CUBA 1880-1899

Return To Catalogue - Cuba 1855-1863 (Spanish Westindies) - Cuba 1864-1871 (Spanish Westindies) - Cuba 1873-1879 - Cuba 1899 onwards - Cuba miscellaneous

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Cuba 1873-1879

1880 Alfonso XII, new type

Inscription 'CUBA 1880'

  5 c green
  10 c red
  12 1/2 c grey
  25 c blue
  50 c brown
  1 p brown

These stamps have perforation 14.

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

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

Inscription 'CUBA 1881'

  1 c green
  2 c red
  2 1/2 c olive
  5 c blue
  10 c brown
  20 c brown

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

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

Inscription 'CUBA'

  1 c green
  2 c red
  2 1/2 c brown
  2 1/2 c lilac
  5 c blue
  10 c olive
  10 c brown
  10 c blue
  20 c brown
  20 c grey

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

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

Overprinted with a fancy pattern to distinguish stolen stamps from those issued by the post office.

  5 on 5 c grey (5 different overprints, all in red)
  10 on 10 c olive (5 different overprints, all in blue)
  20 on 20 c brown (5 different overprints)

The different surcharges seem to exist on the same sheet. Errors and inverted overprints exist.

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

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

Forged overprints exist, example:

Newspaper stamps inscription 'CUBA-IMPRESOS' (1888)

  1/2 m black
  1 m black
  2 m black
  3 m black
  4 m black
  8 m black

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

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

Forgeries, examples:

I've been told that the next stamps are postal forgeries, note that the 'C' of 'CUBA is more open than in the genuine stamps.

(Postal forgery)

(Other postal forgeries)

A forgery of the 5 c value with a very thin '-' behind the '5'

Forged overprint made by Fournier (image taken from a Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries).

Left genuine stamp, right imperforate Segui forgery.

1890 Alfonso XII, 'Babyface', inscription 'ISLA DE CUBA'

  1 c brown
  1 c grey
  1 c blue
  1 c violet
  2 c red
  2 c blue
  2 c brown
  2 1/2 c green
  2 1/2 c orange
  2 1/2 c violet
  2 1/2 c red
  5 c olive
  5 c green
  5 c blue
  10 c brown
  10 c red
  10 c green
  20 c violet
  20 c blue
  20 c brown
  40 c brown
  80 c brown

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

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

Newspaper stamps, inscription 'CUBA-IMPRESOS' (1890-1896)

  1/2 m brown
  1/2 m violet
  1/2 m red
  1/2 m blue
  1 m brown
  1 m violet
  1 m red
  1 m blue
  2 m brown
  2 m violet
  2 m red
  2 m blue
  3 m brown
  3 m violet
  3 m red
  3 m blue
  4 m brown
  4 m violet
  4 m red
  4 m blue
  8 m brown
  8 m violet
  8 m red
  8 m blue

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

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

A postal forgery of the 5 c green postage stamp exists. It has a badly done 'A' of 'CUBA' and an extra short line in the central oval just above the 'E' of 'DE'. There is also some difference in the upper left corner ornaments (see http://www.asociacionfilatelicapinedademar.com/cuba/falsospos/f1890.html for more details. The forgeries exist in different shades of green and appeared in 1890-1891.

Genuine stamp on the left, forgery on the right, note the extra horizontal line in the forgery at the bottom (image of the forgery obtained from the above mentioned site).

Genuine upper left corner ornament on the left, forgery on the right (images obtained from the above mentioned site).

Local Puerto Principe overprint on a 2 m stamp overprinted with 'HABILITADO 3 cents.':

Local Puerto Principe overprint (sometimes referred to as Carpenter issue).

I have also seen the 3 c on 8 m value with the same overprint. Furthermore the 1 c on 1 m, 3 c on 1 m, 3 c on 2 m, 3 c on 3 m, 5 c on 1 m, 5 c on 2 m, 5 c on 3 m, 5 c on 4 m, 5 c on 8 m, 5 c on 1/2 c, 5 c on 5 m. All genuine overprints are RR to RRR. See http://www.philat.com/FIL/Pto-Principe/3rdPrintingChart.html for more information.

Forged overprints made by Fournier (image taken from a Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries). Probably used to create the rare provisionals.

1898 'Curly head' Alfonso XIII facing the left

  1 m brown
  2 m brown
  3 m brown
  4 m brown
  5 m brown
  1 c violet
  2 c green
  3 c brown
  4 c orange
  5 c red
  6 c blue
  8 c brown
  10 c red
  15 c olive
  20 c brown
  40 c violet
  60 c black
  80 c brown
  1 p green
  2 p blue

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

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

These stamps were declared invalid on the 1st January 1899.

Local overprints

(local Puerto Principe issue or 'Carpenter issue', overprinted 'HABILITADO 3 cents.' on a 2 m stamp)

I've been told that this 5 cents on 2 m is genuine

I have also seen similar overprints in the values: 2 c on 2 m, 3 c on 3 m, 5 c on 2 m and 5 c on 5 m. Furthermore the values 1 c on 1 m, 3 c (red) on 1 c, 3 c on 2 m, 5 c on 1/2 m, 5 c on 1 m and 5 c on 3 m, 5 c (red) on 1 c and 10 c (red) on 1 c should exist. Most of these overprints are forged. All genuine overprints are RR to RRR. See http://www.philat.com/FIL/Pto-Principe/1stPrintingChart.html for more information.

Postal forgeries

Postal forgeries exist of the values 3 c and 6 c, which appeared towards the end of 1898. Most (if not all) were used in Havana. Uncancelled postal forgeries are extremely rare:

Left genuine stamp, right postal forgery of the 6 c value. The inscription 'CUBA - 1898 y 99' is very badly done. Image obtained from: http://www.philat.com/FIL/1890-1898/Cuba--King%20Alfonso%20XIII%20Issues%201898--6%20cents--Postal%20Forgery.pdf

This postal forgery was pasted on a letter, together with two genuine stamps (2 c and 3 c) and adressed to Gebruder Senf in Leipzig, a stamp dealer (picture also obtained from the above mentioned website). Therefore I don't know if this forgery was made with some philatelic intention. The fact that it was send to Senf makes it at least 'suspicious'.

I have not yet been able to obtain an image of the postal forgery of the 3 c value. A detailed description can be found in 'The Cuban Philatelist' of January 1998 (available online). It says that the 3 c postal forgery is slightly larger than the genuine stamp, that it is poorly lithographed, it has bad perforation and irregular lettering.
The 6 c postal forgery value has also poor perforation, is slightly larger than the genuine stamp and has also bad lettering. The color is too faded. A picture of the above shown envelope can also be found here (together with other known letters with postal forgeries).

Philatelic forgeries were made by the forger Francois Fournier. He made forgeries of at least the 60 c, 80 c, 1 P and 2 P stamps. I don't know the distinguishing charcteristics, although the lettering doesn't look as neat as the genuine stamps to me. He probably used the forged cancels 'HABANA 2 JULIO 1898 YSLA DE CUBA', 'SANTA CLARA 3 ENERO 1899 YSLA DE CUBA' and 'MATANZAS 7 DIC 1898 YSLA DE CUBA' (as they can be found in 'The Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries').

Another philatelic forgery exists of the 4 m value (see http://www.philat.com/FIL/Collections/ROBEP8905-1898.pdf). It has short letters and misssing serifs. For example the 'A' is shorter than the 'B'.

Probably the above mentioned forgery.

Primitive forgeries

For stamps of Cuba issued from 1899 onwards, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer