THE MODERN FAKE NEVIS 1983 1ST SERIES LOCOMOTIVE STAMP ISSUES

Nevis 1983 Leaders of the World Locomotives 1st Series Forgery Set
Scott# 198,207-13 Stanley Gibbons# 132-147

I have discovered that modern fake stamps of this issue are being flooded onto the market. I can tell you that real dangerous fakes or some call forgeries are being flooded on the market as I write this page in July of 2018.
All the stamps imaged above are fakes!

My research into the printer has enabled me to discover modern fake stamps have been created in 2014!! They are being spread across the world through online auction sites like eBay and Delcampe. Everything about them is fake except for one dangerous fact, they have the correct perf size. The gum type is different in it being white in color and very shiny. This gum type was not used until much later years, long after Format went bankrupt thus proving they were not produced by the Format International Security Printers. Obvious differences will be shown below. So far I have discovered complete sets of forgeries of the Nevis Leaders of the World 1983 Locomotives 1st Series issues. All are being offered online right now as I write this on July 29, 2018.

I can also tell you that I have discovered that many more "modern" issues for Nevis and other countries are being forged. Mainly varieties and "errors" of the issues which bring in higher profits although normal issues are also being faked in now many cases. All are being produced by the same source which is unknown at present. All are dangerous forgeries because the perf sizes are correct. Images shown on auction sites cannot be trusted because they cannot be defined by counting perforations and unless you have a comparable image of the originals they cannot be recognized by the images given by sellers. This includes the Audubon Birds issues including inverted frames, Dogs inverts, Flowers inverts, Michael Jackson inverts, imperforates and many more.

ANY INFORMATION TO TRACE THE SOURCE OF THESE FORGERIES WILL BE POSTED TO THE PROPER RESOURCES

At present sellers on eBay, Delcampe, Bonanza, and Amazon are offering them. I am sure other sources are now selling them also. A list of these sellers is being compiled and at some point the source may be revealed. At this time unless the sellers stop selling them (which is doubtful) it is up to you as a buyer to refuse to buy them without proper identification. In other words, make the seller send you 1200dpi images of the front and back of the stamps and then compare them with my images. I have posted more pages on the issues I have discovered to be forged and have included an index page listing them with links.

New information is welcome and you may contact me through this website anytime.

I suspected some time ago that this set was forged but could not find a verifiable set until now. Because of the style of the 1st issue they are harder to detect from images by sellers on eBay and Delcampe. Over the past year I noticed some sets looking "different" but could not positively identify it as being forged. i finally found a seller based in Lithuania on Delcampe that had used an image that was good enough to make me purchase the set for examination. I just received it and can now definitely verify that forgery sets of the Nevis 1983 Trains issue are lurking around out there.

I now have everything together to present to you how to detect them and not get ripped off!!

Here are gum comparisons.

Gum Comparison of a Fake Stamp with Original and Original Proof
This gum appears to still be PVA but without the greenish tint. It has been noted that other British issues like some of the Machin issues have this type of gum. The problem is it was not used until the late 90's. The gum is very shiny though which conflicts with the description of the gum known as PVAI (Layflat) used on the Machins. Yet the stamps lay perfectly flat on a surface whereas originals have a light bending from aging.
This is evidence showing even a later creation and since these did not appear on the market until 2015 and no such stamps like these have ever been on the market nor recorded, it proves these to be modern forgeries of the stamps.


Screen, Font and Color Comparison of a Fake Stamp with an Original Stamp
Let us use the 10c Class 5500 locomotive stamp for high resolution comparisons. I use 1200dpi scans for viewing.
This first comparison shows you how inferior the screens are. I compare the front of the engine.


You can see that the screens used are much coarser. Much of the details are lost on the forgery. The forgeries still are very dangerous because when imaged for sale by sellers they look almost exactly the same as the originals. Buyers will think it is just the sellers scanner making them look "different". To compensate the forger uses a shinier surface on the face of the stamps.

Now let's look at the fonts.


You can see that the fonts are dangerously close on this stamp. But there is something that is very different! Can you see it?
Look at the 4.6.0. The spacing is quite different.
On the genuine stamp it looks kind of like "4.6.0" whereas on the forgery it looks kind of like "4. 6 .0"

Now let's look at the Front of the engine on the detail drawing.


Again you can see that much of the detail is gone or indistinct on the forgery.
I ask you....which one would you rather have?
Note the army green color on the genuine stamp versus the yellow-green color on the forgery.
Here you can also see the distinct difference in the paper.

Now I will show reduced images of the original stamps with the forgeries. At the bottom table are links to the same images at full size. To big to fit the page of course as I scanned them all at 1200dpi.

Comparison of the Forged 55c 1945 British County of Oxford County Class Locomotive Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


Now that you know what to look for it helps yes?
Notice the difference in overall color now?
LOTW Color bar is red-brown on genuine versus yellow-brown on the forgery.
Engine is army green on genuine versus yellow-green on the forgery.
Remember the spacing of the 4.6.0....
Still you can see that most people will not even notice it which is what the forger wants!

