Counterfeits, fakes and forgeries of US Airmail Stationery

Counterfeits, fakes, forgeries, and other oddities of

US Airmail Postal Stationery

Bill Lehr

This article published in Airpost Journal, Vol. 79, # 8, Whole # 938, AUG 2008

(reference added AUG 30, 2008; UX27 with airmail border added DEC 6, 2008)

There have been no counterfeits or forgeries of US airmail postal stationery reported in the philatelic press. Fakes are another story. Several airmail issues involving overprints have lent themselves to the forger’s art. Philatelic favor items and printers’ waste are also known. Changelings exist but have created few recognized difficulties (other than the one described below) at this time. Cinderella and facsimile items also exist. Catalog numbers are given as Scott/UPSS; die numbers and surcharge types per UPSS catalog.

FAKE RF Overprints

UCM1-UCM5/RFa-14 to RF-h25

“Warning: Genuine material is very scarce, as less than 200 stamped envelope entires are recorded…Various counterfeit and philatelically inspired “RF” overprinted entires are known (e.g. 2¢ carmine airmail revalues of 1945, or with a “script” type, or from APO mailings). These, as well as unaddressed and often uncensored entires, are generally recognized to have little or no philatelic value.” Page 302, UPSS 20^th Century Catalog

RF overprints were used by French Naval forces for mail to the U.S. and to Canada between March 13, 1944 and October, 1945. All genuine RF overprints were hand stamped on both adhesive stamps and on the 6¢ orange airmail envelopes, Dies AM4 and AM5. No genuine RF overprints exist on the boxed 6¢ air mail overprinted envelopes. A dozen varieties of genuine RF overprints are known but only nine types appear on postal stationery. Original catalog listings frequently included bogus overprints by accident. Henry Goodhail did extensive work to sort the genuine overprints from the numerous fakes. Goodhail’s findings are documented in United States RF Overprints on Air Mail Stamps and Stationery (1944-1945) published in 1958 by the Collectors Club.

GENUINE RF overprint Type a GENUINE RF overprint Type e

The nine types of genuine RF overprints are depicted on page 300 of the 2004 UPSS 20^th Century Catalog, Jerry Summers, editor.

Steve Suffet, in an OCT 2, 1997 posting on the news group rec.collecting.stamps, provided this explanation of genuine RF overprints:

“Stamps with RF overprints were never sold as such in mint condition for postal use. The French sailor or marine in North Africa (or aboard a ship based in North Africa) bought an ordinary 6c air mail stamp or stamped envelope, addressed it to some destination in the USA or Canada, wrote his own military return address in the upper left, inserted his letter, and the(n) deposited the article unsealed into the outgoing mail.

A French naval officer then censored and sealed the article, and added his censor marking and signature to prove he had done so. A French naval postal clerk then applied the RF overprint – actually a control mark – to the stamp, and then cancelled it with a French naval postmark. The article was then turned over to US naval authorities for air mail dispatch to North America. The RF control mark meant that such mail got a lower priority than mail sent by Americans.”

The most prolific RF fakes were created by a stamp dealer to meet collector demand. These fakes were first offered for sale by the Economist Stamp Company in the July 13, 1946 issue of Stamps magazine. All of the fake overprints are identical, a script RF, on a variety of common, mint 6¢ airmail stationery. The inventory of fakes passed into the hands of Kover King in the 1960’s, later offered by LYN-CO in the late 1970’s, and by eBay seller smarthobbies in the early 2000’s. The fake script RF overprint is also known on airmail adhesive stamps.

Tracing of the FAKE script RF overprint

The underlying envelopes are the 6¢ orange airmail stationery:

UC4/AM-18FK UC5/AM-22FK

And the boxed 6¢ 1945 revalued circular die stationery:

UC8/AM-29T3FK UC8/AM-29T5FK UC8/AM-29T7FK

A.G. Chapman, reporting to the United States Envelope Society in 1954, listed all of the fakes above as well as a script RF overprint on AM-25a-39/UC6 recut. All of these were mistakenly listed as genuine at that time.

