1897 Documentary Stamps
Lithographed by the National Printing Works under decree of June 1897. Perforated 11.5 The paper has aged from white through gray to a yellowish tan. Type T2.
Confirming the postage stamp shortage in August and September of 1898 are the following covers provided by Washburn.
BH70 and LD postmark with D5 and D17 on letter posted September 1898.
A second posting the same day from PC
The Kohl Handbook quotes a letter from Postmaster Toledo indicating D4 through D7 had a postal application because of a stamp shortage. Since Toledo and his family were into serious stamp peddling such a document seals the bogus creation of the Tegucigalpa I6's and unique BH7 2-2-3 that follows.
Toledo's Bogus Creations
No forged revenue stamps have been encountered. Postal applications for revenue stamps have been used in unusual instances where
postage stamps were not available. Thus they are rare. Much less rare are genuine
revenue stamps with bogus postal cancellations.
This counterfeit cancellation is found on both the 1897 and 1898 sets. It is a poor attempt at a BH7
cancel. The 7 horizontal bars above arranged 2-2-3 are never seen in Honduran Postal
history. It is interesting that the counterfeiter made a variety of ink colors
available. This counterfeit cancellation has never been observed combined with a control mark. More fakes are illustrated in the 1898 section.
-Catalog of Tax Stamps by A. Forbin Paris 1915 pps. 499-500.
-Kohl Briefmarken-Handbuch 1934 edition pps. 105-106.
-Republica Mayor de Centro America by Richard Washburn in El Hondureno winter edition 1996 pps. 17,18.
-Primer Catálogo de Sellos Fiscales de Honduras por Edgardo Alegría Reichmann, Tegucigalpa, 2005.
-Revenues of Honduras by Joe Ross.
-Gold Medal Collection of Richard Washburn.
-Images contributed by Jonathan Riehl and Edgardo Alegría.
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