I found this in a packet and strongly believe it is a forgery (if only because of what I paid for the whole lot), but perhaps someone can point out the obvious clues showing that it really is what I think it is: a forgery?
One thing to do is turn the stamp over and look at the back side. These stamps were printed with movable type, so there should be indented marks, such as when you write on paper and get an indent you can feel and see on the other side.
Also, look at the edge of the numeral. As the cliche presses on the paper, ink will spread out toward the edges. This can leave a tiny ridge of ink outlining the numeral.
Jan, the big teller on your copy that defines it as a forgery is with the word "POSTAGE"
First, the genuine stamp has a period after the word, and the bottom horizontal bar of the letter "E" is broken. Your copy has a solid bar, and lacks the period.
Might as well use it as a space filler. The genuine ones are not easy to get!
