• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Classic Latin America logo

CLASSIC LATIN AMERICA

News, commentary and opinion on Central and South American philately

  • Home
  • Resources
    • Introduction
    • Central America : Philatelic Societies & Specialized Catalogues
    • South America : Philatelic Societies & Specialized Catalogues
    • Fakes and Forgeries
  • Spanish-English Glossary
  • Auctions & Shows
  • Absolute Beginners
  • About
  • Contact
  • STORE

Discovering the lesser-known forgers of Latin American stamps

One of the most prolific forgers in philately – Placido Ramon de Torres

Forgers such as the Spiro brothers, Fournier and Sperati are well-known characters in philatelic folklore. But what of the lesser-known forgers? Gerhard Lang has spent over six years investigating the mischievous creations of the little-known Placido Ramon de Torres…and uncovered one of the most prolific forgers in philately.

He is now conducting research on more ‘unknowns’ including the Italian forger, Giovanni Patroni. In this article, Gerhard gives a brief introduction to Torres and Patroni and provides some insight into the detective work required to uncover the identities of forgers from the classic era.

His recent book on Torres’ life and work is free to download from the link below.

CLA You published your  book on Placido Ramon de Torres at the end of 2020. What inspired you to focus on Torres and to write about his work?

GL I had researched and written a thesis on the modern history of the tiny Pyrenean state of Andorra. In this context I found a letter Torres had written to the local authorities and wanted to discover more.

In his book, Philatelic Forgers, Varro E. Tyler had written a few lines on Torres. I couldn’t accept that these were the only details on Torres and knew that there must be more information to be found…

CLA It seems unusual that so little was known about Torres, yet it appears he was very prolific as a forger. Why do you think that is?

GL Stamp forgeries were produced at a large scale from the early 1860’s. From the very beginning, the focus of stamp experts (mostly British) was on the so-called Spiro forgeries.

This lasted for decades. They were simply blind to the other forgers that were out there.

CLA Torres early career was that of stamp illustrator. He provided illustrations for the very first stamp albums and many of his earlier efforts could be considered fun, harmless or purposely naïve. What prompted him to start taking the forgery business seriously?

GL In about 1862, at the age of 14 or 15, Torres started working for his Florentine patron, Elia Carlo Usigli, one of the first Italian stamp dealers. Usigli supplied images of stamps to his international clients such as Moens, Maury and Stanley Gibbons, who needed black and white drawings of stamps to illustrate their new catalogues and publications.

In the early 1870’s he decided that he wanted to do business on his own, develop his own products and realise his own ideas…

Examples of Peru's 'El Trencito' of 1870/71, taken from Gerhard Lang's book. The original is on the left, a Torres illustration in the middle and his forgery on the right.
Examples of Peru’s ‘El Trencito’ of 1870/71, taken from Gerhard Lang’s book. The original is on the left, a Torres illustration in the middle and his forgery on the right.

CLA Torres forged the stamps of many countries. Why did he focus his efforts on Latin America?

GL One of the very first forging workshops of the 1860’s was run by the Hamburg merchant Behrmann. He focused on forgeries of the old German States and so, then, did Torres and Usigli. The Florentine merchant then started with old Italian States. However, Torres was born in Spain and spoke Spanish, so it was logical that he should concentrate on his home country and then on to the Spanish speaking republics of South America.

CLA How prevalent are Torres’ forgeries in today’s market? Is it easy to still find them?

GL I estimate that approximately 10% of the forgeries currently offered in the philatelic market on the internet are Torres/Usigli forgeries.

CLA Are there specific characteristics of a Torres forgery that makes them easy to identify?

GL It will be easiest for you to look through the corresponding chapters of my book. Torres only made lithographic copies. The ‘minor forgeries’ are usually unused and often exist in odd colours.

You can sometimes find small jokes or mockeries of the original stamp within the inscriptions. People often mistakenly think that these are accidental errors but he created them purposefully.

The ‘major forgeries’ are those with cancellations. Look at the ‘fakes gallery’ at the end of my book to get a closer feel for Torres’ work.

Giovanni Patroni

CLA You have recently embarked on studying other lesser known forgers, like Engelhard Fohl and Giovanni Patroni. Why have you chosen to study them?

