FINLAND 1875-1890 issues

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For issues of Finland before 1874 click here.

1875 Arms of Finland, Lion, value in the four corners

  2 p grey
  5 p orange
  5 p green (1885)
  8 p green
  10 p brown (1879)
  10 p red (1885)
  20 p blue
  20 p orange (1885)
  25 p red (1879)
  25 p blue (1885)
  32 p orange
  1 M violet
  1 M grey and red
  5 M green and red
  10 M brown and red

The first stamp to be issued was the 32 p with perforation 14. Afterwards, many of these stamps were issued with different perforations: 11, 11 x 12 1/2 or 12 1/2.

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 in the values: 10 p red, 10 p violet, 10 p orange-brown, 16 p brown, 20 p orange and 25 p red.

Cuts from postal stationary.

Reprints:

A block of four imperforate 1 M violet stamps was issued for the NORDIA 1975 exhibition (with text written on the back). Also, a stamp was issued with an image of a 32 p stamp for this occasion.

Cancels:

Mute cancel or cork-cancel

'ANK' in a rectangle cancel with numbers at the right hand side (date?). I've seen this cancel in several sizes, mostly in black, but also in violet color.

I've also seen pencancels on this issue.

Forgeries:

The following 5 M and 10 M forgeries, have the inscription 'MARKKA' instead of 'MARKKAA':

According to the Serrane guide these forgeries were made by I. (Imperato?) in Genoa (Italy). Imperato also made a forgery of the 1 M value as well as tete-beche forgeries of the 5 and 20 penni values. The cancel used on these forgeries appears to be 'JAKOBSTAD PIETARSAARI 3 VIII 85' (also with Russian inscription of the town Jakobstad). Note that the corner ornaments are too big.

Another forgery with inscription 'MARKKA' different from the above one; could this be a candy wrapper? The perforation is very defective and apparently printed and then cut out. I've also seen the 20 p blue, 25 p red, 32 p red (see image above) of this issue and the 1 M and 10 M of the next issue. They all have the corner 'HELSINGF' cancel. The lettering is also different from the genuine stamps.

The next forgery of the 5 M is imperforate and has the word 'FALSCH' (=forged in German) written on top:

(Imperforate forgeries with 'FALSCH' overprint, one of Senf's products)

Another primitive forgery of the 32 p value

A modern forgery often (always?) with 'Facsimile' printed on the backside. Note the very badly done 'squarish' perforation.

I've been told that these stamp are reprints made in 1892. The genuine 8 p stamp has perforation 11, the reprint has perforation 12 1/2.

Essays:

32 p in red and blue and 1 M lilac (non-issued desings)

Labels in a similar design. I've seen the red label with an overprint 'We Are Agents For Roessler's Stamp News 50 c Per Year.'.

1889 Arms of Finland, Lion, Russian text at the right

  2 p grey
  5 p green
  10 p red
  20 p orange
  25 p blue
  1 M grey and red
  5 M green and red
  10 M brown and red

All these stamps were issued with perforation 12 1/2. Furthermore the values 5 p, 10 p, 20 p and 25 p exist with perforation 14 x 13.

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 the value 10 p in this design.

Cancels

Cork cancels, various types.

A ship cancel, I've also seen this cancel on a stamp of Germany of the 1920's.

I've also seen pencancels on this issue.

Forgeries:

The values 5 M and 10 M were forged by Fournier, they can be recognized by their cancels:

(Fournier forgery of the 10 M value, with Kuopio cancel)

(Fournier forged cancels, reduced sizes)

"Blue" prints of Fournier forgeries, as they can be found in the Fournier Album (these blue prints were created for the Fournier Album when the forgeries were no longer in stock).

Tampere As Tammerfors R (+Russian town name) 8 V 98 4 1
Wiborg Wiipuri 11 XI 97 9b
Wiborg 6 XI 89
Kuopio (+Russian town name) 1 IV 98 3 1
Helsingfors Helsinki (+Russian town name) 5 III 00

These forgeries were offered in Fournier's pricelist of 1914 for 2 Swiss Francs both (as first choice forgeries).

I've been told that the next stamp is a Fournier forgery, though the cancel does not resemble any of the above. Also note the absence of the background pattern:

(Fournier forgeries?)

Another forgery of the 5 M, note the different '5's and the too short word 'FINLAND'. Next to it two cancelled forgeries made by the same forger (also a 10 M forgery).

A forgery of the 10 M with the bottom '1' different from a genuine stamp. Also a forgery of the 1 M value, with very bad perforation. Both have the corner 'HELSINGF' cancel, from which they can easily be identified (are these the so-called 'candywrapper-forgeries'?).

A Fazer 'candy wrapper' exists of the 5 M with printed perforations and a very distinct cancel (sorry, no images available yet).

More on forgeries of the 5 M and 10 M stamps can be found in 'The Posthorn' (1980) page 96-99.

For issues of 1891 to 1920 click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer