Wednesday, February 16, 2011

"O.H.M.S." FORGERY ALERT......

Recently, information has been brought to my attention (TS) that a wave of forgeries have found their way onto the Canadian stamp market. The issue(s) primarily surround very dangerous forged overprints of the "O.H.M.S." issues. While the details of this have come to light only in the past couple of weeks, it appears that the stamps have been introduced gradually onto the market over the past eighteen (18) months at least. On last inspection almost 90% of such items currently being offered on eBay were such forgeries.

The most obvious culprits are found on the O9 "British Columbia Logging" from the Peace Issue and the O11 "Albert Oil" issue.  The forged overprint has very sharp serifs, what appears to be a narrowing of the upper left corner of the "O" and, a dull, non-glossy finish to the black ink of the overprint.  On the originals, the letters of the overprint are slightly fuller, leave a mild impresssion viewable on the reverse of the stamp, and a slight glossy tint to the black ink.

These features are tough to discern  by viewing images online.  This "story" is moving very quickly and it is hoped that the forger(s) will be prosecuted.  Those more informed, have promised to update with educational images to help buyers/sellers re-establish a sense of confidence with respect to these items on the marketplace.

Additionally, there is a great concern over other materials being offered online by this dealer, which include Imperforate Admirals, Experimental Coils, Paste-up Pairs, reperforated Registration Stamps, and "Missing Magenta" items of the Antique definitive series. 

While this is not the best forum in which to address every concern, it will be helpful to add information as it becomes better understood.