The 1920 Provisionals: British & French Issues
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1920-24


Especially on the popular internet auction sites but sometimes at real auctions too faked 5c on 50c without CONDOMINIUM surface. Most are easy to recognise. Here are some examples:
5c on 50c fakes

Some samples of the 5c on 50c without CONDOMINIUM fakes.
The bottom right one is very special: postmarked 1910 for a 1920 issue!


Here you can see another one - a very dangerous fake as it is very hard to see the differences to the genuine overprint.
5c on 50c fake

Seen in an American auction: overprint sloping, distance between 5 and c too small, head of the c bent down etc. - Original at top.


In 1920 older stamps surcharged with lower values were issued as lower value stamps were destroyed by the damp heat. At least such were the arguments...
Engraving: Leonard Vincent Phillips
Design British stamp: J. Giraud  ♦  French Rade de Nouméa: H. Vollet, Typography J. Puyplat
Printing: Thomas De La Rue & Co., Ltd.  ♦  French stamp: not known
Surcharge printing: Government Suva - Fiji
First Day: 7(?) June 1920  ♦  first day recorded: 11 June 1920  ♦  French stamp:25 May 1920
Perforation: 14
This series does not exist with an official overprint "SPECIMEN".

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The 1920 British provisional overprint stamps

1920 British wm CA Issue 1d on 1/-

S.-G.: 31-Yv: 65
Sc.   : **-Mi: 31

1920 British wm CA Issue 1d on 2/-

S.-G.: 32-Yv: 66
Sc.   : **-Mi: 32

1920 British wm CA Issue 1d on 5/-

S.-G.: 33-Yv: 67
Sc.   : **-Mi: 33

 

Quantities: 1d on ½d: 15,000   ♦  3d on 1d: 20,000   ♦  5d on 2½d: 20,000

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The 1920 French provisional overprint stamps

1920 French 5c on 50c w/o Condominium

S.-G.: F32a
Yv: 58a
Sc.: **
Mi: 66 I

1920 French 5c on 50c

S.-G.: F33
Yv: 58
Sc.: **
Mi: 66

1920 French 10c on 25c

S.-G.: F33a
Yv: 59
Sc.: **
Mi: 68

 

Quantities: 5c on 50c w/o COND.: 300   ♦  5c on 50c: 20,000   ♦  10c on 25c: 60,000

 

Some earlier hammer prices for the 300 copies only stamp: June 2000 Australia: 700 US$; Sept. 2003 Paris: 618 €.
Please see some fakes at left.

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The 1924 British provisional overprint stamps handstamped SPECIMEN

1920 British 1d on 1/-

S.-G.: 40-Yv: 77
Sc.   : **-Mi: 58

1920 British 1d on 2/-

S.-G.: 41-Yv: 78
Sc.   : **-Mi: 64

1920 British 1d on 5/-

S.-G.: 42-Yv: 79
Sc.   : **-Mi: 65

 

The seriffed word "SPECIMEN" is applied diagonally reading upwards. The stamps are believed to have originated from a UPU archival source. Not recorded by Hals & Collas. (Klinger coll.)

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