Monday, May 13, 2024

Switzerland - The 1845 Basel Dove

 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


First unissued edition (so-called proof print)

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
Champion Forgery

Senf Forgery

A forgery with no impressed dove, with red 'Facsimile' overprint. This is actually a cut out from a 'Stamp on a stamp' produced by the chocolate manufacturer Tobler.

Peter Winter Forgeries

With rare inverted embossing


Winter unissued essay

Fournier Forgeries
Unfinished sample

Unfinished sample with fake cancel

Unfished sheet of original forgeries

Unfished sheet of unissued essay



Fournier offers both the normal stamp and the essay in his 1914 pricelist as first choice forgeries (the normal stamp for 5 Swiss Francs and the essay for 2 Swiss Francs).

Various Unissued Proof Forgeries
Several missing dash after POST








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.

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)
Same fargery with fake cancel


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.


A replica that is too defined to be real


The letters are too thick
The color is too intense

A fantasy item

Another fantasy item with tall thin letters


Modern forgery
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 primitave example


Sperati essay
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


Aother too pefect example
This forgery is slightly larger than the actual stamp, 
The dove is printed in black lines


A Torres fabrication