The printer in Frankfurt did fine work on this stamp. Despite having to go through the press four times, it is rare to find examples with even one color off-register. Other than minor flaws in the background red color, the only significant variety is the double embossing of the dove, which is extremely rare and must have affected very few stamps. There were two printings, the first of 20,880 stamps and the second of 20,600 stamps, for a total of 41,480.
Genuine Stamps
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Genuine Features
Genuine Features
1. Top right floral does not touch the frame line.
2. Floral design does not touch the frame line.
3. The dot is situated in the middle of the "p" loop
4. A dash between the 2 words.
5. The left serif of the "T" is longer than the right serif.
6. The "O" has a flatebed appearance with the right bottom narrower than the left.
7. The "1" does not touch the separator and is slanted to the right.
8. The "2" is not attached to anything.
9. The left floral touches the frame line.
10. The top left floral touches the frame line.
11. The horizontal stem is slightly inclined left downwards.
12. There is a key dot between the frame lines.
13. Note the angle of the tail feathers.
Forgeries & Facsimiles
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| Champion Forgery |
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| Senf Forgery |
Peter Winter Forgeries
Fournier Forgeries
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| Unfinished sample |
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| Unfinished sample with fake cancel |
Various Unissued Proof Forgeries
Several missing dash after POST
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| Modern Forgery |
Forgeries of original issue
The first mentioned forgery in literature in Schweizer Illustr. Briefmarken-Zeitung in August 1882
It seems to have been sold from 1878 onwards and was printed by a certain A. Müller in Basel.
The tail of the dove makes an angle of 45 degrees (should be 90)
The "A" and "D" of "STADT" are touching each other at the bottom
There is sometimes a dot above the "S" of "POST".
The stamps should have a dot behind "Rp".
There should be a "-" before and behind "POST".
Also note the different letters, for example the "O" of "POST" is too round. There is a dot behind the "L" of "BASEL", there is no such dot in the genuine stamps. The bar in 1/2 is almost horizontally in the above forgeries, in the genuine stamps it is slanting downwards.
The figure '2 1/2' should not touch the lines of the border.
This forgery is rather common.
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Thiis forgery has the "S" of "POST" different from the genuine stamps. The dot behind "Rp" is placed too high.
The "L" of "BASEL" should slant backwards (it is horizontal in the above).
The crossbar of the "A" of "STADT" should be slanting (it is straight in the above forgeries)
The easiest way to recognize the above forgery is the arms of Basel in the upper central part, the curved top of the arms is too far from the upper border of the stamp.
Also there is no '-' behind 'POST' and the letters are different (for example the 'O' of 'POST' is too fat.
There is a dot behind the 'L' of 'BASEL'.
The 'B' and 'A' of 'BASEL' are joined at the bottom.
The color is too intense
Head has a rear projection
Ornaments all touch the frames
In these forgeries the lower part of the tail of the dove is pointing towards the "T" of "POST" instead of the "B" of "BASEL".
The "A" of "STADT" is slanting too far backwards.
A finished copy was apparently made for a client in 1950 but has not been seen.
There is a dot in the curved frameline below the "P" of "POST"
the crossbar of the "A" of "STADT" is broken at top left corner
The tip of the "E" of "BASEL" appears curved
This forgery is slightly larger than the actual stamp,
The dove is printed in black lines
A Torres fabrication
