All the time we read about Investment in stamps or stamps are hot investment or Gandhi stamps are hot, most valuable stamp of India etc, but it's nothing but trying to make you fool.!!
It's a marketing technique in which auction house, dealers and stamp collectors are involved in order to MAKE MONEY by selling you FORGERY or BOGUS material.
Collectors will display forgery material in their exhibit, dealers and auction house will increase price by shill bidding in order to make it authenticity of philatelic material and authors of stamp and philatelic Handbooks will glorify this FORGED stamps in order to market their material.
So everyone is involved and now they need your money.!!
It's a GAME.!!
On top of that you will find Expertising Certificate from any one.!! As any one can give expertising certificate as no government rules or regulation apply like FDA or SEBI or SEC etc.
Expertising certificate is nothing but printed on paper and do it your self. (with false name and address also).!!
Recently on eBay I saw 1948 stamps of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial issue with first day cancellation on private cover (not official issued).
This was on sale for $500.!!! by eBay seller bgtonde from India. It's lot of money.!!
If you just sell stamp then you will not get more than $2-3, but you can make more money if you affix this stamp on any cover and apply FORGED rubber stamp.!!
Yes, it's easy to make rubber stamp (forgery).
Now look at the following First day cancellation from BOMBAY G.P.O and compare with other forgery and genuine rubber stamp and you decide what I am talking about.
I am not telling you that this is forged but I am telling you compare and decide your self. (Self Expertising.!!).
What to SELF study ?
1) G.P.O missing on Simla, Nagpur and Shillong. WHY ? ( Genuine or BOGUS or Forgery)
2) Alphabet type and size : Shillong, Delhi, New Delhi
3) Shapes of special cancellation (Madras)
4) Is it AUG or AUGUST.
5) Compare lines and size inside the cancellation
6) Compare Hindi languague alphabet "जय हिन्द"
7) All kinds of different things you can think and compare.!!
Following are FORGERY rubber stamps issued from Bombay as well as other cities in India even though there were none issued from that cities.!!
To me it's all BOGUS (never exist) special cancellation except from Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Madras.!!
So all you see from Kanpur, Lucknow, Poona,
After reading this blog post you might start thinking whether you want to collect or INVEST in stamps.!!
TO ME IT ALL CANCELLATION ARE FORGERY OR BOGUS BECAUSE OF DEMAND AND GLORIFICATION.!!
I THINK THIS IS TO CREATE NEW THEMATIC COLLECTION OF 1948 FIRST DAY COVERS!!
SO BEWARE OF THIS.!!
And if you have already 1948 special cancellation in your collection then you will be AFRAID to go back and compare or even see it, because you will be scared that you might be victim of it.!!
In past I compared special cancellation issued from BOMBAY, but in this blog post I am comparing or display which ever I saw on eBay so everyone can get idea what happened in past 65+ years or is happening currently as you read this.!!
Now compare this first day cancellation with other 8 different types of BOMBAY G.P.O and you decide what is going in Stamp INVESTMENT.!!
Compare above four cancellation from BOMBAY and check for # of lines, types of lines in center of special cancellation. (some has 7 and some has 8 and some don't make sense.!!)
Also Chances of original special cancellation with dealers are also high as they might have inherited from family who might have gotten STOLEN special cancellation from some government postal employee.!! (chances are very high looking to all corruption going in India after Independence), which might apply to any cover and claim as rare cover.!!
But it's nothing like 1948 Gandhi stamps with special cancellation including forged stamps. To me it looks like very large quantity of FORGED or BOGUS first day cover with special cancellation are roaming in the market.!!
Following are just a tip of iceberg from wide varities of 1948 Gandhi special cancellation from India.
Please look at all screenshot of 1948 Gandhi stamps with special cancellation and do SELF study before you pursue your dream or nightmare.!!
When you try to collect cancellation from different cities, then chances are that you might get BOGUS (never issued) or FORGED cancellation if it's rare available from small cities.!!