GL Personally I find it intriguing and very exciting. Something like a good thriller on television; finding out what people long ago tried to hide.

And I want to contribute to discover the truth. Things that earlier researchers like Varro E. Tyler could not find, mainly because the internet did not exist during their time.

Examples of a false cancellation of a number surrounded by irreguar dots, here shown on the so-called 1860 Lion Essay forgeries of Paraguay.
Examples of Patroni cancellations of a number surrounded by irreguar dots, here shown on the so-called 1860 Lion Essay forgeries of Paraguay.

CLA Patroni’s focus was on forged cancels. Are there common characteristics that would help a collector spot one of his creations?

GL Most forgers or forging workshops that produced imitations for a large range of countries, can often be identified by the cancelations that they applied.

The typical ‘Spiro’ cancel, for example, is the most commonly known.

Patroni is not so straightforward however, because of the huge number of strange, fake cancels he created.  More than fifty have been identified, some of them quite unusual.

One of the most used is the diamond of thick dots. The shape of the dots is uneven and the number in the middle changes frequently.

Another characteristic to watch out for are his blurred, milky grey cancels (see examples below).

Patroni's blurred grey cancels, shown on a selection of Uruguay 'Suns'.
Patroni’s blurred grey cancels, shown on a selection of Uruguay ‘Suns’.

CLA Are there particular issues from Latin American countries that collectors are likely to find examples of Patroni’s work.

GL Patroni was active between 1869 and 1878. He created forgeries towards the end of his career so collectors should be looking out for examples from issues at around those dates. He created forgeries of nearly every North and South American country, from top to bottom.

CLA Do you have further study ambitions once your Patroni investigations are complete?

GL I do. As well as my Patroni research I am also leading a parallel investigation into another, as yet unconfirmed, forgery workshop.

The forgeries from this workshop are easy to detect because they are very similar and have particularly neat and – normally –  clear cancelations. I have detected these cancelations from at least forty different countries. I believe that this is the largest unknown forgery workshop yet to be identified.

St. Thomas-La Guaira 1864 forgery with distinctive criss-cross forged cancellation.
St. Thomas-La Guaira 1864 forgery with distinctive, neat criss-cross forged cancelation. Forger yet to be identified…

CLA Do you feel there are many other lesser known forgers of Latin American stamps that deserve greater exposure?

GL Discovering forgers is a hard business. Generally we know only of the great workshops. Those that typically had a large range of ‘products’ and well-organised distribution.

There existed however, many little forgers that have probably disappeared forever without leaving traces that enable us to identify them. They made only a few imitations of a specific area and then sold them on into a quite limited market. Remember, I am trying to find evidence about things that happened 150 years ago!

CLA Do you have any guidance on how readers should identify forgeries within their own collections? Are there particular resources that you would recommend?

GL I should clarify that my research is on classic issues of the 19th century. In terms of online resources, in my opinion, the two most useful websites are stampforgeries.com and stampforgeries.blogspot.com

CLA How can readers help you in your research?

GL I would appreciate it if readers could send me scans or photos of any suspicious examples of stamps with strange and unusual cancels (the higher the resolution, the better). This would help contribute towards building a larger database of the Patroni forgeries and possibly to help build a picture of other forgers.

I will try to answer every email sent and identify the forger, if I am able. Bear in mind that Patroni forged not only nearly all North and South American countries but also covered European countries and British colonial territories in Africa (those issued issues prior to 1878).

You can write to Gerhard directly at langvalchs@hotmail.es.

His book on Placido Ramon de Torres is an excellent and well-illustrated read. You can download a pdf copy for free at Phila Historica

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Never miss a new post

Receive an e-mail alert when new posts are published

Please ensure all fields are completed to activate your subscription. Your e-mail address will not be published and will only be used for sending you notification of new posts

Upcoming Events

May 23
23rd May 2026 - 30th May 2026

Boston | Boston 2026 World Expo

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • John Schwind on Which country has the world’s worst postal service?
  • Charles Reynolds on The Collector | Neal West | Nicaragua
  • Ernesto Cuesta on One (Philatelic) Database to Rule Them All
  • Jewett Burr on The Collector | Robert Shaw | Paraguay
  • Derek Asquith on Which country has the world’s worst postal service?

