It is my wish that collectors at all levels will benefit from SEEING HOW forgeries look and how to detect them prior to spending money. This (hopefully) will ensure that the buyer is getting the genuine article & preserve values through time. It's no secret that eBay doesn't police it's auctions & if everyone reported forgeries it would keep us all occupied indefinitely. So here are a few tips to spotting counterfeits. Firstly, know that printing machines can transfer just about anything even at the small scale of a postage stamp. That's how most fakes can be spotted, by the ink used. Toner ink in modern machines has varying amounts of metal and dried polymers that will give a telltale sign when held in sunlight. It sparkles! In good sunlight modern toner inks will ALL sparkle with goldish flecks in the ink. Since dealers only display stamps flat and head-on, it's easy to fool just about anyone. Below is a perfect example of what to look for.
You need some pretty good sunlight to see & you'll need to hold the stamp at a high angle. Wiggle it around a bit. If you get "sparkles" it's a FAKE. Overprint inks are of a type similar to old printing presses or even newspapers. It stains the paper permanently with either an oil-based solvent or suspends pigments floating in it prior to printing. Toner inks can't bleed through even though they adhere to the surface of the paper fibers. They can be removed with a sharp razor knife & a gum eraser using careful soft strokes to avoid damaging the paper.
Another simple test is checking penetration. Overprint inks from ANY established postal service use inks that penetrates the paper and will show up behind the gum (this is for stamps printed on paper, not modern gloss-type stamps). All overprints have a "bleed through" effect. Below are examples:
....and the backs look like this:
Now, it's entirely possible that my original is a forgery & the forger used a penetrating water-based ink. If that was the case you can detect that too! Simply wet a cotton Q-tip type swab with regular water and use some gentle daubing on the overprint. If you see pigment come off on the swab it's a fake. Water-based inks are not something any post office would even consider, no matter what century.
Some forgers are SO obvious that they'll try to print right over the cancel if present. Below is a postcard that was originally cancelled in the 1st half of the last century. Forgers have printing technology that is so accurate that they can align the stamp any way they want. Additionally, they can give "special effects" like not fully printed, misprinted, ink splatter from machine presses, or any combination of errors, etc., that might possibly have occurred to appear as authentic.
Look carefully at the postcard below. You will notice the cancel is UNDER the overprint! is it possible that someone decided to carefully place a propaganda overprint on an already cancelled stamp? NO, it's fake!
Zoom into these photos to REALLY see the subtleties. Most forgeries go right past the naked eye....but your money might go right into the pockets of thieves trying their best to deceive you. There are too many sellers posing as legitimate dealers to list. If one did a check of feedback, they might think a seller with loads of positives is their guy. The problem is that most buyers don't know how to spot a forgery & feel pretty good about themselves when they win what appears to be a legitimate stamp at a seemingly impossible great deal.
These simple tools can save you untold amounts of your hard earned cash. Most buyers "feel the rush" at an auction and make even more rash decisions in hurried stressful situations, feeling the "deal of the century" might be slipping through their hands. Stay calm & informed. If it seems too good to be true... it is.
Stay safe & spend WISELY!