This fake RF overprint mimicking a Scott UCM1 is found on a mint UC6/AM-29-39 and was also reported by Chapman as genuine. To Chapman’s credit, he did list a genuine large block RF overprint Type “c” on an UC6/AM-24-39.

FAKE of Type “a” RF overprint

on Die AM5

Genuine RF overprints are known only on postally used stationery. This RF fake on a genuine postally used UC5 is quite misleading at first glance:

FAKE RF overprint on genuine used UC5/AM-22

As can be seen in the picture above the UC5 was used from an APO to Dayton, Ohio in June, 1945. The usage date is in the usage range for genuine RF overprints but the sender is not a member of the French Naval forces. The fake overprint bears some resemblance to UPSS Type “c” but with no period between the “R” and the “F” and with numerous differences in the serifs on both letters.

This cancelled but unused entire shows a genuine UC8T1 with added adhesive Scott C25 bearing a fake RF overprint and cancelled with a fake (or favor?) POSTE NAVALE CDS.

FAVOR entire

Ken Lawrence advises that the POSTE NAVALE cancel cannot be genuine (or a genuine usage) without a ship cachet or censor stamp also present on the cover. Steve Suffet relates that philatelic FAVOR items exist using genuine RF overprints and genuine POSTE NAVALE CDS but lacking the all important French naval censor mark.

The last “set of five unused entires” offered on ebay was in MAR, 2007. That listing received no bids. No sets have appeared since. A single copy of the fake RF script overprint sold on ebay in APR, 2007 for $14.50 (including shipping). A fake of RF6/UCM2k sold for $28.90 (date not recorded). Don’t be fooled by the script RF fakes nor by the favor items and be careful to check all other RF overprint types. Fakes are much more numerous than the genuine items.

FAKE Boxed 6¢ air mail surcharges

GENUINE, UPSS Surcharge Type 16

George Sloane maintained a running commentary on these surcharges in his regular column in the 1945 issues of Stamps. Genuine surcharges were applied by automatic canceling machines. The Post Office Department has reported “There were ten canceling machine dies prepared…all of which were used without re-engraving.” The ten city types of genuine boxed 6¢ air mail surcharges were first described by Antony Sturm in Philately. The surcharges were first cataloged in the Thorp-Bartels Century Edition. The UPSS 20^th Century Catalog has improved on the descriptions.

Surcharges on the various 2¢ circular dies range from common to slightly unusual. Even the surcharged 2¢ Bicentennial is only unusual to rare (200,000 printed).

Catalog listed errors include surcharged 1¢ circular Die 127 on white, surcharged 3¢ circular Die 143 on both white and on amber, and the surcharged 3¢ Bicentennial. Reported errors include a surcharged 2¢ albino, a partial surcharge, surcharge applied at an angle, and surcharges on 2 shades of the Bicentennial envelope.

Measurements compiled from examination of genuine surcharges:

Height of box: 20.5 to 21 mm Width of box: 52-53.5 mm

Height of “6”: 14 mm Width of “6”: 8 mm

Height of letters: 8-8.5 mm Length of inscription: 49-50 mm

Genuine UC8bT1 Genuine UC9T7

Postage Due Problems

Boxed 6¢ air mail surcharges caused some confusion among civilian Post Office workers. This confusion led to the delivery of some these surcharged envelopes marked “Postage Due”. The various boxed 6 surcharge fakes are all known mint and not postally used.

FAKE Type 1, reported

Tracing of FAKE Type 1

The Type 1 FAKE boxed 6¢ air mail surcharge exhibits a diagonal stroke through the “C” after the numeral “6”. Genuine overprints have a vertical stroke through the “C” after the numeral “6”

AM-45/AM-46/UC9FKT1

Report: “Counterfeit Airmail Overprint on 2¢ Bicentennial Envelope”, Maisel, William H.

