BOOK REVIEWS OF DEALERS IN STAMPS AND POSTCARDS

The Revised Edition of Philatelic Forgers, Their Lives and Works was published during 1991, by Linn's Stamp News, Sidney, Ohio, USA. Illustrations are in monochrome with many portraits of the Forgers and their forgeries. There are 165 printed pages, including a good index, plus ten preliminary pages, printed on 100gsm art paper and perfect bound, 9 x 6 inches (circa 228mm x 152mm). The Forgers are arranged alphabetically, from 'Dr. Bernard Assmus' to 'Georg Zechmeyer'. Helpful source literature is cited for each of the Forgers. Some of these will be well known to philatelists, i.e. Francois Fourier, Julius Goldner and Philip Spiro. Collectors of the first postage stamps of the South African Republic (Transvaal), will have heard of Adolph Otto. However, many others will be new to most collectors, such as Jerry P. Mather, a counterfeiter who pleaded guilty to two counts on 2^nd January 1980. We read that Philatelic Forgers produced these for different reasons. Some for amusement, or to produced space fillers for stamp collectors, while others worked to deceive collectors and even governments. Sometimes the police took action, however in the case of the fraudulent behaver by Rudolf Siegel; he was released as there was no law in Estonia in 1926 for the forgery of postage stamps.

When this Revised Edition was published there was great enthusiasm from dealers and collections alike. It became a race, to make sure it was on their bookshelves. Fortunately most collectors were able to perchance a copy for their collection. The Forgers pictured on the cover - from top to bottom are: Edward Stanley Gibbons, Jean de Sperati, Henry Hechler, George Kirke Jeffryes, and Samuel C. Upham. This fascinating and most enjoyable book is one that you can pick up, open any page to discover the story of those who, for various reasons, enjoyed the forging of stamps, overprints and postmarks. If you see a copy for sale - buy it.

J.W.

Published 1957 by Cassell & Company Ltd, case bound with circa 160 pages, including preliminary pages. Edward Lanchbery may have been the ghost writer for Cecil Rose.

Cecil Rose, business premises was in Oxford Street, London. He describes a visit from a rather haughty lady who was offering a collection for sale. Rose offered her a sum which she refused. She then contacted an auction house insisting an on a high estimate. Rose recounted and was pleased the overpriced lot did not sell, and delighted she was required to pay the auction house fee.

Later Rose devotes a good humoured chapter when he was at Eton where his dealings were mostly where the boys from the well-known College who become his customers. Later we read about his trip to India, where events did not turn out as expected and where he had fun. As with a few dealers in history there was also a little forgery.

A very good read for Rose was one of those characters in life who was his own man, the book could easily have been subtitled 'Humour in Philately'.

Perhaps this book was one of the reasons that a few years later, in 1961 he was arrested and accused of fraud; tried and jailed for six years in the UK. This was possibly the longest prison sentence given to a stamp dealer in the British Isles.

J.W.