This is an ongoing experiment, so it will be evolving over the next year depending on my schedule. It was inspired by several eBay users / dealers and collectors who have e-mailed over the last few months, and warned me about various unscrupulous sellers who make quite a cash flow selling altered common stamps as rarities. Basically, modifying cheap stamps and selling them as "reference", which in polite company means a forgery or fake. Surprisingly, many people don't read the fine print and usually pay a lot of money for something that is basically worthless. Let's get started, shall we!
New Rev5.1 Design, November 2007
Buy the Sonic Imagery Labs Specialty Perforation & Grill Multi -Gauge
Download Instruction Sheet for the Sonic Imagery Labs Specialty Perforation & Grill Multi -Gauge
Download a MAIL ORDER form for the Sonic Imagery Labs Specialty Perforation & Grill Multi -Gauge
Another Bogus Scott 519 - New November 2002
The Fake Scott 346 Private Perf - New October 2002
The Most Impressive Fake Scott 62B
The Secret Life of an Altered Scott 72
The Secret Life of a Chemically Altered Scott 78
The Secret Life of an Altered RW5 Duck Stamp
A Fake Scott #320 with Schermack Type III Perforations
Fake Scott #743a
Detecting a Flat Plate Press Vertical Coil, Fake Scott 441
Fake Reperfed 514a
Fake Reperfed 508c
Fake Reperfed 546
Fake Scott 143 w / Bogus Grill
Fake Scott 137 w / Same Bogus Grill as Fake 143
Fake Scott 139 w / Same Bogus Grill as Fake 137 and 143
Fake Scott 315 - Revised June 2002
Fake Reperfed Scott 519 - Revised June 2002
A Gallery of Bogus Stuff Part 1
A Gallery of Bogus Stuff Part 2
A Gallery of Bogus Stuff Part 3
A Gallery of Bogus Stuff Part 4
A Gallery of Bogus Stuff Part 5
Credits, Inspiration and Links of Interest
Bibliography of Research Material I Use for this Site
Download the Schermack Type III Go-NoGo Gauge
This was purchased on eBay from the seller (schuylerac).
It is perf 11 on top, left and right sides. The bottom is perf 10 which according to the 2002 Scott Specialty Catalog is valued at $6000. Upon closer inspection its easy to see that the bottom holes of the perforations are cut to cleanly and perfectly round. The tips of the perforations are also cut and do not show the pulled fibers that are typical of a pulled apart pair of stamps.
This was purchased on eBay from the seller (schuylerac).
Its much easier to see close up the tips of the perfs are cut with what might be an xacto knife. The cut is at odd angles and a little paper is left at the tips center. The holes are flawlessly round and have lips or ledges at the edge. That's because the punch is ever so slightly larger than the hole it cuts through and crushes and pinches the paper flat before actually cutting through it.
This was purchased on eBay from the seller (schuylerac).
The third perf hole to the right, has fine flecks of metal embedded in the paper at the perf holes edge. It doesn't show clearly in the picture as the stamp has to be rotated to get the metal to sparkle in the light. The fake 743a has this same characteristic. Interestingly enough the 743a and the 514a where sold by the same seller at different times.
Thanks for visiting this site. I hope you learn something new as I am having fun doing this and stirring up the "doodoo" so to speak. You, the visitor, have my permission to copy my pages and images for the purpose of showing others how to look for fakes and forgeries. You also have my permission to link to my pages and to share the link paths to others. I only ask in return for you to send me an e-mail if I have made a mistake or have done some other technical blunder that in my rush to put these pages up would cause the visitor confusion. Please also visit my other website www.slingshotvenus.com and support the live music arts.