MAEDA kobans

A GROUP

B GROUP

distinct design changes

C GROUP

the paulowna flowers vary  ...

 

1875--1880 origin of spiro sheets ...

my study reflects on 37 spiro sheets,   the woodblock method has been sucessfully decoded and further sheets will surface in time ... all but 1 are japanese origin ... past literature stated these were the work of Philip Spiro of Hamburg, DE . however, he disclaimed he was maker; only a dealer-distributor ... his dealings began 1864, and ceased in 1880. the golden era of facsimiles by international graphic artists...  LONDON price was 1d per sheet 1900.

my view, is that all litho koban reproductions or imitations are the work of one artist - Maeda Kihei
new evidence shows series more complex than imagined ...   a 5rin sheet surfaced in Aachen, DE.

Spiro FONT types .... PLATE evolution

my study has revealed many "orphans" or unassigned positions, based on the known value sheets.  

ROMAN LETTER   25   BOTA  12

 this points to many sheets yet to surface. I am always scanning for new 25 position sheets...   if anyone can offer scans or links to images, please contact me

WOODBLOCK INDICIA

• 20mm "no Date"  random use of woodblock killers,   Japanese Hanko Chop
• font changes and letters move to centre
• often partials caused by strike - or 2X on piece as below

the indicia font is irregular in both positions

T1 variant ...

font to centre ... T2

 T1

normal T3

1877 UPU and spiro sheets ....

In 1877 Japan joined the Universal Postal Union, which specifies cooperative rules for international mail. ROMAN LETTER postmarks were mandatory ...

The UPU’s history can be traced as far back as 1863, when then United States Postmaster General Montgomery Blair called a conference in Paris, France, to lay down a number of general principles for mutual agreements, but delegates failed to agree on an international postal agreement.

Ten years later, Heinrich von Stephan, a senior postal official from the North German Confederation, drew up a plan for an international postal union, and upon his recommendation the Swiss Government convened an international conference in Berne on 15 September 1874. Representatives from 22 nations attended the conference, and on 9 October – a day now celebrated as World Post Day – the Treaty of Bern establishing the General Postal Union was signed.This treaty succeeded in unifying a confusing international maze of postal services and regulations into a single postal territory for the reciprocal exchange of mail. The barriers and frontiers impeding the free flow and growth of international mail had finally been pulled down.Membership in the Union grew so quickly that its name was changed to the Universal Postal Union in 1878. The organization became a United Nations specialized agency for postal services in 1948.

the spiro sheet facsimiles commemorate UPU and IJPO foreign mails

lithography in meiji japan ... via san francisco

1874-1884  Ottoman Smolik, czech born national,  was recruited by Uchida with Pollard to teach lithography method in japan.   book publishing was expanding, and classic woodblock method was reserved for artworks.
chromolithography was also an expensive and labour-intensive process.

Smolik in 1877 offered  "suname" - relief half-tone method . the halftone-method was pioneered in Montreal by Desbarats and applied to newsprinting.   allowing haltone photography, beside text.

unknown if he touched on kobans imitations ?

He is recognized as the founder of lithography in Japan; However, his origin is not known definately, it is mentioned with Bohemia, Austria or Russia in various sources. He emigrated to the USA in order to avoid compulsory military service. As a qualified lithographer he was employed by the Japanese government, together with Charles J. Pollard, to be installed at the company Umemura Suizan as an instructor where he worked from 1874 to 1879. From January 1879 until 1884 he worked at Kokubunsha, which had taken over the Umemura company. He taught many Japanese the lithographic technique that later became known in both governmental and commercial printing offices, such as TAZAWA Masakoto.

However, his name is, with one exception, given only with katakana as SUMORIKKU, thus his name is not uniquely secured.
The Insatsu Jiten (print dictionary) of the government printing house of 1858 names him as Ottoman Smoric, which of course could also be spelt as "Smolik". In his employment contract with the Japanese government, he is named "モリック = Morik or Molik".
Around 1884, he was arrested by the Consulate and deported on a Russian warship because of his deprivation of military service. After that, we never heard from him again. For this reason, one can classify him as a Russian citizen.

TAZAWA Masakoto 田沢 昌言 
* 1864 in Koriyama
† 16.10.1915

  He was born in 1864 as the son of a samurai from Yamato Kōriyama, southwest of Nara. He was a student of the lithographer Ottoman SMORIC. He continued his education in the USA at the American Bank Note Co. and returned to Japan in September 1890, where he was employed by the government printing house. He was engraver and designer, as well as MATSUDA Atsutomo (1837 - 1903) and Edoardo Chiossone (1833 - 1898).

 

MAEDA 15sen KB4 fake

 

once again MAEDA illustration > MK fake cancelled

TORRES 15sen fake

 

BPP expert marks ...

... the BPP in europe appoints experts for areas of philately...
these marks or stamps were applied in the past to imitations or forgeries ...

this is no longer the case however... experts issue a statement : forgery or not. or a certificate if genuine is issued.

• Eichhorn (current) 
• Pape (to 1996) 
• Kruger (to 1981
• Zweiling (to 1971) 

these stamps are collectable, but damage the imitations unecessarily.

this policy of stamping imitations is followed by some online auctions today... hence, the goods are damaged before sale by amateurs or non-experts ... lowering prices realised. ...  

 

Florian Eichhorn BPP remarks ...

Signing of mint and any better stamps has ceased.

Cheap ones are still marked (I only use pencil).

Stamping altered or total faked stamps on reverse is still mandatory.

The used terms are

FAKE

OVERPRINT FAKE

GUM FAKE

 

So the practice of marking faked/altered stamps FAKE will never cease by BPP or other german experts.

AIEP members  are exception.

Nowadays it is recommended to use typewriter ribbons to get oil-free colour for fake-marks.

BPP experts group is backed by the german dealers (APHV) and stamp unions (BdPh). BPP membership is not restricted to a certain nationality. BPP started in 1958. But its predecessors group(s) already in the 1890s.    BPP experts are still required to mark fakes / overprint fakes / fake cancelled genuines on reverse. Their rule says that fakes must be marked  clearly and unremovable as such on reverse. "Knowing" experts do not use rubber stamp pads anymore, but take old carbon ribbon from typewriters or daisywheel printers to apply a non-oiling/fattening marking.

The "not marking anymore" refers to mint genuine stamps and any better used genuine stamp. A client may require that no genuine stamp or entire is marked anymore, but gets a cert/small size opinion only. Pencil signs on non-sensible-paper stamps of lower cat value ($60 or less) should be OK - used copies, of course.

To mark thin sensible paper genuine classics like Japans dragons with a metal handstamp on reverse, is a shame and out of discussion. And out of practice now.

The practice of marking genuine stamps on reverse started with the dealer guarantee handstamps and the experts from the 1870s followed suite. They usually employed rubber or ivory handstamps. Metal came with very small letter sizes.

BPP experts are legally liable for error, whether in the certificates or in re. marking fakes/genuines. A client can sue them for error in a cert or damage towards a stamp. Marking a genuine copy "fake" is certainly a damage.    Hence BPP experts are required to have a special insurance against error of judgement.

The Swiss expert SBPP/ASEP group gives the same legal guarantee. Any other expert or expert group in the world gives "opinion only".

regards  Florian

OK 45sen ... possible trial

ex Takahashi Stamp Co auction

MAEDA  fakes below ...

GREY SCALE lithos by TORRES

note minor changes between types

tourist sheets of japan ... ISJP

Ron Casey , now editor of JP has compiled information on the source of koban forgeries of Japan in ISJP Monograph 17 - a study of "tourist sheets" ... a masterful work ... finest research, chronology and printing ...this is the best companion reference to ISJP V2 CD on forgeries, no doubt ! anecdotally ... the world fairs' of 1900 in Paris and London - "Crystal Palace", were largest sales of these items... Ron reported 50000 sheets ordered for Paris fair alone (Gely) ...the global popularity of tourist sheets - was due to scarcity of early period covers and adhesives of Japan; sought by foreign philatelists ... no IPO foreign service operated until 1875. the foreign treaty POs carried the seapost. plus the fact that "double-envelope" system 1871-1875... precluded any IPO signatures abroad... only domestic mails....as copyists in Japan, Maeda and Wada recaptured this era of postal history in a most imaginative and artistic way ... or "floating world"

MAEDA 10sen

maeda

JPO

OK 15sen var ...

 unlisted in JSCA 2020

OK 15sen var

 unlisted var in JSCA 2020