Peter Winter (philately)
Encyclopedia
Peter Winter is a stamp reproducer
. He was also trained as an opera singer.
In or after 1985 he released rare stamps of various countries through "ProPhil Forum P.O.C." (Process Optimation Computersystems). Subsequently there were the reproductions of "Edition ‘85", then "Edition 88" , the later offered by the Swiss "House of Stamps". A special was the offering of the four of the most famous stamps of the world, the Mauritius "Post Office", the Penny Black
, the Baden 9 Kreuzer error
and the British Guiana 1c magenta
for 249 DM.
The stamps were offered as reproductions by Winter, but their lack of permanent identification made them easy objects of fraudulent activities targeted at unsuspecting collectors. Specialists may detect abnormal paper, indentations, lack of watermarks and other signs incongruent with authenticity.
Winter has never indicated that his stamps are genuine, they were sold as reproductions. However, his marks (such as "Faux", "Reprint", "Copy") can often be easily removed. Thus, Heiner Faber, a seller of stamps from Bonn, was convicted for having removed the marks and sold them as originals.
Winter produced stamps that if real might be catalogued at $20 million. His offer to sell his stamps to the APS for $1 million and stop producing reproductions was declined.
Philatelic fakes and forgeries
In general, philatelic fakes and forgeries refers to labels that look like postage stamps but are not. Most have been produced to deceive or defraud...
. He was also trained as an opera singer.
The "reproductions"
In the early 1980s he offered "50 of the most valuable and significant stamps, authentically reproduced" and indicated that in order to reproduce these stamps as authentically as possible, he had refrained from marking them as reproductions. They were produced under the company label "Bruyère".In or after 1985 he released rare stamps of various countries through "ProPhil Forum P.O.C." (Process Optimation Computersystems). Subsequently there were the reproductions of "Edition ‘85", then "Edition 88" , the later offered by the Swiss "House of Stamps". A special was the offering of the four of the most famous stamps of the world, the Mauritius "Post Office", the Penny Black
Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
, the Baden 9 Kreuzer error
Baden 9 Kreuzer error
The Baden 9 Kreuzer Error was a postage stamp error produced by the historical German state of Baden in 1851.On May 1 of that year, Baden's first postage stamps were issued. The "9 Kreuzer Green" stamp was a color misprint of the 9 Kreuzer denomination that was printed in green instead of pink...
and the British Guiana 1c magenta
British Guiana 1c magenta
The British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist....
for 249 DM.
The stamps were offered as reproductions by Winter, but their lack of permanent identification made them easy objects of fraudulent activities targeted at unsuspecting collectors. Specialists may detect abnormal paper, indentations, lack of watermarks and other signs incongruent with authenticity.
Winter has never indicated that his stamps are genuine, they were sold as reproductions. However, his marks (such as "Faux", "Reprint", "Copy") can often be easily removed. Thus, Heiner Faber, a seller of stamps from Bonn, was convicted for having removed the marks and sold them as originals.
Winter produced stamps that if real might be catalogued at $20 million. His offer to sell his stamps to the APS for $1 million and stop producing reproductions was declined.
Further reading
- "Focus on Forgeries: A Guide to Forgeries of Common Stamps", V.E. Tyler, Linn's Stamp News, 2000.
- "German forger owns 1c Magenta contender; experts continue technical study of stamp", R. Haeseler, Linn's Stamp News, 26 April 1999.
External links
- Detailed account of background and connected eBay sales by Sheryll Oswald.
- World's Most Famous Stamp Still Making News, Michael O. Nowlan, 2 July 1999.