1864 letters in all four corners, watermark Large Crown Die II, perf 14, 1d rose-red (SG43) Plate 77, a vertical pair and a single (irregular block of three) on large part envelope from Guernsey to Brussels cancelled by ‘324’duplex datestamp of 27th November 1865, showing ‘PD’ in circle in red and, on the reverse, the  Belgian TPO transit and the Brussels arrival c.d.s. of 28th November 1865. The cover was mailed correctly at the 3d rate, the rate required to send mail from Great Britain to Belgium at that time * and carries the following cancels:
1- The Guernsey duplex handstamp G16b  2  showing the pointed ‘four’ in ‘324’ was in use in Guernsey between 1862 and 1867.  **
The cover which is dated 27th November 1865 falls within these dates.  **
All three stamps are tied by this handstamp alongside is the ‘Guernsey A’ c.d.s. of NO 27 65.
2- The ‘PD’ (Paid to Destination) in a circle mark, which was applied in red, was applied to letters going beyond France indicating payment for the English and French postage. This ‘PD’ mark, SG type 34 **  was in use in Guernsey between 1866-1873. The mark on this cover precedes this date by two months. **
3- ANGLETERE/AMB. OUEST2- A Belgian TPO cancel used on the Ostend-Brussels railway line
4- BRUXEL arrival c.d.s of 28 NO 65
5- The cover was mailed correctly at the 3d rate *, the rate required to send mail from Great Britain to Belgium at that time

* British Letter Mail to Overseas Destinations 1840-1875 
Jane and Michael Moubray

** Stanley Gibbons Channel Islands Postal History Catalogue 
Stanley Gibbons Limited

The major dilemma

Checking the four corner letters on the three stamps shows them to match exactly those of plate 73 stamps of the same position. This therefore can only mean that either the stamps have been faked from plate 73 stamps or were produced from a re-engraved plate 73. The corner letters of the stamps do not match those from plates 71 and 177 and so these stamps definitely do not come from plates 71 or 177 from which practically all fakes are known.

Details confirming that the ‘plate 77’ stamps on the cover

originate from plate 73

 

 

1- All corner letters match exactly
2- The constant red flaw at the base of the upper right-hand box carrying letter ‘S’ on stamp SK is on all plate 73 stamps in this position and on the imprimatur sheet.
3- The position of the left-hand ‘7’ on the right-hand panel which is well away from the centre of the intersection. This position of the figure '7' is unique to plate 70's stamps.

A study of Plate 73, the plate from which these stamps originate can be found on this link:

http://www.1dplate77.com/1dplate77/73.htm

Could this cover have carried other stamps or postal markings?

It is important to establish if this cover, which has been foreshortened on the left, did carry any other stamps or postal markings.

For the purpose of this exercise the cover has been reproduced with graphics showing the complete item. The portion shown in black is meant to show the part of the cover which has been excised.

Three coloured circles matching exactly the size of the three separate cds markings have been added in order to show how these would fit on the complete cover. A coloured box, the same size of a 1d red has also been added.

The cover illustrated in full as it exists. The black portion on the left would have been the portion that was excised.

The cover illustrated in full as it exists. The black portion on the left would have been the portion that was excised. Superimposed are the following: 1- Box in blue same size as a 1d red stamp 2- Circle in yellow same size as the Guernsey cds 3- Circle in red same size as the Brussels arrival cds 4- Circle in green same size as the Belgian TPO cds. It is perfectly clear that any 'other' markings or handstamps that 'may' have been applied to the missing portion of the cover would certainly have parts or remnants of them showing on the remaining part of the cover. Certainly any other 1d stamp would not fit and would have parts of it showing on the cover itself. We can quite logically assume that no other full markings or stamps were applied to this cover. It is always possible, but highly unlikely, that another marking was partially applied to the edge of the cover or a stamp partly attached to it, the stamp of course would have covered the address.!

The logic of faking the stamps on this cover-

Too many questions to answer convincingly!

In order to fake these stamps the number ‘3’ had to be changed into a number ‘7’. Serious questions must be asked:

1- Why pick a number ‘3’ which is extremely difficult to alter and requires total changing in order to convert it into a ‘7’?

2- Why try and fake the number five times on three stamps risking failure when one stamp on cover would reap rewards?

3- Why have no other similar fakes come on the market if such a good faking process was possible?

4- Why was this cover found in an old time collection emanating from the continent, where incidentally Great Britain plate 77 stamps are not common knowledge. Would a forger not have put this on the market to reap his rewards?

 

A focus on the figure ‘7’ from the cover and a figure ‘3’ from a plate 73 stamp

showing the immense task required to alter the number from a ‘3’ into a ‘7’.

 

Above are two images, one of the right-hand figure ‘7’ from stamp SK on the cover and the other of a figure ‘3’ from the right-hand panel of a plate 73 stamp, both enlarged c.80x magnification. It is immediately obvious that converting a ‘3’ into a ‘7’ manually through repairs and alterations would be a very difficult process indeed to accomplish successfully, requiring pigment to cover the altered areas and surface abrasion to whiten the darker parts in order to produce the two lines of the ‘7’. Would a figure '2' not have been an easier number to alter?

Forensic science has discredited the allegations of faking made by the Royal Philatelic Society London and The Philatelic Foundation of New York.

http://www.1dplate77.com/1dplate77/IsthisthephilatelicJusticeaworldclassphilatelicgemdeserves.htm