Faked stamp

A stamp that has been treated, usually to disguise defects.

A faked stamp is a genuine item which has been doctered whereas a forgery is a fraudulant imitation of the genuine article.

There are numerous means of faking a stamp. Thinned areas in the paper have been filled with paper pulp or the stamp complettly rebacked with a thin piece of paper. Tears or cuts are repaired with glue or pulp and perforated stamps have had the perforations trimmed off to make the stamp appear imperforate.

Fake watermarks have also been applied to stamps. This has been done by using a handstamp and impressing the back of the stamp with oil. Another method used was to use a template in the shape of the required watermark and impregnate the back of the stamp with dust. Later fakers have also resorted to splitting the paper and then rebacking the stamp with a piece of watermarked paper of the same size.

Re-gumming has become particularly prevalent with the increase in the trend of collecting unhinged mint stamps.