No interest in Latin American stamps?

For news and opinion on the broader stamp market, click on the General Philately category below

Categories

  • Analysis
  • Auctions
  • Dealers
  • Events
  • Forgeries
  • General Philately
  • People
  • Philatelic Societies
  • Post Offices
  • Publications
  • Stamp Issues
  • The Collector

Featured Posts

  • Bustamante Peru Specialized CatalogueThe Bustamantes of Peru
  • The MainsheetBookshelf Essentials – The Mainsheet
  • El Salvador proofEl Salvador finally makes it to London
  • FIAF logoPhilatelic Societies – a review
  • The Observer's Book of Postage Stamps by Anthony S. B. NewLatin American stamp design and its harshest critic
  • Keep Calm and Collect StampsThe Future of Latin American Philately
  • Venezuela AR39 stampScott Specialized adds another 67 listings to Venezuela
  • The 19th Century Issues of El Salvador 1867-1900. Guillermo Gallegos & Joseph HahnBook Review | The 19th Century Issues of El Salvador 1867-1900. Guillermo F. Gallegos & Joseph D. Hahn
  • RPSL Latin America bookletRoyal puts on a Latin American show
  • Rocky Mountain Stamp Show 2019Exhibiting Latin America…from Denver to Stockholm (Part 1)
  • Introducing Venezuela's EscuelasBook Review – Introducing Venezuela’s Escuelas Stamps by Williams Castillo
  • SOFICH Chile catalogueSOFICH, so good
  • Knowledge is power...but only if you know where to lookOne (Philatelic) Database to Rule Them All
  • Buenos Aires stamp forgeriesFakes, forgeries…and buying online
  • Cefibol Catalogo Especializado en Filatelia BolivianaNew Specialized Catalogues: Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru and Paraguay
  • Asofilca Venezuela Specialized Stamp CatalogueVenezuela – the final specialized catalogue for 2022
  • ELASCA websiteIntroducing ELASCA – The European Latin American Stamp Collector Association
  • Mexico National Express CoThe Collector | Peter Bamert | Mexico
  • ABNC Steel PlateOriginal ABNC steel dies come to market
  • Old Central Post Office Buenos AiresStamp Dealers in Argentina and Uruguay
  • Mi Oficina logoLatin American Philately Zooms Forward (Updated February 2023)
  • Peru 1897 Lima Post Office Stamp IssueEvolution of a Stamp: The Peru 1897 Lima Post Office Issue
  • Brazil catalogue cross reference bookCollect Brazil? You probably need this…
  • The MainsheetThe Mainsheet goes digital
  • Granadine Confederation 1859 1 Peso Carmine Block of 15, to be auctioned by Siegel on 30th September (est. $3k-$4k)Forthcoming auctions and initiatives in the hobby
  • 1866 Tres Centavos EagleCollecting and selling Mexico (Part 1)
  • NY 2016 Stamp Show logoWorld Stamp Show – NY2016
  • John Shaw RPSLThe Collector | John Shaw | Paraguay
  • Haiti 1898 President Sam, 50c Rose Brown Sunken Die ProofABNC proofs – understanding the different types
  • Stanley Gibbons' Latin American catalogues have not been published since 2007/8Part 20, Part 20, wherefore art thou Part 20…?

Archives

  • December 2024
  • July 2024
  • December 2023
  • August 2023
  • April 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • August 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • March 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016

Footer

Menu

  • Home
  • Resources
    • Introduction
    • Central America : Philatelic Societies & Specialized Catalogues
    • South America : Philatelic Societies & Specialized Catalogues
    • Fakes and Forgeries
  • Spanish-English Glossary
  • Auctions & Shows
  • Absolute Beginners
  • About
  • Contact
  • STORE

Recent Posts

  • Evolution of a Stamp: The Peru 1897 Lima Post Office Issue
  • The Future of Latin American Philately
  • Latin American stamp design and its harshest critic
  • One (Philatelic) Database to Rule Them All
  • Collect Latin American stamps but don’t speak Spanish?

Categories

  • Contact

© Copyright 2023 www.classiclatinamerica.com