Good comments from experienced dealers & buyers in the posts. But alas, eBay refuses to flag the heaping mounds of FAKES that are meant to defraud the buyer into thinking they're getting a great deal. I'm SO tired of trying to communicate with anyone at "Customer Service" that I thought I would just post this thread for anyone to use.
In 2006 the largest stamp cancel forger was arrested with over 750 fake cancels, over 70 fake signatures & even fake certificates! He was abusing the philately world for over 10-years by letting innumerable (almost) perfect fakes filter into circulation (know as the Blum case, see, https://www.filatelia.fi/forgeries/blum.html . Now, many overprints have flooded eBay & it's "Buyer Beware" time again. A forged cancel from the "Blum case" discovered in my collection below:
Here I will show anyone HOW some fakes are fabricated & spotted so they have the opportunity to call out one of the many dealers & get a refund without spending a fortune with eBay's new "Authentication" services.
Here's what to know:
The Germans, even before WWII, used oil-based inks in every overprint. So, if you have a colored overprint, simply wet a cotton swab & gently rub it over the least conspicuous spot. If any of the color is removed it's FAKE because the Germans never used water-based inks.
The other trick has been overprinting with laser printers. This methods seems to fool a LOT of less informed dealers as well. German oil-based inks are PERMANENT & cannot be removed. Laser printed inks will shine a copper tone in good sunlight when seen at a high angle. Additionally, if you're more adventurous, laser inks can be removed using gentle strokes of a razor blade. Hold the blade 90-degrees to the paper & lightly scrape. DON'T use lots of force or you'll damage the fibers of the paper. Then take a gum eraser & start to take the toner off. You'll need to repeat this process many times but if it helps spotting a forgery it's worth it!
In the photo below you will see the green printing of the stamp that was UNDER the overprint in the above photo. This would NEVER happen with German inks that saturate the paper fibers completely. So it's a deliberate & obvious FORGERY!
Remember, if it says "Wir sind frei!" it's about 99.9999% certain to be a forgery. The same holds true with many of the colored town overprints. "Karlsbad, Maffersdorf, & other Sudetenland locales, etc." are, as a rule, ALL FAKE. If you're buying on eBay it's generally understood to be a forgery unless accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Don't get hung-up in the heat of the moment in an auction. Because you probably won't be thinking straight. "If it looks too good to be true...it most likely is."
Good luck out there to all suspicious types...which should be everyone!! 🙂
