Hong Kong QV Forgeries

Genuine Issues

Spiro Bros Forgeries

The Spiro Brothers of Hamburg , Germany.

They cancelled those stamps at the same time when they produce them , and sold those stamps as imitated stamps that were supposedly supplied to stamp collectors to fill the blanks in their stamp albums as a space filler at a very cheap price. But those reproduced stamps were sold mainly to stamp dealers only. Once those stamps get to the dealers, or when the old albums were sold , there is a possibility that those stamps would be sold as genuine stamps to defraud stamp collectors.

Note - the most telling feature is the white figure "8" shape in the hair bun.

Other Features.

Lithographed.

Unwatermar ked.

Ungummed.

Perforation: 11-13.

Width of frame: 19.00-19.50 mm.

Height of frame: 22.50 mm.

Background shading comprised 73 lines.

Background shading touched frame lines.

No outline in front of Queen ’s forehead and nose.

Dividing lines often present.

Cancelled by ’B62’ in black and fancy cancels

Complete Spiro Issues

Partial sheet

Fournier Forgeries

In the early 1910's, Fournier had appointed over 40 agents in 23 countries to handle his approval and clinic business with over 10,000 steady customers. One can imagine that he might have carried a huge quantity of forged stamps. However except in the case of his own fake overprints, most Hong Kong were Spiro products.

1876 Fournier overprints in wrong color from Spiro

Oneglia/Panelli Forgeries

Photoengraved - heavy inking.

Background - 93 lines.

Very crude watermark.

Ungummed.

The actual Oneglia forgeries are not dangerous as with many of his poorly executed forgeries.

 Photoengraved

 Unwatermarked and poorly watermarked Crown CC

 Ungummed

 Perforation: 14

 Width of frame: 19.25 mm

 Height of frame: 22.75 mm

 Background shading comprises 93 lines

 Background shading does not touch frame lines

 No outline in front of Queen's forehead and nose

 Cancelled by 'B62' in black.

I believe these are from Oneglia

However his accomplice Panelli is known for his dangerous forgeries.

I believe these are from Panelli.

Torres Forgeries

His well documented Torres canels appear on Spiro forgeries which begs the question was Torres the supplier for Spiro.

Other Forgeries

A Kamigata forgery with his specific "IMITATION" cancel and odd value.

Some very primitice forgeries. Probably issued as postal forgeries.

Revenue Forgeries
Genuine Stamps

Forgeries

Of note the primitive queen also appears in an 1874 French catalog which Torres apparently helped illustrate. The cancels appear to read "HONG KONG B JA 20"...

So same forger who applied the fake cancels on stamps from different sources??