Chances are some collectors or dealers might have decided that let's create this 1948 Gandhi First Day Cover thematic collection from different cities of India.!!
Also you might see some BOGUS (never issued) or Forged cancellation from Nepal India Embassy, Pondicherry ( former French India until 1954) etc.
Compare following and you decide.!! HALF of them are BOGUS (not forgery, because it never exist or issued by P&T India.!!). You decide which are BOGUS (fantasy).
Above two cancellation are from MADRAS. Only cancellation with "AUG".!! Also look at the difference between them in shapes. Also "." is missing.
Forgers have not only manufactured stamps for the philatelic market, they have added forged cancellations to those stamps.
Forged cancellations have also be applied to genuine stamps, in cases where the stamps are worth much more postally used. In addition, where rare cancellations are desired by collectors, those cancellations have also been forged.
Cancellations also may be used to prove that certain philatelic items are genuine. For example, forgers have fabricated many supposedly valuable postal covers by adding genuine stamps and forged postal markings to pre-stamp covers. (
From Wikipedia)
Poona & Simla cancellation looks like BOGUS
Don't your think it's UGLY out there ?
Above two cancellation are from NAGPUR looks BOGUS. Look at the difference.
Kanpur & Patna cancellation with irregular alphabets and letters along with shapes
Delhi and New Delhi cancellation. Looks at the difference.
Pondicherry was ruled by French India in 1948. Compare it with MADRAS which only has "AUG" where as Pondicherry has "AUGUST" even though they are very near.!!
Does ALLAHABAD & PATNA cancellation looks like GENUINE ?
Calcutta cancellation is Forgery and Simla cancellation are both different.!!
Both SHILLONG cancellation looks different with HINDI alphabet "Jai Hind" and type & # of lines
To me it looks like a BIG SCAM.!!!!!! But it's upto you to decide.!!!
Now you do SELF Study and decide and think deep what happened or happening.!!
There is nothing RARE or Scare in philately because this hobby is in downward trend because experienced collectors are loosing interest because value is not appreciating and new collectors are not coming in to this because there are lot of other things to do for them such as playing video games on Nintendo or X-box , social networking on facebook or google+ or surfing on web through internet or SMS through iphone or android or watch games such as cricket, football or basketball on TV.
Only way philately can sustain is to stop cheating in this hobby. Yes CHEATING.!! which is what you will see in order to increase value artificially by inflating the price by SHILL bidding, not paying to seller or mutual understanding cancelling transaction and lot more.
To know more about this kind of activity read my following blog post and think what are the possibilities in cheating, glorification, SHILL bidding, FAKE, Forgery etc.
1)
1948 Stamps False hope of Riches?
2)
1948 Gandhi Stamps: Are False hope of Riches - Part II ?
3)
1948 Gandhi Mourning Private FDC : Are False hope of Riches - Part III?
4)
1948 Expensive Gandhi FDC : Are False hope of Riches - Part IV?
5)
1948 Gandhi Stamps Early Usage cover : Gandhi Stamps Are False hope of Riches - Part V?
6)
Maxi Card sold for $5100 with 1948 Gandhi Stamps - False hope of Riches - Part VI?
7)
Indian Philately Exposed
8)
Indian Philately Exposed - Part II
9)
Gandhi SERVICE overprint stamp price fell from $1009 to $1.!!
10)
How can you tell that Gandhi SERVICE stamp is FAKE or Forgery ?
I hope all the above will help while making decision in investing stamps and to avoid getting CHEATED.!!
Now don't you think it does NOT make sense STAMP INVESTING!! or even Collecting.!!!
Do you think it's INVESTMENT or GAME.!!
I think it's not for Investment but it's a Philatelic GAME.!!
So let's see how to play Philatelic Game.!! (click to read how to, rules and regulations.!!)
So what do you think about this BOMBAY G.P.O private First day cover of Memorial issue of Gandhi stamps.!!
Be you own EXPERT otherwise you will regret whole your life.!!
Thanks
Gandhi Stamps Club.
