Spacefillers
Peter Valdner (2010, updated)
Stamp collecting got very popular at the end of 19th century. Many stamp companies started to issue albums with spaces for stamp that should be affixed there. Many collectors use such albums even today. Some computer literate ASFE collectors have printed them for their collections, too. Collectors of stationery cards obviously cannot do it, as the albums would be enormous.
Philatelic routine demonstrated soon that some stamps are impossible to get - either absolutely (not available on the market) or relatively (too expensive). As empty spaces in albums are not esthetic, they had to be filled in by replacements = spacefillers.
Let us have a look at it from the point of view of ASFE collectors. The result will depend on the fact if you are a pure philatelist or the geographical point of view is decisive for you.
Let us have a look at it from the point of view of ASFE collectors. The result will depend on the fact if you are a pure philatelist or the geographical point of view is decisive for you.
If you are an orthodox philatelist, you do not need to continue reading. Your only criterion is that a stamp must be postal, or at least telegraphic or telephone one. You can replace missing stamps by anything, originating in the post office - registration labels, meter franks, stationery could be replaced by telegraphic forms, invoices, etc. A collection of saving books would be also attractive, in the best case represented by your own ones.
If you prefer geography, I offer you my experience of 60 years ASFE collecting. It is only upon your decision, if your prefer a spacefiller or an empty space in your album. Naturally, this point of view is different from a strictly philatelic view, which accepts only stamps in perfect condition.
My following list is in order from best to worst spacefillers. If you have enough funds to purchase perfect stamps, ignore it.
1. counterfeits to deceive post - they are usually more valuable than genuine stamps, naturally only in cases they were accepted as postage.
Many books describe them.
2. later prints are often hard to be distinguished from original prints. If you do not specialize in collecting ASFE development, they are perfectly acceptable.
3. damaged stamps - as representatives of ASFE they are OK. Philatelic point of view, i.e. if they can be used in exhibits, is totally different.
4. reprints are stamps that get to the market after original stamps have lost their validity. They are often printed from original blocks, sometimes in different colours. Other times they can have different size or are otherwise slightly modified.
5. classical forgeries, i.e. products of famous stamp forgers as Jean
de Speratti (1884-1957) or Francois Fournier (1846-1917). They are sometimes more valuable than genuine stamps.
6. revenue stamps are acceptable with hard to find ASFE,
naturally also in cases when no postage stamp were issued at all.
7. artistamps are very popular on internet auctions, there is a permanent interest in British offshore islands, ex-USSR regions, recently Somali and Sudan provinces and armies in Iraq and Afghanistan (note this list is from 2010).
naturally also in cases when no postage stamp were issued at all.
7. artistamps are very popular on internet auctions, there is a permanent interest in British offshore islands, ex-USSR regions, recently Somali and Sudan provinces and armies in Iraq and Afghanistan (note this list is from 2010).
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Today I would mention GBLA, though they are a mixture of local stamps and artistamps. I will not elaborate here, as I wrote a book about it).
Ex-USSR provisionals were no doubt used in Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldavia, Latvia....
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Just do not mix artistamps with banana, chocolate or chewing gum labels only due to a fact they are made of paper. Artistamps must look like postage stamps and they are acceptable in ASFE collections. The Stamp Atlases by J. Marek include them, too.
A special issue, which is the basis of this article, are replacements of rare stamps. I speak about the relative rarity, which is possible to be expressed in money. So the question is which is the limit, when a stamps in an ASFE collection is acceptable to be replaced by a spacefiller.
The logic of this question is based on the decision, if for an ASFE collector say 1500 cheap ASFE are more interesting than a genuine Basel pigeon, as the cost to purchase them could be similar. To get the Basel pigeon one email to Geneva or Paris could be enough. We have discussed with ASFE collectors and set the limit to 200 Eur. Naturally, this figure will have to be increased in future...
The logic of this question is based on the decision, if for an ASFE collector say 1500 cheap ASFE are more interesting than a genuine Basel pigeon, as the cost to purchase them could be similar. To get the Basel pigeon one email to Geneva or Paris could be enough. We have discussed with ASFE collectors and set the limit to 200 Eur. Naturally, this figure will have to be increased in future...
In practice, it means that today (2010) following entities out of 780 ASFE according to FAZZ may be replaced by spacefillers (and often they really are, though not deliberately): the four entities with high catalogue prices (Basel, Zurich, Geneva and Scind) and 3
hard to find (Buchara, Chorezm and Mosquito). If you use my updated list, so many Zemstos, Chinese areas also Shahpura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Choco, Campeche and let us complete the dozen by Marianas Espanolas.
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Any other reproductions, let us call them photocopies regardless how they were produced, are suitable only for beginners to be educated. They are not better than the printed pictures in albums.
A problem can arise, when an "advanced" ASFE collector believes he has in his collection only genuine stamps and condemns the theory of spacefillers. He would probably change his mind if he got his stamps expertized. I recommend most of German and Italian States, Carupano, Cordoba and/or Suez. ASFE created by overprinting can be added according to your choice. The assortment is really large. And, by the way, if you collect covers, the probability they are genuine is not much higher than by stamps. As they are usually much more expensive than single stamps, they attract forgers, as this LK V).
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To finish a short vocabulary explanation. On the face of it, forgery and counterfeit are synonyms for fake – but they're not actually the same thing. Forgery is a genuine document that has been unlawfully altered, counterfeit is a copy of a genuine document. Hence a fake Blue
Mauritius
is a counterfeit, but fake Mosquito is a forgery. In the philatelic practice, also counterfeits are usually mentioned as forgeries.
Sources: Internet and archives of the author
Contact: valdpete@yahoo.com
