(Glasgow genuine stamps)
Return To Catalogue - Great Britain - Great Britain Local issues, part 2 (circular delivery companies)
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.
With thanks to David Stirling (Scotland) for his help with this page. He has put up a site to distinguish the forgeries of these stamps, see Cinderella site by David M. Stirling.
More information about this area can be found in the following book: "Great Britain: The Stamps of the Circular Delivery Companies and their Forgeries", isued by the Cinderella Stamp Club, Handbook No 7, By C G Harman, London: The Cinderella Stamp Club and Frank Godden Ltd. 1990.
Other book: 'Farthing Delivery, a Right for Cheaper Postage' by Donald S. Patton, London, Lowe & Brydon (printers) Ltd.
These companies were established by James Nixon Brydone or his son Robert. They exist for nine cities of the United Kingdom. However, they were never put into use because the Post Office sued them. There are several forgeries of these stamps.
(Glasgow genuine stamps)
Genuine stamps
Proofs in black (genuine, I presume, other sources say it is a
reprint made in 1929?) of all the cities and values (including
zoom-ins). Note the letters 'TNDC' in the corners. The
Metropolitan stamp is missing in this proof, I presume the word
"LONDON" was replaced by "METROPOLITAN" to
make this stamp.
According to David Stirling in his website: http://www.geocities.com/david_m_stirling/Circular.html :
"The Circular Delivery Company Limited
was the last of the Brydone Companies and was formed and
registered on 22 February, 1868. New stamps were prepared for the
seven cities which had previosly had stamps, and two new cities.
The stamps were printed in sheets of 81 (9X9) having nine rows of
stamps, each row being for a different city. There were four
values only, farthing, green, halfpenny, blue, three farthings,
brown, and one penny, pale scarlet. A vertical column from each
sheet of values would thus produce a complete set of the four
values from all nine cities. The Cities, in their oder in the
sheet, were Dundee, Manchester, Glasgow,
Liverpool, Aberdeen, Birmingham, London, Metropolitan and
Edinburgh & Leith. Only one printing was
made of these stamps, though they were later extensively forged,
indeed the first forgery was noted by Dr Magnus in "Le
Timbrophile" in October, 1868.
Following prosecution against them, the Circular Delivery Company
Limited went out of business on 2 June, 1869
The original stamps had the lettrers T N D and C inserted into
the four corners of the design. There is no evidence available to
show that these stamps ever saw actual usage, and it is more
likely that they were produced for sale to collectors, which is
exactly what happened. They are not uncommon, although they are
far outnumbered by supplies of some of the forgery types. Copies
with a blue pencil line across them are from the Licoln stock, he
being under the impression that it was illegal to sell them
unused.
The first forgery appeared in 1868 and is dangerous as it also
has the letters in the corners. It is only known in imperforate
condition."
So the only genuine stamps can be: 1 f green, 1/2 p blue, 3 f brown and 1 p red (scarlet). David also gives a table to distinguish the most dangerous first forgeries from the genuine stamps:
| City | 1 f green | 1/2 p blue | 3 f brown | 1 p red |
| Aberdeen genuine | Coloured dot in left leg of 'H' of 'FARTHING' | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | 'FARTHINGS' evenly spaced | Coloured dot in 'E' of 'ONE' |
| Aberdeen forged | No coloured dot in 'H' | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | 'HIN' of 'FARTHINGS' crushed together | No coloured dot in 'E' of 'ONE' |
| Birmingham genuine | Letters of 'ONE FARTHING' equally spaced | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | 'THREE FARTHINGS' one word evenly spaced | Three dots in white frame over 'N' of 'ONE' |
| Birmingham forged | Letter of 'ONE' smaller than 'FARTHING' | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | Space between 'THREE' and 'FARTHINGS' | No dots in white frame over 'N' of 'ONE' |
| Dundee genuine | 'ONE FARTHING' thin and small, 'O' broken at left | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | Normal 'H' and well formed 'G' in 'FARTHINGS' | Value tablet broader. 'ONE PENNY' tallere. Small space between 'Y' and tablet end. |
| Dundee forged | 'ONE FARTHING' tall and thick, narrow 'O' and broad 'G' | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | Left lower limb of 'H' of 'FARTHINGS' missing and 'G' is deformed | Value tablet narrow, and 'ONE PENNY' shorter. Space between 'Y' and tablet end. |
| Edin. Leith genuine | Mark to left of 'O' of 'ONE' bracket shaped | Coloured flaw in upright of 'E' of 'PENNY' | Coloured line under 'RTHINGS' | Coloured bracket shape to left of 'O' of 'ONE' |
| Edin. Leith forgery | No bracket shaped mark | No coloured flaw | No coloured line | No coloured bracket shape |
