BELGIUM 1893-1914

Return To Catalogue - Belgium 1849-1868 - Belgium 1869-1892 - Belgium 1915 onwards

Currency: 100 Centimes = 1 Franc

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Gereral remarks about stamps with tab; when the tab is no longer attached to the stamp, the stamp is less valuable.

For stamps of Belgium from 1893 to 1920 click here.

1893 Arms ('Armoires') with tab

  1 c grey
  2 c yellow
  2 c brown (1894)
  5 c green

For the specialist: the 1 c , 2 c brown and 5 c green were also issued without ornaments where the stamp and the tab joins in 1907. These stamps are perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I have seen postal stationery in this design: 5 c green (with tab and ornaments) and 5 c green (with tab but no ornaments).

Cancels:

(Precancel)

More info on precancels can be found in the book: 'Catalogue des Preos Belge 1894-1937' by Jean Lepingle (in French)

Forgeries:

Some very rare non-issued stamps exist with overprint 'CHINE' and value in 'CENTS'. I have seen a Hialeah forgery of a '2 CENTS' on 5 c green stamp, made with a computer scanner and printer. The printing is very bad and the perforation is wrong. They are often offered on E-bay.

Some forged 'CHINE Specimen' Hialeah overprints. The stamps are also forged (made by a computer scanner and printer), reduced sizes.

1894 Antwerp exhibition

  5 c green on red
  10 c red on blue
  25 c blue on red

For the specialist: these stamps are perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1896 Brussels exhibition

  5 c lilac
  10 c brown
  10 c lilac

For the specialist, these stamps are perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1905 King Leopold II, with large white beard ('Grosse Barbe'), stamps with tab, different frames

  10 c red
  20 c green
  25 c blue
  35 c brown
  50 c grey
  1 F yellow
  2 F lilac

These stamps are perforated 14.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I have seen postal stationery in this design (with tab): 10 c red and 25 c blue.

Some very rare non-issued stamps exist with overprint 'CHINE' and value in 'CENTS'. I have seen a Hialeah forgery of a '4 CENTS' on 10 c red stamp, made with a computer scanner and printer. The printing is very bad and the perforation is wrong. They are often offered on E-bay.

I've been told that the next stamps are forgeries of the 20 c, 35 c and 2 F values on authentic paper taken from the border of the sheet. They were made in the United States.

Forgeries

Some forged 'CHINE Specimen' Hialeah overprints. The stamps are also forged (made by a computer scanner and printer), reduced sizes.

Another forgery of the 2 F exists, in which the epaulette of the King ends at the corner of the square with '2F'; in the genuine stamps it ends much further to the right.

1910 Inscription 'CARITAS'

(The two types of the 10 c, type I left , type II right)

  1 c grey
  1 c green
  2 c brown
  5 c blue
  10 c red
  

('1911' and 'CHARLEROI 1911' overprint)

(Overprinted '1911', reduced size)

These stamps exist in 2 types, and exist overprinted '1911' and 'CHARLEROI 1911'.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

In 1926 a similar design was issued with inscription 'INONDATIONS WATERSNOOD' at the bottom (two types): 1 F + 1 F blue.

1912 Number and lion, stamps with tab

  1 c orange (number)
  2 c brown (lion)
  5 c green (lion)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1912 King Albert in a rectangle facing the left, stamps with tab

(Reduced size)

  10 c red
  20 c olive
  25 c blue
  35 c brown
  40 c green
  50 c grey
  1 F orange
  2 F violet
  5 F brown (larger size)

(Two types: one button left and two buttons right)

For the specialist: two types exist of these stamps. In type I there are two buttons on the uniform of the king, all stamps except the 25 c were issued in type I. In type II there is only one button on the uniform and the head of the king is larger, the values 10 c, 20 c, 25 c and 40 c were issued in type II. The values 10 c, 20 c and 25 c of type II exist in a subtype without the name of the engraver.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

On the left, presumably genuine stamp. On the right: Deceptive forgery. Note that the 'S' of 'PELLENS' is larger, the background on the right is less gradually shaded, the second line on the 'epaulette' on the left (from our point of view) is not correct (all lines should be parallel in the genuine stamp).

I've seen deceptive forgeries of the 5 F with cancel 'SCHAERBEEK 19-20 6 V 1913' or 'NAMUR 19 IX. 1914 NAMEN 1N 1N' (see image above).

If I'm well informed the lower values have also been forged (30 c and 1 F). These types with two buttons were forged, they are quite dangerous.

1914 War issue, statue of war heroes (Merode monument), overprinted with a red cross

  5 c green
  10 c red
  20 c lilac

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgeries:

(forgery with cancel, reduced size)

(forgeries)

These stamps are quite rare. However, enormous quantities of forgeries exist. The forgeries can easily be recognized by the 'Q' of 'BELGIQUE', this should be a real 'Q', but in the forgeries it resembles more an 'O'. Perforated and imperforate forgeries with or without forged cancels exist. The above stamps are forgeries.
According to www.bondskeuringsdienst.nl/BKD.pps, these forgeries were made by the Belgian forger Verschueren from Antwerp (the printer who printed the original stamps). The 1915 red cross issue (King Albert, small size) was also forged by him. These forgeries also exist on letter (a letter adressed to Monsieur Levionnois 15, Rue de Charleroi Charleroi can be found on the above mentioned website) with a full set of all six forgeries. I've also seen a forged letter with all three above stamps and the 1915 King Albert small sized stamps (all three) on a letter to 'Monsieur Lauwers 33, Avenue Louise Bruxelles' with the same cancel as shown above 'ANTWERPEN ANVERS 11-12 7 1914'. See also http://postzegelsdemerode.be/NL/vervalsingenf.html for more information.

Belgium 1915 onwards

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer