PORTUGAL 1853-1865

Return To Catalogue - 1866-1872 - 1872-1894 - 1894-1911 - 1912 onwards - Miscellaneous - Fiscal Stamps

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Portuguese Colonies:

Angola - Angra - Azores - Cape Verde - Funchal - Horta - Inhambane - Lorenzo Marques - Macao - Madeira - Mozambique - Mozambique Company - Nyassa (Portuguese Nyassaland) - Ponta Delgada - Portuguese Africa - Portuguese Congo - Portuguese Guinea - Portuguese India - Quelimane - St Thomas and Prince - Tete - Timor - Zambezia

General:

Portuguese Colonies, overview - 'Crown issue' - 'Embossed issue (1886)' - 'Newspaper issue (1894)' -1894 King Charles (Carlos) in an ellipse - 1895 King Charles (Carlos) in a circle - 1898 Vasco da Gama issue

1853 Queen Maria II, Various frames

  5 r brown
  25 r blue
  50 r green
  100 r lilac

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

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

Reprints

Reprints exist of these stamps.

1863 reprint, see also http://www.portugal.tabacaria.com.pt/Reimpressoes/M63_5R.htm, the color is more dark brown, the head of the Queen smaller and she has an adams-apple.

1885 reprint in darker brown, there is no curl of hair hanging from the back of the head. See al;so http://www.portugal.tabacaria.com.pt/Reimpressoes/M85_5R.htm

1863 reprint of the 25 r, the stamp is overinked at the right hand side. A tiny white dot can be found in front of the Queen's eye. Source: http://www.portugal.tabacaria.com.pt/Reimpressoes/M63_25R.htm

Reprints

The 50 r reprint can be recognized by the break in the frame at the upper right of the secnd 'O' of 'CORREIO' and the almost-break in the frame below the bottom '50'. Reprints with forged cancels exist. More information can be found at: http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DMaria/Maria1885.htm. Both the 1863 and 1885 reprints of the 50 r have the same characteristics. In 1905 another reprint of the 50 r value was made (very deceptive, but printed more yellowish-green than the originals). .

1863 reprint, always heavily overinked on the left and right hand side of the stamp. And 1885 reprint on the right. A 1905 reprint exists with the outer frameline broken just above the center right ornament.

Some other reprints made in 1953, with inscription '1853 1953' on the back:

Reduced sizes

A 'reprint' of the 5 r value, issued for the 'Salon der Philatelie' in Hamburg 1984

Forgeries:

Some forgeries without embossing (sem relevo) exist of the values 5 r, 50 r and 100 r. More information (and pictures) can be found at: http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DMaria/DMariaFalsos5.htm, http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DMaria/DMariaFalsos50.htm and http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DMaria/DMariaFalsos100.htm.

Other forgery of the 5 r value with embossing. Note the different lettering and the large curl at the back of the head of the Queen (reduced size).

A forgery of the 100 r value, often with a '52' numeral cancel. This forgery has no embossing and is printed quite blur.

Forgery of the 50 r value, the neck is different, the hair hangs down differently. In clear printed copies, the lettering can be seen to be different. I've only seen it cancelled with his pattern of lines.

1855 King Pedro V, facing the right, Various frames

  5 r brown
  25 r blue
  25 r red (1857)
  50 r green
  100 r lilac

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

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

Reprints

I know of a reprint of the 5 r value, made in 1905, with the ornament just in front of the 'C' of 'CORREIO' having only one curl (see http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/DPedroFalsos5.htm for more information).

Another reprint made in 1955 for the 'IV EXPOSICAO FILATELICA PORTUGUESA' in Porto of the 25 r blue value in a minisheet containing just one stamp. A numerical cancel '52' can also be found on this minisheet.

Forgeries without embossing

On the following websites: http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/DPedroFalsos5.htm, http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/DPedroFalsos25.htm, http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/DPedroFalsos50.htm and http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/DPedroFalsos100.htm some forgeries without embossing of all values can be found.

Fohl Forgeries

Forgeries exist made by the forger Fohl. I have seen forgeries of the values 5 r, 50 r and 100 r:

(Front and backside of these forgeries)

A large quantity of these forgeries was discovered and distributed with stamp journals (see Cd 1 for more details), they were all overprinted 'Falsch' (= 'forged' in German). The 5 r Fohl forgery has the hair different and the '5' straight (not slanting as in the genuine stamps, source: http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DPedroV/Fohls5R.htm).

1862 King Louis I, imperforated, various frames

  5 r brown
  10 r yellow
  25 r red
  50 r green
  100 r lilac

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

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

1885 reprint of the 100 r value.

A very deceptive forgery of the 100 r value exists, more information can be found at: http://www.tabacaria.org/Selos/DLuiz/Luiz100It.htm. It usually has a numeral cancel '1', '12' or '137' (I'm not sure if the above shown stamp is actually genuine....). Color proofs of the same origin(?) also exist.

Primitive forgery.

For stamps of Portugal from 1866 to 1872 click here.

Forgeries

A book has appeared on forgeries of Portugal and its colonies: 'Forgeries of Portugal and Colonies' by D.J Davies (2002, published jointly by the Portuguese Philatelic Society and the British Philatelic Trust). I haven't seen this book myself.

Small Portuguese Dictionnary

coleção = collection
catálogo = catalogue
selos = stamps
usados = used

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer