuine

Genuine with mis-perf

The notice to the proposed sender of the parcel containing the admission stamp and instructions on its use.

Proofs

Red Cross Visit Sheets

The delegates were given a guided tour in which they followed a red line on the ground and were not permitted to speak to most of the inhabitants. Upon the conclusion of the visit, the delegates published positive reports of the visit. The Germans were ecstatic, going so far as to produce a propaganda film about the visit.

As part of the propaganda effort, souvenir sheets of the Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp were produced for distribution to IRC delegates on official visits. These sheets were found in remainder stocks post-war. They can be found in black, brown, and dark green, and were numbered sequentially

Forgeries

I have no information on the origin of these fakes.
Given the differences, several forgers must be involved

A typical forgery which will apply to most variations

1. Parallel lines are broken, the lines tend to be thicker. Clouds tend to be darker with pronounced dark areas between them.

2. Series of 3 dots partial or missing entirely

2a. Up to 4 visible horizontal lines in spire in genuine – this is also an inking issues and may not be visible. The lower structures on the right should also have

visible windows as in the stamp above.

3. Item a single blotch instead of a distinct dot with a dash underneath as in the genuine

4. Misshapen top of “T”

5. Wrong number and alignment of dots in markers, particularly the left one which should show 6 dots

6. Short ends pointing down

7. Dashes throughout the stamp that are more like heavy dots, this is a main feature of the forgeries , often these lines are vertical as well as horizontal

Block of forgeries

Modern full sheet of Taiwan origin

A very crude forgery

2 Proof forgeries

2 Red Cross souvenir forgeries

Sperati Spain Proofs

These are some of the Sperati proofs from 1851 to  1878

1851 2 Reales Type A
1. There is a break in the top frame line just to the left of the "D" of " DOS"
2. There is a break on the curved frame line vertically above the "R" of "REALES."
3. There is a white dot in the center of the "S" of "CORREOS"
4. Break at the base of the southeast pearl of the fourth set.

1851 2 Reales Type B
1. There is a break in the "S" of " DOS" at the top, so that the serif is separate from the letter
2. There is a break in the curved frame line immediately above the top of the letter "R" of "REALES"
3. The bottom right serif of the first numeral "l" is severed from the upright
4. Break in the first 'O' of CORREOS.
5. Several hair lines in the center are broken

1851 2 Reales Color Error

This reproduction is found in se-tenant pairs with the 6 reales. Reproduction was made in both types A and B.

1852 2 Reales Sperati Types B

Reproduced by photographic methods. Very similar to Type 1, with which

it can be confused We will examine:

1. White notch on the bottom of C

2. Thinning in the upper area of R

3. Breaks in the lower lines of the band

4. The point after 2 is slightly triangular with the vertex downwards

5. Slight thickening at the base of the figure 2

6. Break in the head of the second R

7. The bottom edge of C is irregular.

1853 3 Cuartos Type B
1 Spikes of the crown touch the tree
2 Bear paw is open on the tree
3 Oval jewel in base of crown is open at the top
4 Top of first I in INTERIOR is curved

1854 1 Reales Type A
1 There is a nick in the upper frame line over the numeral 8
2 The top left ornament is missing the small dot at the tip, instead there is a large hook
3 The bottom right ornament has a dot inside on the mid right side
4 The Thin frameline above the RL is broken in 3 or more places

1854 Issue 5r
1. there is a break or indentation in the left side of the second "O" of "CORREOS"
2. there is a clot of color in the center of the back of the "C" of "CERT"
3. there is a dot of color adjoining the right side of the "D" of "DO"
4. there is a line in the shading below the lower right Castle

1854 Issue 6r
1. there are white spots in the upright and in the loop of the first R of CORREOS
2. there is a spot of color in the center of the right side of the numeral l
3. there is a small projection from the outer frame line immediately above the numeral 4
4. the bottom right serif of the R of CERT is broken away from the upright and the upper left serif of the T of CERT is broken away from the upright

1861 Issue 19c

1.The frame line over "R" of "CUARTOS" has a minute break and is retouched (thickened) over the "RT"

2.There is another minute break in the frame line below and between "TO"

3.The left side of the lower right corner square inclines inwards at the top of the square

4.The 12th and 13th pearls that form the border at top are broken on the upper side while 10 of the pearls in the right frame are broken on the inside

1864 Issue 19c

1.The outer frame line at left is broken near the bottom

2.There is a defect in the thick curved line at bottom immediately below the "O" of "CTOS"

3.The upper curved line over "CORREOS" is broken over the first "R"

4.The first "O" of "CORREOS" has a defect at upper left

1865 Issue 19c

1.There are colored spots in the back of the "C" of "CORREOS" and in the head and belly of the "S"

2.There are two colored spots in the curved white space below "CORREOS," one (minute) below the "C," the other below the "O"

1867 Issue 19c Rose - Type A

1.In the rose printing there are clear breaks in the left frame line near the top, and in the middle of the top frame

2.There are two distinctive defects in the background of "CORREOS," above the second "R" (not clear on the rose) and below the second "O"

3.There is a dot below the top frame line above the "E'' of "DE"

4.There are three distinctive defects in the background of "ESPANA," at the bottom left of the "E," from the head of the first "A" and generally around the "N," between the legs of which there is a white spot

5.The foot of the "C" of "CUARTOS" is thick and there is a slanting projection at the bottom right which makes it look rather like a "G"

1873 Issue 4p

1.There are dots of color joining the two frames above "MUNI" of "COMUNlCACIONES"

2.The line over "4 PESETAS" is weak and broken

3.There is a flaw in the foot of the "4"

4.The left side of the "A" in "PESETAS" is just broken from the right

1873 Issue 10p 

1.There are are spots of color above the right of the first "N," over the "A" and the second "I" between the top frame and above "COMUNICACIONES"

2.There are the following flaws in the background behind "ESPANA:" at the left a white spot between "SP," white spots in the head and below the last "A"

3.There is a colored spot just below the serif of the "l" and a white spot in the tail of the first "S" of "PESETAS"

1874 Issue 4p

1.There are flaws in the circular frame over the first "N" and "ACI" of "COMUNICACIONES"

2.There are the following flaws in "COMUNICACIONES:" the "A" is broken at the right, the second "l" is broken at the top, and the second "N" has a heavy flaw at the right

3. There are many flaws in "ESPANA," the most distinctive being the "E" (which has a break at the left and flaws in both upper and lower serifs) and the "P" (in which there are five white spots)

1875 Issue 4p

1.There is a white spot in the left frame 4.25 mm. above the lower corner square

2.There is a white spot in the upper left corner of the top right corner square

3.There is a break in a line of shading on the neck 8 mm. from the bottom of the stamp and 9 mm. from the right

1875 Issue 10p

1.There is a triangular flaw in the shading just underneath the tip of the nose

2.In "COMUNICACIONES" there is a crack on the inner top right of the first "O," a white dot in the center of the "M" and a white spot in the lower diagonal of the first "N"

3.The most prominent flaws in "PESETAS" are the break in the head of the "P," the white spot in the bulge of the loop, the bite out of the back of the first "E," the broken bottom to the first "S," the missing lower left serif and the broken head of the second "E"

1878 Issue 4p

1.This reproduction shows the secret mark of the 40 centimos (open bottoms to the legs of the "M") instead of that of the 4 pesetas (open bottom to the right leg of the "A" in "COMUNICACfONES")

2.There is a white spot in the hair 4 mm. from the left and 7 mm. from the top of the stamp

3.There are breaks in the ornamental frame, 4 mm. from the left and 3 mm. from the bottom, and 2 mm. from the right and 5.25 mm. from the bottom

1878 Issue 10p

1There is a white spot under the moustache

2.There are two large spots of color, one inside the oval 6.5 mm. from the top and 3 mm. from the right of the stamp, the other outside the oval 4.5 mm. from the left and 3.5 mm. from the bottom of the stamp

3.There is a white spot in the oval frame immediately under the "U" of "COMUNICACIONES"

4.In most examples, the white of the eye is missing

1878 Issue 40c - Type A

1.There are four flaws in "COMUNICACIONES:" a dot in the cup of the first "C," a break on the right of the first "N," a break in the head of the third "C" and of the "E"

2. There is a break in the thicker vertical line between the oval and the left frame 7.5 mm. from the top

3.There is a flaw in the line over "P" of "PESETA" and another in the bottom frame below "S"

Peter Winter Master Forger

Peter Winter was well known as an opera singer from Germany and master imitator of worldwide stamps.

Winter (1941-2018) did not keep records of his work in the 1970s, 1980s or later. 

He did not keep any invoices or receipts; he worked mostly in the background and mostly with re-sellers. It was his intention that nothing should be verifiable that would give him the appearance of a forger. For him, they were artistic products, imitations, replicas and facsimiles of the original genuine stamps.

He founded the company ProPhilForum POC GmbH which in 1986, operated from a post office box address in Bremen, began to produce and sell replicas of more than 180 of the world's most valuable stamps, both on and off cover, for modest prices. 

Some of the reproductions were determined to have been made not from the stamps themselves but from copyright photographs which Winter had obtained from the British Library in London by means of a false declaration of intended use. 

Peter Winter

Some of his best work are the early Mauritius which he perfected with many retries. The one most in demand was probably his block of 4 US inverted Jenny.

One of his best forgeries was the 1934 Liechtenstein Vaduz souvenir sheet.

He also produced bogus stamps, the most famous being "The Lady Diana Queen of Hearts" souvenir sheet. He sold out 50,000 copies greatly increasing his coffers.

The following are samples that I have obtained:

Cape of Good Hope

Finland

Italian States

Mauritius

Moldova

Sweden

Switzerland