| Examining Used Stamps for Possible Forged Overprints or Inappropriate Cancellations |
The first step in examining used examples of these stamp issues is to examine the cancellation and to know which cancellations are appropriate. While it is certainly very possible that a "proper type" cancellation could be faked, in 27 years of examining these stamps I have never found such an example. Thus one can be reasonably sure that if the cancellation is of the proper type, then the stamp is "okay".
If the cancellation is not one of the "proper types" and it does not fall into the category of the very early use of the 15 øre and 1 kroner stamps discussed above, then the item is likely one of the following:
-- a genuine overprinted stamp with an improperly
applied cancellation
-- a genuine ordinary postage stamp with a genuine
cancellation but with a forged overprint.
Improperly Applied Cancellations
The "improperly applied" cancellations primarily occur for three reasons. The first two cannot be told apart as single stamps, nor does it really matter: a) Accidental use on ordinary postal mail and b) philatelically inspired cancelling to obtain "used" stamps. The later was most typically done with inexpensive stamps and was probably not done to cheat collectors; it may simply have been done by packet makers who needed to assemble several hundred different used Danish stamps. Such stamps are worth much less than properly used stamps.
The third type of "improperly applied" cancellation is an attempt to defraud collectors. In this situation a stamp of some value, often with higher value used than mint will be given an unidentifiable (town type) corner cancellation. It is important to note that in Europe many collectors prefer either Mint Never Hinged or Used stamps and avoid Mint Hinged stamps. As a result, some of the early issues are worth much more in "used" condition than in "mint hinged" condition. Furthermore, any otherwise blemished or missing gum simply adds to the fakers incentive to turn the stamp into a used example. Fortunately, the types of cancellations applied usually reveal the manipulation. (Note: in the coming years we can expect to see application of faked cancellations of the "proper types".) Such stamps are worth far less than the least costly of mint or used examples; many collectors would consider them to be worth far less than a damaged, but attractive, genuine mint or used stamp. |