Postal Stationery, Vol. 3, No. 9, Whole # 44, 1955, p 1

“On 2¢ Bicentennial: diagonal stroke from UR to LL through the “C” after the “6”

Fake overprint made with a rubber stamp; looks better than the genuine overprints.

Fake overprint is known on Die 155(1) and on Die 156(2); genuine occurs on Die 156(2) only.

Frame measures 25/32 X 2” (19.8 X 50.8 mm); “6” of “6¢” is ½” (12.7 mm) high; “AIR MAIL” is 23/64” (9.1 mm) high; overall length of “AIR 6¢ MAIL” is 1 25/32” (45.24 mm); overprinted on UPSS size 10 (Thorp-Bartels size 5) envelopes (this size was not authorized for overprinting). This fake overprint is also known on the 3¢ circular die envelopes.”

The Type 1 FAKE surcharge has a marginally smaller box, a narrow, short “6”, an italicized cent sign, taller letters, and a shorter inscription than any of the genuine surcharges. The “6” and the italicized cent sign are the defining features of the Type 1 fake. A grainy black and white photo of the Type 1 fake was published on page 74 of United States Commemorative Stamped Envelopes 1876-1968 by Ellis and Maisel, © 1974

FAKE Type 2, observed, examined

AM-45, AM-50FKT2

UC8g, UC9FKT2,

and on envelopes known not to have been overprinted

The Type 2 FAKE overprint is a good imitation of the genuine overprints. Observed on both the 2¢ and the 3¢ Bicentennial issues.

Tracing of Type 2 FAKE Scott Specialized composite

The Type 2 FAKE surcharge has the same size frame as the genuine but the bottom frame line is noticeably bent on the fake; “AIR” is tilted, all of the letters are taller and the inscription length is shorter on the fake than on the genuine surcharges; top of the slash through the “C” of the cent sign is bent to the left. This fake has previously been listed as City Type 0 but was not recognized as fake. All Type 3 fakes examined seem to be placed normally over the stamp impression. Type 3 Fake surcharge was created and applied by means of a rubber hand stamp.

Steve Levine relates:

            “WHEN the overprints were first made, Scott chose to use a drawn composite of all types,
rather than a picture of any one type. They thickened the lines as well, since their image tech
was weak in those days.

    Years later the faker, somewhat unsophisticated, used the Scott composite to make a fake stamp surcharge rather than using a real overprint image from a UC8.

     The fakes were used to make UC9s, especially the size 10 (former size 5).

     Scott became aware that their image was a composite and not an image some years ago, I
don't remember when they transitioned, but the old image probably pops up as late as 2000 or
close to it, at which time their tech improved, if not their pricing.”

The Scott composite city Type 0 boxed 6c overprint remained in use in both the Scott Specialized catalog and in the US section of Scott Volume 1 through the 2001 issues of both catalogs. The illustration of the overprint in the2008 Scott Specialized appears to be city type 8.

The American Air Mail Society also created their own variety of the boxed 6c overprint. The fakers made a most fortunate choice of the Scott version.

AM-50/UC8gFKT2 (examined on 3¢ Bicentennial)

Tracing of GENUINE Type 7 Surcharge

Genuine AM-50/UC8g is known with a genuine Type 7 surcharge only.

Type 7 surcharge exhibits a break in the vertical bar of the “R” just above the crossbar.

Type 2 FAKE Surcharge on 3¢ Bicentennial

Examination of AM-50/UC8gFKT2

Surcharge is located 10-11 mm below the top of the envelope as in the genuine surcharge; the box measures 51 mm X 20 mm; bottom frame line appears to be bent just below the right edge of the “6”; “AIR” is tilted downward to the right and the “A” appears to be higher than both the “I” and the “R”; letters measure 9 mm high except the “A” which measures 8.5 mm high; the figure “6” is 14.3 mm high; the slash through the “C” of ¢ is perpendicular except above the “C” where the slash slopes downward from left to right. The “M” of “MAIL” is twisted downward to the left and the foot of the “L” is thick. The differences in the ¢ and in “MAIL” are frequently difficult to observe due to the color of the underlying stamp. Type 2 Fake surcharge was created and applied by means of a rubber hand stamp.