| Glasgow genuine | 'ONE FARTHING' small and thin. 'O' broken at left | 'H' of 'HALF' is well shaped | Letters of 'THREE FARTHINGS' well formed and spaced. A line divides upper value frame. | 'ONE PENNY' letters shorter. Colour line in upper value tablet |
| Glasgow forged | 'ONE FARTHING' tall and thick. Narrow 'O' and broad 'G' | 'H' of 'HALF' is like an inverted 'N' | Letters of 'THREE FARTHINGS' badly shaped. 'HR' and 'HIN' compressed. | Letters of 'ONE PENNY' tall and thick |
| Liverpool genuine | Well formed crossbar to 'H' of 'FARTHING', two white dots left of 'O' of 'ONE' | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | Letters better spaced | White flaw over space between 'ONE' and 'PENNY' |
| Liverpool forged | Cross bar of 'H' hardly visible | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | 'THREE FARTHINGS' badly spaced | No white flaw over space between 'ONE' and 'PENNY' |
| London genuine | Two vertical white lines to right of 'G' of 'FARTHING' | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | White upper frame line over 'THREE' | 'ONE PENNY' in taller figures |
| London forged | No white lines to right of 'G' of 'FARTHING' | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | No white frame line over 'THREE' | 'ONE PENNY' in short figures |
| Manchester genuine | Coloured stroke in left top of 'T' in 'FARTHING' | Value reads 'ONE HALFPENNY' | 'THREE' and 'FARTHINGS' one word | Large space between letters and value tablet |
| Manchester forged | No stroke. Larger space between 'G' and frame | Value reads 'HALF PENNY' | Space between 'THREE' and 'FARTHINGS' | 'ONE PENNY' almost touches frame |
| Metropolitan genuine | 'ONE FARTHING' shorter and better spaced | Stem of 'Y' of 'COMPANY' missing | 'P' of 'METROPOLITAN' slopes to the left | Crescent shaped mark to right of 'O' of 'ONE' |
| Metropolitan forged | 'ONE FARTHING' taller and badly spaced | With stem of 'Y' | 'P' of 'METROPOLITAN' slopes to the right | No white mark to the right of 'O' of 'ONE' |
I have never seen any of the above forgeries....
David Stirling further says:
The genuine stamps are also encountered in imperforate condition but can be distinguished using the above tests. The other forgeries of the Circular Delivery Company Limited's stamps do not contain the letters TNDC. The producers also created additional values above 1d. These are, of course, totally bogus.
The second forgery of these stamps has been
attributed by an early source to Edwin Healy. These are nicely
printed by lithography, in the same sheet formation as the
genuine, but lack the letters TNDC in the corners. There are six
values for each of the nine locations.
Farthing green, halfpenny blue, three farthings buff, one penny
vermillion, three pence yellow and six pence carmine. The last
two values are totally bogus. The distance between the horizontal
rows of stamps is 2.5 mm. and this is less than the succeeding
forgeries. The colours are generally bright, unlike the third
forgery, where they are rather flat. This forgery is perforated
11.5.
The "G" of "GLASGOW" is too rounded and the
bird on the tree too prominent.
The "P" of "LIVERPOOL" has a very flat top
part.
The sword in the arms is almost touching the upper part of the
shield in this forgery type.
The sword in the arms is almost touching the upper part of the
shield in this forgery type (as in the London type).
The "Y" of "DELIVERY" and the "C"
of "COMPANY" are not slanting enough in these
forgeries.
The stamp forger Fournier also sold these forgeries. Here some
examples from the Fournier Album with "FAUX" overprint.
Here some forgeries and forged overprints made by the forger
Fournier. Among them a London delivery company stamp.
I presume that all the other values I've seen (listed below) are forgeries.
1 f lilac 1/2 p blue 'ONE HALFPENNY' 1/2 p blue 'HALF PENNY' 1 p blue 1 p green 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow 4 p red 6 p red
1 f green 1 p blue 1 p green 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow 6 p red
(Forgery)
1 f green 3 f orange 1/2 p blue
The following values are probably bogus issues?
Edinburgh-Leith 1/2 p green 1/2 p blue 1 p green 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow 6 p red
1/2 p blue 1 p blue 1 p green 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow 6 p red
(Probably a forgery)
(Forgery!)
1 f blue 1/2 p blue 1 p green 1 p red 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow
(Forgery!)
3 f brown 1/2 p blue 1 p blue
1 f green 1/2 p blue 1 p blue 1 p green 2 p brown 3 p lilac 3 p yellow
Apparently this stamp exists in the colors, green, blue, orange
and red.
Clearly different from the stamp above, compare for example the
"N" of "NATIONAL" or the "D" of
"DELIVERY". The shading of the upper part of the ribbon
is missing. This is most likely a forgery.
I presume that this issue is totally bogus?
Great Britain Local issues part 2 (circular delivery companies)