Vertical Verification Lines

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FILACUBA
Cuban Philately Filatelia Cubana

Verticales de Comprobacin para

las Sobrecargas de Puerto Prncipe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vertical Verification Lines for the

Puerto Prncipe Surcharges
By Ernesto Cuesta and Robert Littrell
Here we will show, using "vertical verification lines" (VVLs), how to recognize the particular
relationships that exist between the three lines of type so as to better determine whether the
surcharge on the stamp is a forgery. This is important because almost all forgeries can be
detected in this manner. Forgers rarely paid careful attention to the proper alignment of the
surcharge letters and number of their counterfeits and thus many forgeries can be identified by
showing that their alignment does not correspond to those of the genuine stamps. Additionally, if
the surcharge is genuine, one can use the VVLs to determine what position it was among the five
possible in the setting.
Vertical verification lines are placed on scans of Puerto Prncipe surcharges to verify the
relative alignment of the letters and numbers in the surcharges for each of the five positions of the
settings for each surcharge denomination of the five printings. These charts show the proper
alignment of these lines for the genuine surcharges so that one can use them to verify whether the
alignment of a sample being examined corresponds with the genuine. The vertical verification lines
shown on these charts are perpendicular to a horizontal line passing through the top of the word
"HABILITADO" or the bottom of the word "cent" or "cents". Two vertical lines are drawn for each
position in each setting, one passing to the leftmost side of the letter "c" of "cent" or "cents" and
another one passing to the rightmost side of the numeral of the surcharge. If one compares
similarly drawn lines on a scan (best at 600 dpi) of a stamp being examined with the vertical
verification lines on these charts corresponding to a genuine stamp of the same surcharge
denomination, printing, and setting position and the alignment does not match, the surcharge is a
forgery. Note however, that the converse is not necessarily true - a match does not guarantee that
the stamp is genuine because there are some excellent forgeries with the correct alignment of the
vertical verification lines. Additional examination of the surcharge characteristics and ink need to be
performed before a stamp can be declared to be genuine with certainty. On the other hand, also
note that a match in the vertical verification lines can be used to confirm the position in the setting
of a genuine surcharge. Finally, verify that the height of the surcharge from the top of the word
"HABILITADO" to the bottom of the word "cent" or "cents" measures 17.5 mm for the surcharges of
the first and second printings and 19.5 mm for those of the third through fifth printings.
1st Printing | 2nd Printing | 3rd Printing | 4th Printing | 5th Printing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Verticales de Comprobacin para las Sobrecargas de Puerto

Prncipe
Por Ernesto Cuesta y Robert Littrell
Las verticales de comprobacin son lneas trazadas en las imgenes de las sobrecargas de
Puerto Prncipe para verificar la alineacin relativa de las letras y los nmeros en las cinco
posiciones de cada valor de las sobrecargas de cada una de las cinco tiradas de imprenta. Estos

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diagramas muestran la alineacin correcta de estas lneas en las sobrecargas genuinas para que
uno pueda usarlos para verificar si la alineacin en un ejemplar que se est examinando
corresponde con la genuina. Los falsificadores no siempre prestaron atencin a la alineacin
correcta de las letras y nmeros de sus falsificaciones y por lo tanto muchas falsificaciones se
pueden identificar comprobando que dicha alineacin no corresponde a la de los ejemplares
genuinos.
Las verticales de comprobacin mostradas en estos diagramas son perpendiculares a una
lnea horizontal que pasa por la parte superior de la palabra "HABILITADO" o por la parte inferior
de la palabra "cent" o "cents". Dos lneas verticales de comprobacin se trazan para cada posicin
de cada molde: una que pasa por el costado izquierdo de la letra "c" de "cent" o "cents" y otra
que pasa por el costado derecho de la cifra de la sobrecarga. Si uno compara lneas similares
dibujadas en una fotocopia en grande de una sobrecarga que se est examinando con las
verticales de comprobacin mostradas en estos diagramas correspondientes al sello genuino del
mismo valor de la sobrecarga, la misma posicin del molde, y la misma tirada de imprenta y la
alineacin no corresponde, la sobrecarga es falsa. Ntese sin embargo, que lo contrario no es
necesariamente cierto--el hecho de que las alineaciones coincidan no garantiza que el sello sea
genuino pues hay falsificaciones muy buenas con la alineacin correcta de las verticales de
comprobacin. Se requiere una examinacin detallada de otras caractersticas de la sobrecarga y
de la tinta usada para poder declarar con certeza que una de estas sobrecargas es genuina. Por
otro lado, podemos hacer notar que la coincidencia en las lneas de comprobacin puede usarse
para confirmar la posicin en el molde de una sobrecarga genuina. Finalmente, ya que estamos
hablando de lineas de comprobacion, se debe verificar que la distancia entre la linea horizontal
que pasa por la parte superior de la palabra "HABILITADO" y la que pasa por la parte inferior de
la palabra "cent" o "cents" sea de 17.5 milimetros para las sobrecargas de la primera y segunda
tiradas y de 19.5 milimetros para las de la tercera a quinta tiradas.
1era Impresin | 2da Impresin | 3era Impresin | 4ta Impresin | 5ta Impresin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vertical Verification Lines Verticales de Comprobacin

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Chart Explanation Explicacin del grfico

Vertical Verification Lines Verticales de Comprobacin

Chart Explanation Explicacin del grfico

Vertical Verification Lines Verticales de Comprobacin

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Chart Explanation Explicacin del grfico

Vertical Verification Lines Verticales de Comprobacin

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Vertical Verification Lines

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Chart Explanation Explicacin del grfico

Vertical Verification Lines Verticales de Comprobacin

Chart Explanation Explicacin del grfico

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These charts were prepared and checked by Robert Littrell
This page was last modified on June 26, 2010.

7.3.2015. 23:46