Can anyone help me (please) to identify this stamp? It was in a glassine with a bunch of stamps from Bulgaria, but I'm not recognizing a country name on it, so I'm not sure. The text between and below the swords (or are those candle sticks?) may very well be the country, though it's not registering in my mind. I cannot find it among the earliest stamps for Bulgaria in my 2009 Scott catalogue. I'm starting to wonder if it might not be a cinderella. Thanks for any help!
Michael, you've got my attention! I'm not disagreeing with your conclusion that this item is a forgery (I wasn't sure what to make of the stamp), but I am curious about what the tell-tale signs are that led you to that conclusion. I notice that the margins outside of the frame are quite large, even for an imperforate. Is that a clue? Or what else (if you don't mind) makes it very likely this is a forgery?
I've been back in the hobby only two years and still have a lot to learn. Thanks.
There are several tell-tale signs of your stamp being a forgery. Remember that your image is upside down.
Here is a genuine stamp, properly oriented, from my collection:
Here is the area where you can quickly tell:
Note that the cross looks like a cross and is complete, compared to the cross on your stamp. The other is the chevron. Note on the genuine that the lines at the top of the chevron are complete, and the white lines beneath the outline are clear and separated by a thin line at the apex of the angle, not with a thick blue line at an angle like on your stamp.
There are many other differences between the two that a side-by-side comparison will reveal.