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Madame Joseph’s Masquerades

It must have been like a starting pistol going off when the forgers heard that only two sheets of each of the Moroccan Agencies stamps managed to reach Morocco in time for the first day of issue.

Examples of forged versions of FDC’s have appeared on eBay – not usually declared as such – but even those acknowledged as Madame Joseph forgeries now command a value in their own right.

Shown here is a Spanish currency forged FDC addressed to the City Stamp Shop, 1, St. Swithin’s Lane, London, E.C.4. Below it, a detail of the postmark showing the “8” of the date almost central. Below that, a genuine cancel for comparison.

Apart from the displacement of the date, the forged mark would seem a creditable impression, particularly since, in common with many forgery attempts, it was made by a wooden canceller.






		It soon becomes obvious that most Madame Joseph forgeries are similarly addressed but not all FDC’s bearing this address are forged. This Barbados cover carries a registration label and the postmarks show subtle differences from the known Madame Joseph version of Barbados GPO cds for 6th May. Amongst other details, the dash between the “6” and “My” is longer, (almost reaching the “M”), in the forged example.


	Although bearing the address to arouse suspicion, this New Zealand cover bears Greytown cancels not listed amongst those shown in Derek Warboys book on Madame Joseph Forged Postmarks. If not a forgery, then the cover represents an example of pre-release since the date shows “6 My” whereas the first day of issue for New Zealand was 7th May. (The year slug may appear somewhat ambiguous but, on the 1d value, it shows more clearly as 1935.


	The next seven examples are kindly provided by John Cooper together with his comments. (His references to “handbook” include those by Derek Warboys and B. Cartwright).




	Kenya Uganda & Tanganyika FDC cancelled Eldoret 6 My 35, to City Stamp Shop, almost certainly a Madame Joseph forged FDC type 224 or 225 in handbook



		Montserrat FDC Montserrat to City Stamp Shop, almost certainly Madame Joseph forged cover Type 260 in handbook.



		Somaliland Protectorate FDC cancelled Berbera 6 My 35, to City Stamp Shop, almost certainly a Madame Joseph forged FDC type 99 in handbook.


	Jamaica FDC, cancelled 3 R My 6 35, almost certainly a Madame Joseph forgery. Although not listed in the handbook, it is addressed to the City Stamp Shop with no back markings, the same envelope and size as known forgeries.



	Straits Settlements ex Labuan FDC considered to be with forged First Day cancels of the Madame Joseph type. Labuan is not recorded in the handbook as one of the forged cancels, but is typical of the wooden forged cancels of this period. Dated 4-pm 6 My 1935.



	Seychelles Madame Joseph forged cancel First Day Cover. Cancelled code B My 6 35 Victoria Seychelles, with City Stamp Shop address, the premises of Gordon Rhodes. It was said at the time that a FDC could be requested: “Come back tomorrow, they may be in stock by then!”



	St Lucia A probable genuine FDC addressed to the City Stamp Shop, the creators of the Madame Joseph forged FDC’s. This cover has a rubber registration mark on the reverse, which is not known forged and the shape of the “6” in the “6 My” date stamp does not match the “pull” for the forged strike!


	For those wanting to check their own first day covers, Derek Warboys lists the following territories for which there are known Madame Joseph forged Silver Jubilee covers:

Antigua
Ascension
Bahamas
Basutoland
Bechuanaland
Bermuda
British Guiana
British Honduras
B.P.O. Tangier
British Somaliland
Cayman Islands
Cyprus
Dominica

Falkland Islands
Fiji
Gambia
Gibraltar
Grenada
Kenya
Mauritius
Montserrat
Newfoundland
Nigeria
Niue
Northern Rhodesia
Nyasaland

Saint Helena
Saint Kitts
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
Samoa
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
South West Africa
Swaziland
Trinidad
Turks Island
Virgin Islands
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	The sheet to the right, (which is described as “...apparently relating to a criminal trial”), reads as follows: The maker was paid £2.0.0 on account - price agreed upon being £4.10.0. The stamp was never collected! On 9th May 1938, John Driscoll Harris (44) of Birmingham and George Whitehurst (55) of Smethwick, were charged with conspiring to cheat between August and December last. Forged overprints appeared on Jubilee stamps 1935-36, and on Coronation stamps October 1937. There is no certainty that this stamp was ordered by either of the above because the die cutter has forgotten the name of the customer, but he thinks he came from Birmingham. (This statement was made without seeing the above reference which is taken from a longer report in Stamp Review vol. 2. p. 642.) I am unable to attach any significance to the date, but it was ordered with a moveable plug.

	AJA - December 2009