MODENA 1859 issues

Return To Catalogue - Modena (Italy) 1852 issue - Italy

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Modena (Italy) 1852 issue

1859 Cross of Savoy, imperforate, "PROVINCIE MODENESI"

  5 c green
  15 c brown
  20 c grey
  40 c red
  80 c orange (brown)

Stamps with errors in the value panel exist.

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

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

Cancelled stamps:

I've been told that this cancel 'CASTELNUOVO CARFAGNANA' in a box is genuine

These stamps were only valid for a few months, be aware of genuine stamps with fake cancels! According to Lorenzo less than 20 used stamps of the 80 c are known to exist on envelope.

Genuine 80 c stamps stamp with forged cancels

(Probably a forged cancel)

Reprints:

(I presume these stamps are reprints)

Reprints on very thin paper were made at the Milan Exhibition in 1906. The word 'CENT' and the value are less thick than in the genuine stamps, furthermore there is no dot after the value. In all the reprints I've seen there is an indentation above the first 'L' of 'BOLLO' and the line below the right bottom corner ornament is missing. In some of these reprints there is a small bar in the frameline just in front of the 'C' of 'CENT' (see the 80 c value above). The right hand bottom square is always open at the bottom. Other sources (http://forgeriesofitalianstates.com/Modena/Modena.htm) say that these reprints were made in 1896.

Forgeries

Forgery detection: the line at the bottom of the stamp does not touch the frame on either side in the genuine stamps.

First forgery:

(Note that the leafs are different in the above forgeries)

The above forgeries are the first ones described in 'Album Weeds'. These forgeries are very blotched, the top of the crown points to the left side of the 'O' of 'FRANCO' (it should point to the right side). The crosses in the corners are much too large. There is a very small dot behind 'CENT' in these forgeries.

Second forgery:

(Forgery with inscription 'MODENESI')

Among various forgeries, a forgery exists with wrong inscription 'MODENESI' (only 1 'O') instead of 'MODONESI' (see image above). The above stamp is the fourth forgery described in Album Weeds.

Spiro (?) forgeries, also offered by Fournier:

(note the continuous line and the leaves in the lower left corner, no stop behind 'CENT')

The Spiro/Fournier forgeries can be detected by the fact that the bottom frame line is continuous. There must be a stop behind 'CENT' and behind the value in the genuine stamps, the above forgeries don't have this. Fournier offers these forgeries (all 5 values) for 1.50 Swiss Francs in his 1914 pricelist (as second choice forgeries). The cancels are very peculiar: dots, lines or a rectangle of small squares. I've seen whole sheets of 25 forgeries (5x5) with both the lines and dots cancels applied to these sheets.

Other forgeries:

(Forgery)

(Forgeries, note that the first 5 stamps have exactly the same cancel: "MODENA 20 LUGLIO 1859")

The line at the bottom of the stamp is continuous in the above forgeries. The leaf pattern is also different.

(Another forgery, also with continuous line at the bottom of the stamp, I've also seen this forgery with a 'PD' cancel in a double outlined box)

I've been told that the next stamp is a forgery as well:

Other stamps that I don't trust: there is an extra outline around the stamps:

Note, that in the above forgery, the design can be seen at the backside of the stamps.

(Other forgeries, note the strange concentric ring cancel on the 5 c, reduced sizes)

Forgery of the 20c, 40 c and 80 c, made by the same forger

The leave in the lower left corner seems to be hanging more downwards than in the genuine stamps in the above forgeries. The words 'FRANCO BOLLO' are placed too low. Besides the 5 c and 15 c values I have also seen the 20 c blue, 20 c lilac (bogus) 40 c and 80 c of this particular forgery. They always seem to have either the cancel 'PD' or the 'concentric rings' cancel as shown above.

(Very blur stamp, probably a forgery, the cancel consists of dots)

Some other forgeries of the 5 c, 15 c and 80 c, made by the same forger. Note that the leaves in the lower right corner are pointed.

80 c forgery with 'CENT' too far to the left

Forgery with a very large pearl on top of the crown

Another forgery of the 20 c value

Highly dubious item. A similar stamp is shown on http://forgeriesofitalianstates.com/Modena/Modena.htm, where it is identified as a forgery. The printing is very blur and there is an extra line below the stamp.

Another forgery exists with inscription 'DOLLO' instead of 'BOLLO', I have not seen this forgery.

Newspaper stamps

1859 Newspaper Tax Stamp, Eagle with crown in circle, Imperforated, "TASSA GAZETTE"

(Images obtained thanks to Lorenzo)

  10 c black

These stamps were printed manually.

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

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

Forgeries

A forgery was already described in 'The Stamp Collector's Magazine' in 1864 (1st October, page 155).

Examples:

(reduced size)

The above forgeries seem to be a relatively modern product. It is often offered from Italy. Note the relatively crude execution, the breaks and flaws seem to be constant for each individual forgery. Often this forgery has very large margins. Click here for more information on these modern Italian States forgeries

In the genuine stamps, a small horizontal dash can be found, just above the crown, this dash is missing in the next forgeries:

Forgeries with the crown empty

A forgery with inscription 'CAZETTE' (with 'C') instead of 'GAZETTE'. In 'Le Timbre Poste' by Moens (October 1876 No 166, page 76) the same illustration appears.

I've seen some forgeries of these stamps on (genuine?) old documents. Examples:

With pencancel and dots cancel

For more of these Italy States and Austrian forgeries on old documents, made by the same forger, click here.

Highly dubious stamps

Sperati made a forgery of this stamp. This Sperati forgery is rather deceptive, but the forgery is lithographed.

Sperati die proof of this stamp.

Fournier forgery: In a 'Fournier Album' ('Pages Reservees aux Experts'), I have seen a Fournier forgery of this stamp with the following forged cancel "MODENA 15 JUN 55":

Forged Fournier cancel "MODENA 15 JUN 55" in a single circle, reduce size, taken from a Fournier Album.

Typical cancel

I don't know where this cancel was used for. The text reads 'R.D. DISTRIBUZIONE POSTALE REGGIO'. I have seen similar cancels in red and black with inscription 'MODENA' instead of 'REGGIO' and with a slightly different design of the eagle.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer