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Stamps from the Independent State Leopold II portrait, 1887, no’s 6-13 + 13A-B. Design: H.Hendrick Engraving: A. Doms (Zegelfabriek te Mechelen) Printer: “Atelier du Timbre” in Malines Perforation: 15 Sheet: 3 sheets of 50 Circulation: No.6 (5c), 400,000 stamps No.7 (10c), 200,000 stamps No.8 (25c), 300,000 stamps No.9 (50c), 200,000 stamps No.10 (50c), 50,000 stamps No.11 (5f), 10,950 stamps No.12 (5f), 10,000 stamps No.13 (10f), 3,000 stamps
Variations in light to darker are known for the numbers 6-9 Varieties in COB: 6-V 5c No hair-lock on the temple (Stamp no 38 in the first sheet)
7-V 10c Digit 1 is misshaped (Stamp no 18 in the second sheet) 8-V Not in COB (but there are many small variations known) Here position 34/35, with a white spot in the A of Independent (34), and a white spot on the right of the center (35).
9-V 50c brown. Misshaped A in Indépendant (Stamp no 24 in first sheet) 10-V 50c gray. Misshaped A in Indépendant (Stamp no 24 in first sheet) Numerous miss-perforations are known, here some examples:
-- 10F. Circulation: in ten fold (circa) 13A. 25F. Circulation: 7,000 (Never put in use) 13B. 50F. Circulation: 5,000 (Never put in use)
No varieties in COB for 13A-13B. Forgeries: Many different forgeries are known but only for the no’s 10-13. Here one by Jean Sperati (1884-1957).
An amusing anecdote about the 10Fr gray is, that people thought that it was a real and very scares stamp. It made very high prices in auctions. See previous page of 1886 for more on forgeries. |
