WENDEN (RUSSIA)

Livonia

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.

A territory in Russia, nowadays part of Latvia. The inscriptions are in Russian or in German.

1862 Non issued stamp, circle with inscription: Wendensche KREIS BRIEF-POST

  (2 Kopecks) blue

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k	***	-

Black on green stamp; forgery?

1863 Rectangle, Inscription 'Briefmarke' or 'Packenmarke'' 'des WENDEN- schen Kreises'

Genuine stamps

(Reduced size, image obtained from a Sherrystone auction)

  (2 Kopecks) red, inscription black (Briefmarke)
  (4 Kopecks) green, inscription black (Packenmarke)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k	RR	RR	Reprints exist (***)
4 k	R	R	Reprints exist (***)

Most stamps are pencancelled, although I have seen some with a numeral dot cancel '390' of Wenden.

Forgeries, examples (by the way, I'm not quite sure if the above stamps are genuine):

(forgeries, reduced sizes)

Another forgery.

Probably a forgery as well

Most likely a forgery.

I've been told that the next stamps are reprints:

The reprints have a '-' behind 'WENDEN', while the original stamps have a '=' behind it. Also, the 'k' of 'Briefmarke' is different.

Fournier forgeries as found in the 'Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'.

Dubious item.

1863 Green oval

  2 k red and green

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k	R	R	Type 1: with extra green line around green oval Reprints: ***
2 k	***	***	Type 2: without extra green line (1866)
2 k	***	***	Type 3: different elliptic ornaments(?) (1871) Reprints: **

A forgery exists with wrong inscription 'Wendeschen kreises' instead of 'Wendenschen kreises':

Forgery with wrong inscription 'Wendeschen' instead of 'Wendenschen'

I've been told that this is a reprint

Sperati forgeries (here 'black proofs')

Sperati forgery ('black proof')

Possibly a forgery

1864 Green oval with dragon

  2 k red and green

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k	R	R	Reprints: ***

Forgeries:

Forgery with 'Wendeschen' instead of 'Wendenschen'. Next to it a forgery of the previous issue, most likely made by the same forger.

A forgery exists with wrong inscription 'Wendeschen' instead of 'Wendenschen' (see picture above). The dragon should stand on a ground of wavy lines.

(Another forgery)

Another forgery with no lines below the dragon

Sperati forgeries (here 'black proofs')

Possibly other forgeries

The forger Oswald Schröder made a forgery of this stamp. I don't know the distinguishing characteristics, but an image can be found on the cover of the book 'The Oswald Schröder Forgeries' by Robson Lowe.

1872 Harnassed arm with sword

2 k red and green 2 k green and red

  2 k red and green
  2 k green and red
  2 k green and red (other type)
  2 k black, red and green

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k red and green	***	***	1872
2 k green and red	**	**	1875, reprints exist: *
2 k green and red	*	*	Other type, '2' in circles in corners, 1878 Reprints exist: *
2 k black, red and green	**	*	1880

Forgeries, example:

I don't know anything about the above forgery, except that it is a forgery!

I've been told that these imperforate 2 k black, red and green stamp with inverted centers are genuine.
However, they are also imperforate. Possibly printer's waste?

1901 Castle

  2 k grey and brown

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 k	*	*

Imperforate stamp and imperforate stamp with double centre impression (printer's waste or proofs?)

Two imperforate proofs in different colours from the final stamp issued.

In 1902 Wenden stopped to issue its own stamps.

A mystery stamp, bogus issue or essay?

Cancels

Wenden only cancelled it stamps with a pencancel (it did not possess its own cancelling device). However, when used with Russian stamps, sometimes a Russian cancel was applied to the stamps.

Stamp of Russia, used together with a stamp of Wenden:

(Reduced size, pencancel on Wenden stamp, Russian cancel on Russian stamp, also obliterating the Wenden stamp)

Reprints

Some reprints seem to have been made by Von Campenhausen and Hirschheydt. If anybody possesses information on how to distinguish them, please contact me!