FAKE Type 3, reported, observed, examined

AKA the Oregon forgery

AM-29 through AM-50 FKT2

UC8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, UC9, UC9 inverted FKT2,

and on envelopes known not to have been overprinted

The Type 3 FAKE overprint is a better imitation than the Type 1 fake of the genuine overprints and an improvement over the Type 2 because the bottom frame line has been straightened. The lettering appears to match that of the Type 2 fake.

Tracing of Type 3 FAKE Surcharge

Report: “Forgeries of the 6¢ Airmail Surcharge”, The Entire Truth, #58, APR, 1980, back cover

Overprint below (or low on and below) the stamp: Overprint appears to be a rubber stamp with a thicker border than on the genuine overprint; does not match any of the 10 types of the original overprints. Width of the forged overprint is 51 mm compared to 52 mm minimum for the genuine surcharge. Genuine overprint is normally on top of the stamp, the forged overprint is generally about 7 mm lower. Genuine overprints were applied by canceling machine. Genuine inverted overprints can occur only in the lower left corner.

Type 2 Forgeries are believed to have originated in Oregon according to Arthur Lewandowski.

AM-47/UC8dFKT3 (observed on 1¢ green circular die)

Genuine AM-47/UC8d is known with surcharge Type 6 only.

Tracing of GENUINE Type 6 Surcharge

Type 6 surcharge exhibits an upward sloping (to the right) crossbar in the “R”, a low crossbar on the “A”, long legs on the “R”, and a short, hooked top on the “6”.

Type 3 FAKE on 1¢ Circular Die

FAKE: Surcharge is high and tilted. Other characteristics appear to be a visual match to the Type 3 fake surcharge as reported above.

AM-48/UC8eFKT3 (observed on 3¢ purple circular die)

Genuine AM-48/UC8e is unique and is known with surcharge Type 4 only.

Tracing of GENUINE Type 4 Surcharge

Type 4 surcharge exhibits an upward sloping (to the right) crossbar in the “R”, the “I” in “AIR” is almost centered, and an almost circular “C” in the cents sign.

Type 3 FAKE Surcharge on 3¢ Circular Die

FAKE: Surcharge is low and tilted. Other characteristics appear to be a visual match to the fake Type 2 surcharge as reported above.

AM-45/UC9FKT3 (examined on 2¢ Bicentennial, UPSS size 10)

Genuine AM-45/UC9 surcharges are listed as “Type(s) unknown” in the UPSS catalog.

Type 3 FAKE Surcharge on 2¢ Bicentennial

Examination of AM-45/UC9FKT3

Surcharge is located 21 mm below the top of the envelope; the box measures 51 mm X 21 mm; bottom frame line appears slightly irregular but mostly straight; overall inscription length is 47.5 mm; “AIR” is tilted downward to the right and the “A” appears to be higher than both the “I” and the “R”; letters measure 8.75 mm high except the “A” which measures 8.25 mm high; the figure “6” is 14 mm high; the slash through the “C” of ¢ is perpendicular except above the “C” where the slash slopes slightly downward from left to right. The “M” of “MAIL” is twisted downward to the left; letters measure a consistent 8.25 mm. The differences in the ¢ and in “MAIL” are frequently difficult to observe due to the color of the underlying stamp. Type 3 Fake surcharge was created and applied by means of a rubber hand stamp.

Genuine boxed 6¢ air mail surcharge was authorized for use on white paper envelopes only. So what was this forger thinking?

Genuine U430e/2349-29 mint entire with

FAKE Type 3 surcharge

Fake surcharge is 25 mm down from the top of the envelope

And 17 mm in from the edge of the envelope

There is one recognized genuine overprint on amber paper is UC8f/AM-49 but that on is the 3¢ purple, Washington, Die 134(A). City types not reported. Probably a favor item and judging by the current Scott catalog value, only one known.

And the real icing on the faker’s cake:

Genuine UX38/S54T2 (steel plates) mint postal card with

FAKE Type 3 surcharge

Fake surcharge is 25 mm down from the top

And 7.25 mm in from the edge

FAKE Type 4, reported

UC8

A fake boxed 6¢ air mail overprint in purple was reported in the May-June 2008 issue of Postal Stationery. This UC8 fake has a California Edison Company corner card.

Fortunately for the fakers, none of the boxed 6¢ air mail overprint fakes were postally used. The Post Office might then have taken notice and pursued the fakers as counterfeiters. The boxed 6¢ fakes were mostly ignored as only the collectors, not the government, were being cheated.

Fake Revalue!?

1951/1952 6¢ Revalue on 5¢ Skymaster Confusion

UC19-UC22/AM-66 to AM-72

1951 Revalue 1952 Revalue

Some confusion occurred at the 1952 AAMS Convention. After viewing the newly released solid 6¢ revalue on the 5¢ DC-4 Skymaster envelopes, a convention attendee noticed a dealer selling the barred 6¢ revalue on the 5¢ DC-4 Skymaster envelopes. Misunderstanding that the barred 6¢ revalue was issued the previous year, accusations of FAKE were made. This sighting of a forgery was reported in the philatelic press. Eventually this situation was resolved when the misidentification was revealed.

Daytona Airmail Surcharge: 8¢ 1932 airmail devalued to 6¢

Fake surcharge added to AM-12/UC7, 8¢ olive green, Die AM-3. Fake surcharge is reported to consist of the numeral 6 to the left of the stamp and three horizontal bars across the numeral of value on the stamp. Type face of the numeral 6 is said to be similar to that of the Daytona (Type 7) surcharge. One mint, folded entire and one postally used entire have been reported. The used entire is post marked St. Paul, Minn., 1934(?) with no return address nor any message enclosed. The unused fake was mailed inside of the used fake. Discovered by Gunnar Anderson of Kenmore, N.Y. and reported by George Clemens Hahn in the December 30, 1944 issue of the Weekly Philatelic Gossip, p 400

FAVOR or PRINTER’S WASTE?

U481TXIc Front U481TXIc Back

Shown above is an interesting item, a 1 1/2¢ brown Washington, Die 132, with penalty overprint Type XIc and three of the 1951 “REVALUED/6¢/PO Dept” surcharges. Those surcharges appear one normal, one inverted at bottom left on the front, and one inverted at the bottom left on the back. Positions of the surcharges demonstrate that they were applied by canceling machine.

Dan Undersander described a small accumulation of revalued 1 1/2¢ circular dies with penalty overprints formerly belonging to Marcus White. Most of these have multiple impressions of the surcharge. The envelope containing this accumulation was supposedly marked: “EFO’s – Maybe some POD employee was playing or maybe these were used to test the six cent overprint die”. The penalty imprint was applied after the surcharge, probably to devalue these envelopes.

Penalty overprints were explained and cataloged by Leroy Ross with a catalog supplement by Taylor Chamberlin.

Changeling

Mekeel’s Weekly reported an interesting color error on the 1951 air letter sheet issue. This postally used UC16/ALS-1 was misidentified as UC16b/ALS-2b, chocolate on pale blue.

UC16bCH GENUINE UC16

Both paper and ink colors have darkened from the original. The genuine chocolate color error only occurs on UC16a/ALS-2b and is only known in unused condition.

UC37/AM-95 Unissued Variety

Initial design of the 8¢ red jet in red triangle envelope included a continuous border of lozenges. The printing contractor was having great difficulty producing satisfactory envelops. The red stamp and red border was the problem. One of the printers found that by cutting out part of the red border the printing problem was fixed. A portion of the blue border was also removed for appearance. The government approved this design change. Ten thousand of the full border variety had been delivered to Chicago for the first day ceremony. ALL 10,000 of the first design were sent back to Washington to be destroyed. Envelopes with the revised design were used for the first day ceremony.

Cinderella Airmail Postal Stationery

Enterprising stationers have taken genuine US postal stationery envelopes and added various printed airmail indications. These privately printed airmail stationeries are not listed in the catalogs. Samples are shown below. Apparently the Post Office treated these the same as if they had been rubber stamped

“AIR MAIL” or had a typical air mail etiquette label applied, provided proper postage was paid.

U428g with privately applied banner U528 with privately applied border

UX27 is also known with privately applied air mail border, front and back, with VIA AIR MAIL slogan below the stamp.

Typical air mail etiquettes, circa same time period:

Stationers tended to be creative fellows. Privately printed, non-franked air letter sheets were another of the stationers’ staples.

Wessels’s Airmail Envo-letter

Just like an air letter sheet but without the postage.

Unlike air letter sheets, contents could be enclosed

provided proper postage was paid.

Facsimiles

This invitation which includes a facsimile of the UXC1/SA1 stamp impression was used by the Williamsport, PA, Hobby & Craft Show. Either a large number of these invitations were leftover after the first year or someone made a mistake which was corrected by penciling in “2^nd” over “FIRST”. Genuine UXC1 stamp imprints are known in light orange red, orange red, and in deep red all on buff paper. The facsimile imprint is in black on white paper.
APPENDIX

Copy of the original ad for the script RF overprint from the July 13, 1946 issue of Stamps magazine

Acknowledgements

Bristow, Mercer, curator

APEX Reference Collection

JOBI Philatelic Services

US Postal stationery reference collection of counterfeits, fakes and forgeries

Bibliography

Air Post Envelopes, Issue of 1945

United States Stamped Envelopes Illustrated and Identified, 4th edition

U.S. Air Letter Sheet Color Error Discovered

Mckeel’s Weekly, Vol. 80, No. 20, Whole # 3253, May 15, 1953, p 1

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Fake RF Overprints

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Now It Can Be Told!

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Airmail Overprint; Forgery of Overprint

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USA Envelope UC8a Forgery?

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Private lozenges turned 5c envelope into airmail cover

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"RF" Overprints on U.S. 6c Air Mail, 1943-45

(reprinted from Aerophilatelists' News, 15 JUL 1948)

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Fake 8c Air Post Envelope Surcharge

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UC27 Fake or Not?

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Notes on the Army Postal Service

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U.S. Postal Stationery Forgeries

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Response to information on POSTE NAVALE CDS

Frajola’s Board for Philatelists, 01/31/08, 1:49PM

Message id: 1364155

Lehr, Bill

Fake USA Envelope Surcharge (Daytona Airmail Surcharge: 8¢ 1932 airmail devalued to 6¢)

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FEB 2-3, 2008

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Error 6c on 3c Air Mail Envelope

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Counterfeit Airmail Overprint on 2¢ Bicentennial Envelope

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Matthews, Thomas A.

2c Bicentennial Air Mail Revalued on Size 5 Envelope

Aero Philatelist Annal, Vol. 8, No. 3, JAN, 1961, p 62

McFarlane, Chuck

Surface Rate Card with Airmail Border

Postal Stationery, Vol. 50, No. 6, Whole # 363, 2008, pgs 172-173

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Postal Stationery Ideas

Linn’s Stamp News, OCT 22, 1979, p 28

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“R.F.” handstamps arouse curiosity

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Discovery of 2c Bicentennial Air Mail Revalue on Size 5 Envelope

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Self published, circa 1982

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Overprint Types on the AIR6¢MAIL

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Catalog of the 20th Century Stamped Envelopes

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"R. F." Control Overprints

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5c Airmail Envelope Re-Valued to 6c {Ticometer} .

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