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Show U FEATS in FAKING Rare STAMPS AKING postage stamps highly valued by I collectors is one of the newest methods pTV for the clever counterfeiter to exercise his P" skill. Such stamps are not often forged in their .V, entirety. A better game that is to say, one of-v of-v A fering greater chances of succuss is to trans-j-'L- form a common slump into a rare variety by some dexterous alteration of the design or in-AsC-?-7 scription. LjKS This form of fakcry was first perfected by a clever chemist of London, who changed the common com-mon penny black English stamp of 1 S40 worth from 8 to 12 cents a specimen into the scai'ce "V. R." variety of the ame date worth at that time about $50 by expunging the Maltese crosses from the upper angles of the design and substituting the all-impnrtant letter, "V. K." It was a rare feat, and the faker hoped to reap a rich reward. He did he was sent to penal servitude servi-tude for three years! There is a class of stamp, much prize by collectors, col-lectors, known as "postal fiscals" that is to say, revenue stamps made available for postage, generally gen-erally during some temporary shortage of post-age post-age stamps proper. Such stamps, to be of any r value to the philatelist, must, of course, be in used condition, since without the post-mark they are revenue stamps pure and simple. Here the) faker steps in again to "assist" the collector to the best of his ability. He secures quantities of these revenue stamps with ordinary revenue cancellations, applied by pen and ink or rubber stamp in banks and other mercantile offices. Cleaning away all traces' of these, the faker substitutes forged post-marks. The cleaning process, unfortunately for him, is generally betrayed by some slight discoloration or a wearing away of some portion of the stamp proper. Also, there is pretty sure to be some discrepancy in the form or size of the "post mark." Now, very frequently a stamp's rarity depends cm its particular variety of perforation. This, again, is the faker's opportunity. He will quile readily clip off the existing perforation and supply sup-ply a rarer gauge, matching the paper perfectly. But the operation is one that will not deceive an expert, and, of course, in all cases where fraudulent fraudu-lent "grafting"' is suspected, immersion in boiling water is an unfailing test, but at the same time a somewhat desperate one, since, if the stamp proves to be genuine in all respects, it will not have been improved by its "hot bath." The system of grafting one piece of stamp on to another is responsible for much cunning fakory, though at the same time it is quite fairly and properly employed in repairing damaged specimens of scarce stamps. In Paris, the centre of the stamp-mending art, there are "postage-stamp "postage-stamp hospitals," where a torn specimen, or one with a corner missing, can be so cleverly "restored" "re-stored" that even when held up to the strongest . light no trace of the repair can be detected. |