Fakes & Forgeries

Angus McDonagh became an overnight celebrity in England after revealing that over the years he has designed about 50 humorous stamps portraying himself - with a Santa Claus beard or a beret hat - and sent hundreds of letters. Only one letter was returned.

Some people collect stamps, and some make them. The former is a legitimate hobby, but the latter is not only illegal, but in this case - somewhat funny. 

Certain issues in China have brought forth a highly prized stamp. Though this was found to be bogus 130 years ago, it was still considered a piece worthy of a space in a 19^th-century collector’s album.
Many collectors during the early 19^th century found Album Weeds as a convenient reference in the study of philatelic forgeries. This book published in the year 1882 was authored by Reverend Robert Brisco Earée and was considered as an authority in the study of forged stamps.

The making of Fakes and Forgeries is an activity that has been in existence since the early years of philately. It is done in order to defraud or deceive others in assuming that those forgeries and fakes are the authentic items. In the study of stamps known as Philately, this activity is very common thus learning to identify the authenticity of stamps from the fake is considered an interesting and important challenge.

Definition of Terms:

To best understand this article, definition of terms related to the study are: