New methods to identify forgeries in philately
Paolo Vollmeier · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2000
The purpose of my presentation is to describe to you the major problems confronting us in philately today, to raise your interest in these problems and to ask for your suggestions to solve them. It is not my intention to hold a scientific dissertation. No sooner had the first postage stamps come on the market, in 1840, when the first forgeries appeared. These were to the detriment of the postal authorities as they were used for franking mail. However, only a few years later, stamp collecting began and provided forgers the opportunity to reproduce expensive stamps and t sell them to collectors. But because printing methods differed, these forgeries are relatively easy to identify.