Fake Overprints Coming To Market

(Published: November, 2010, Volume 10, Number 2, Issue #31) (Table Of Contents)
(Author: Larry Fillion)


In the last year on eBay and Delcampe, there have been some 'interesting' items for sale. The issue is that 'interesting' in this case most likely means bogus. First are two stylized 'Specimen' overprints on India Scott 261 which was issued in 1955. The stamp was part of a larger stamp series issued for the '5 Year Plan'. I have corresponded with a few stamp dealers of Indian stamps and they all seem to agree that they are fakes. I bought the auction lot of 5 of them because I will some day create an exhibit for this issue and this would be a nice addition to the exhibit under the heading 'Fake Overprints'. Whether this overprint and the ones below are called Fakes, Bogus, Illegal, ..., they certainly were not created by the postal authorities.






These sets of Indonesian stamps have stylized overprints; the text is 'free the world from malaria!'. All of these items were sold by the same seller in the Netherlands. There seem to be overprints in many different colors.







This last set has the text "STOP MALARIA" with a nice mosquito in the middle.





*If any reader has other stamps with fake overprints, please contact me at malariastamps@yahoo.com