Lot 2433
German States, Peter Winter German States Forgery Collection, approximately 450 items arranged on stockpages in Linder album; extensive showing of Winter creations starting with Baden 1851 9kr deep rose gutter pairs including various cancels and the 9kr blue error including on fronts, 1860 9kr rose including in sheet with Moldavia issue, Bavaria 1849 1kr sheet and strips on fronts, later high values in block with various cancels, etc., Brunswick with multiples on fronts including bisect, Bremen issues with various issues on fronts, Hannover 1863 3pf green with various cancels and on fronts, nice showing of various Lubeck issues unused, used and multiples including usages, similar Oldenburg including large blocks and combination frankings, Saxony focusing on 1850 3pf first issue including sheets from different designs/printings, cancel "study", combination frankings on fronts and essay designs, Wurttemberg with bisect usages, 1873 70kr including full sheet with imprint and registered usages, etc.Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
Peter Winter of Bremen apparently began offering forgeries sometime in the early 1980's. By 1985 he had arranged to launch a major marketing scheme. A catalog was issued under the name ProPhilForum picturing and pricing forgeries of many classic stamps, about 185 different in total with an addition of 31 cover fronts. The forgeries themselves were produced by an art printer in Germany. Mostly they were photolithographs, but a few were engraved. After filed complaints from the philatelic community, leading to the near shut down of Winter's operation, he arranged with Silke Kratel in Geneva to handle his forgeries through the newly created House of Stamps. After a year or so the House of Stamps was shut down by Swiss postal authorities in response to complaints.
Realized: $2,100