Comparison of the Forged $1 1960 British Evening Star Class 9F Locomotive Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


The background color is lavender on the genuine stamp versus mauve on the forgery.
The locomotive is army green on the genuine stamp versus yellow green on the forgery.
There is no period after the "F" of the 9F on the forgery.


Comparison of the Forged $1 1934 British Stanier Class 5 Locomotive Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


With this stamp you can see an extreme difference in colors.
The LOTW color bars are red-brown on the genuine stamp versus orange on the forgery.
The locomotive is dark green on the genuine stamp versus yellow-green on the forgery.
Here again the 4.6.0 differs.


Comparison of the Forged $1 1924 British Pendennis Castle Castle Class Train Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


This one is a more dangerous forgery because the colors are very close.
The locomotive is dark green on the genuine stamp versus yellow-green on the forgery.
Here again the 4.6.0 differs but to see it you have to look very closely. Note the dot position next to the "0".


Comparison of the Forged $1 1946 British Winston Churchill Battle of Britain Class Train Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


This one is pretty easy to tell
The background colors and locomotive are green on the genuine stamp versus a heavy yellow-green on the forgery.
The fonts are close on this one.

Comparison of the Forged $1 1935 Mallard A4 Class Train Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


This one is pretty easy to tell as well but seller images can distort the colors.
The background colors are tan on the genuine stamp versus mustard yellow on the forgery.
The dot next to the "4" on the 4.6.2 is very close on the forgery.


Comparison of the Forged $1 1951 Britannia Britannia Class Train Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


This one is pretty easy to tell as well but seller images can distort the colors.
The background colors are red-tan on the genuine stamp versus yellow-tan on the forgery.
The LOTW color bars are light red on the genuine stamp versus light brown on the forgery.

Comparison of the Forged $1 1927 King George V King Class Train Stamp with a Genuine Stamp


This one is very easy to tell as well but seller images can distort the colors.
The background colors are very light blue on the genuine stamp versus a much deeper blue on the forgery.
The LOTW color bars are light brown on the genuine stamp versus much deeper brown on the forgery.
Now here is the kicker!
Once again the forger made a serious error when he typed out the fonts. On the 4.6.0, instead of using a zero "0", he mistakenly used an alphabetical "O"!! Intent to create a new error? It is the same on the top and bottom stamps. I would say it is just another blunder by a bad forger.


So now you can see that there is a lot of differences between the two printings.

Because of the fact that a major portion of leaders in the stamp community wish to turn a blind eye on these forgeries. Because of dealers and buyers who are afraid to "step up to the plate" because of fear of being ridiculed by self proclaimed "experts" or because they don't want to get involved, the forgers will continue to forge more and more sets. They have already effected other issues that have nothing to do with Leaders of the World issues such as Nauru 1982 Scouts, Barbuda 1983 Manned Flight and others showing us the wide range of stamps they are capable of forging and possibly have already forged. Soon you will be the victim when you buy that fake high valued Orchid stamp or that high priced definitive set you have dreamed of getting or what you thought to be a genuine error or variety which in the end only turns out to be fabricated by these forgers and nobody wants it when you go to sell it or your children go to sell it.

You have a choice.

Continue to ignore this problem that the majority of stamp leaders and editors seem to be trying to do just like they have with unauthorized reprints and "illegal" stamps in the past. Or spread the word and complain to your contacts and leaders that these problems need to be exposed and described in magazines, newspapers and catalogs before every stamp issue made in modern times from the 1970's onward falls victim to being a suspected forgery and in turn you or your friends or associates will fall victim to it when trying to buy or sell them. These forgers are professionals and have been here for decades unseen. They will continue to harm us unless people like you stand up and take notice!

This problem effects everyone because now instead of the value being based on a set quantity of the issued stamp, we now have double, triple or even more in quantity placed on the market. It will therefore depreciate the stated value of them in the catalogs simply because they will not research them and "assume" there are tons available when in reality for many sets the originals are and have become difficult to find.

I am simply the one who discovered them because of my research on the printer.
Indeed several issues that I have researched and obtained the original varieties of are effected. These don't effect me at all. I am a professional tradesman and have never depended on stamps to live on. There are many that do depend on stamp sales though and it is for them also that I have created this section of the website.

You can now define the fake Nevis 1983 1st series Locomotives stamps easily and can now possibly avoid being ripped off! Sorry to say this, a lot of you already have been fooled and more of you will be until the right people get serious about it!

Here are links to images of each stamp with an original next to a forgery. All are scanned at 1200dpi so the files are large. All were scanned at the same time with the same settings and nothing is enhanced. Using Scott Catalog numbers. Please be patient with downloading them because each file is around 7 to 8 megs.

Your friend and fellow collector and researcher,
JLowe RETURN TO TOP

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