SENF 10sen fake BOTA

• dangeous X but wrong size
• R frame bent  
• bottom frame bent
• R corner kanji design elements
• lower oval frame breaks
• TORRES maker

MAEDA D11 10sen fake

• weakness bottom oval
• corner detail
• kanji

 

10sen ID Chart

note size varsiation

EURO fakes

 

MAEDA.MOENS 1 YEN ... Fakes

 

• top row - fakes   LITHOS are dull  wrong shades / errors script and design
• bottom row  JPO / Maeda D11 / Moens .KIKU oval

1 Yen ID CHART

• note size of postal bells in corners
• VERMILION is a key to fakes.  EURO origin
• sen value box
• shape of kiku petals

MAEDA 45sen fake new cancel

 tokio X very common but not on this print

Source of fakes

 MAEDA WADA

   SENF  MOSCHKOW

   TORRES

zen and the art of the koban ... or, zeitgeist and the gestalt view.

  

posts here reflect research into art history, the history of print and my personal studies of imitations and foreign mail kobans.

From 1871 until 1876 all Japanese stamps were engraved,

whereas many of the forgeries are traditional woodblock , waxed-copper plate etched or lithographed. Wadas are well done, but usually the paper, perforations weak , engraved design is slightly elevated on the face, while in the typographed stamps it is recessed.. Lithographed stamps are perfectly smooth.   

Japanese kobans 1876-92   -  the first bilingual  issues of the "Imperial Japanese Post" .

Edoardo Chiossone of Italy designed most, but not all the issues... 

Chiossone taught at Technical Art School in Tokio - 1876-1881.  closed 1883. ... I have often pondered if some of the students produced the facsimiles ... 130 woodblock artists were active - 1860-1875 ; however,  modern artviews were developing in japan and elsewhere ... as well, competition for newer printing technologies :  relief printing was infringing on traditional woodblock and serigraphy.. the camera allowed for photo-lithography.   this boosted postcard trade shops ...  the 1923 earthquake destroyed chiossone's workshop and records ...

philately and postal history advanced with illustrative artists, publishers and catalog makers.   governments claimed the artists were forgers, misinterpreting their contribution to philately.

TORRES 20sen fake

cancel mispelled fake

kanji too close to oval 

  top romaji curved

oval no inner frame

romaji distorted

shade litho

sun oval

20sen MAEDA shades

litho

litho

 

 

MAEDA 20sen vars

 

20sen orange FAKE?

BR gap 20 and frame; kiku and roman letters   

 

20sen TORRES

high 20 on L ; oval sun

X oversize

20sen orange ... fake LITHO

LITHO - note anomolies @ top, kiku and 20 values ...  miscut

no barring 20

 

 

MAEDA D11 fakes - majour discovery

recent posts confirm that MAEDA  produced litho kobans beyond 1895 KB4.

a new series  of many sen values has been discovered , termed  MAEDA D11 type.

stay tuned for new posts ...

Okurasho Insatsukyoku Seizo

 Photograph of the FE and the leading members of the Paper Money Office. From the left: E. Chiossone, K.-A. Brueck, Sada Seiji (director of the engraving department), B. Liebers, Furuya Ginjirō (engraver).

 

Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau [Okurasho Insatsukyoku Seizo], Oji Plant, Kita-Ku, Tokyo North. 
Founded: 11 September 1871 as the Paper Money Office under the Ministry of Finance.
First stamp(s) traced by compiler: 1872 for Japan.
Name changed 2003 - see National Printing Bureau. 
Main printing process(es): Litho, gravure.

Japan's Paper Money Office was the predecessor to the Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, which was renamed the Paper Money Bureau (Shihei Ryo) in 1871. They commenced printing postage stamps in 1872.

In March 1963, a new plant exclusively for the production of postage stamps and stationery came on-line.

In addition to stamp printing for Japan and several other countries, the Bureau also produces bank notes, securities and revenue stamps, together with official government publications and forms. 

MAEDA colour guide

 K series tourist sheets ...     use charts to  date litho forgeries.

MAEDA-Wada D11 tourist sheet underprints

Maeda's affiliation with the Wada works is well documented ...  his sets appear unused on his editions of K-series tourist sheets.   what is shown above are 1876-1883 kobans.   to date, no K sheet offers this set.  however, I discovered the set as underprints, on Wada D11 tourist sheet.   the D12 sheet also bears the underprints.   though printed on sheet, genuine new kobans and fakes were applied overtop.    

•  please note the 5sen plate error ... "5-on-10" ...  many imitations are shadow cast values, or text...
•  

TORRES 4sen fake

 

romaji and kanji

MAEDA D11 5rin fake

 

• 5 and Sn  error
• frame error