A Review by Alan Warren
Finland Reference Manual of Forgeries, Volume 1, Juhani V. Olamo, 8 x 9 inches, loose-leaf pages in special binder and slip case, illustrated, in English, Helsingfors Frimärkssamlare Förening, Borgå, 1998-1999. Releases 1-3, available from Jay Smith & Associates, Box 650, Snow Camp NC 27349 $148.50 postpaid in U.S. Each release available also individually.
This reference manual is a major undertaking of Finland's oldest philatelic society and pulls together widely spread information on the country's forged stamps and postmarks as well as fake covers. Volume 1 consists of three releases, the pages of which the buyer must then interleave in the binder. Olamo is a highly respected Finnish authority, international accredited judge, and chairman of the FIP revenues commission. He follows the format established by the late Werner M. Bohne for the forgeries of Germany.
The contents reveal the comprehensive goal of the editor to produce four volumes over several years, which will include the stamps of the Grand Duchy, the Republic of Finland, the associated countries of Aunus, North Ingermanland and Karelia, local stamps, revenues, fieldpost, coil and booklet stamps, postal stationery, maximum cards, and Christmas seals.
The pages of the manual are not numbered. The stamps are presented in numerical order by the Norma catalog, and the postmarks appear in alphabetical order. There is a cross-reference table that ties the Norma numbers to those of LaPe, Michel, Facit, and Y&T. For the stamps, a genuine copy is shown followed by the various forgeries. Those of Fournier and Sperati are identified. The black and white illustrations are larger than the stamps and are quite clear. Notes are provided to indicate the characteristics of each forgery.
Perforation forgeries of the Coat of Arms issues, including the compound perforations, are included. Overprint forgeries and printer's waste are shown. The manual is not restricted to just the classic issues, and examples from 1934-35 are already shown in this first volume. The section on postmark cancels also includes modern material, for example a 1940-period canceller that was used illegally as late as 1985. A number of forged cork cancels are shown including usage on postal stationery.
Pages are printed on one side of the page only so it is easy to insert corrected pages and new ones in the future. This manual will be a great tool for collectors and dealers of Finland, as well as for expertising individuals and organizations. I look forward to the future volumes and releases.
See also the Western Philatelic Library holdings in Fakes and Forgeries
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