The Republic of Nicaragua issued its first postage stamps on December 2, 1862.
The stamps are engraved in recess.
The American Bank Note Company of New York City engraved, printed and perforated them.
The issue of 1862 consists of two values that picture a stylized view of the Maribios chain of volcanos.
2 centavo indigo and 5 centavo black. The stamps are on toned yellowish unwatermarked paper, perforations 12.
Covers are extremely rare.
The design of the 5-centavo stamp is slightly taller than that of the 2-centavo stamp
It was not until 1866 that supplies of Nicaragua’s first postage stamps became widely available in the philatelic marketplace.
The pent up demand resulted in several forgers and dealers creating a number of lithographed forgeries
1862 Original stamps 2c & 5c
Both stamps are recess engravings. Letters and numerals have crisp edges.
These stamps command a fairly high CV and are not that common.
Used ones are pen cancelled.
Used ones are pen cancelled.
Forgeries
The forgeries are VERY plentiful for the original issues given that they were not plentiful.
I have come across at least 10 different forgeries.
I have come across at least 10 different forgeries.
This situation is compounded by the fact that authorized reprints were made in either 1892 (Scott catalog) or 1896 (Ohrt 1906)
Forgery Type I
The notable feature is the cap. The bottom is too wide and the middle section too narrow.
The 2 centavo, the upper left of the D of DOS is stretched outward and upward.
The 5 centavo, PORTE at the left is incorrect. The CINCO CENTAVOS lettering is too tall
Forgery Type II
The 2nd mountain from the left has a protuberance on the left side
The D of DOS has long serifs
The C of CINCO is almost closed
Forgery Type III
It has little in common with the original
I have not seen a matching 5c
I have not seen a matching 5c
Forgery Type IV
The cap is very large
The left mountain looks like a pyramid
The sun rays are numerous and indistinct
This forgery has various bogus colors
The letters are distorted and uneven
All the 5's are different
Forgery Type V
The tips of the bottom 5's curl upwards
The cap is shaped like the letter E
The C of CINCO has a large top serif
The colors are reminiscent of Samuel Taylor forgeries
Forgery Type VI
The top of the cap is too large
There are too many rays
The lines in the left mountain are diagonal instead of horizontal
Forgery Type VII
In the 2c the right side of the A is thin, the opposite of the original
The bottom letters have odd serifs and are uneven
The sun is too bright obscuring the rays
The top letters are uneven, the G is not symmetrical
The top of the cap curve is short
In the 5c the bottom left 5 has a short top
Both have too many sun rays
Forgery Type VIII
In the 2c CORREOS should be PORTE
All the 2's are almost closed and distorted
The letters DOS are smaller than the others
The numerals 5 are too thick
In both the cap is incomplete nd heavily shadowed
Forgery Type IX
The top letters spacing is uneven
The large top tree is under the AG instead of GU
There is no separation in the bottom words
Forgery Type X
The last O of CINCO is short
There are 9 sun rays instead of 8
The 5's are all different sizes
Added Notes
The 1869 extended set was also forged but I have few examples
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| 1869 Genuine set |
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| Torres Forgeries |
Reprints
These are a big issue for these original stamps
Authorized reprints were made in either 1892 (Scott catalog) or 1896 (Ohrt 1906) by the original printers with the original dies.
The colors are slightly duller and the gum is different
They are numerous and inexpensive $0.50 each
They were apparently made for sale to collectors and dealers.
They were apparently made for sale to collectors and dealers.
They were produced in the original different perfs as shown below
It is easy to see where these would end up in collections and auctions as originals especially with the higher value 5c
