Of course, having the interest I do in fraud and fraudulent stamps, after learning that the No.2 (or No.4) was actually a Chad Scott-No.C77, I was determined to see how such a convincing fake could have been created from such an unconvincing modern reproduction.

The first step of cutting out the picture from the Chad stamps in a way that more accurately represented the margins of the 19th century was accomplished easily with an ordinary pair of scissors.

My first real dilemma was the "aging" of the paper. I experimented with many different methods of "dirtying" the paper. Finally, I found that a mixture of mud, coffee, and soy sauce would, after about 3 days of soaking, sufficiently discolor the back of the paper to that of a considerably older stamp. However, the face of the stamp still had a modern sharpness of color in the design. Thus, I brushed the front with graphite to soften the face as well.

I now had a decent example of a mint No.4, or, if I regummed it, a mint No.2. That, however, did not solve the question of the 19th century cancellation. In researching cancellations, I found that, sometimes, modern "commemorative" cancels duplicate the appearance of the cancel from the time of the event being commemorated. Contact with a designer and promoter of special event covers led me to a commemorative cancel used for a Nebraska special cover around ten or twenty years ago. Although the cancel had a current date on it, the rest of its appearance was that of a 19th century cancel.

I took the rubber stamp and proceeded to experiment with different ink colors, eventually settling upon a mixture of mainly red, but a bit of brown to create a slightly more orange color. Applying the rubber stamp cancellation in such a way as to show only the 19th century design and not the 20th century date. Voila! There you have the stamp pictured in this article and on the front page of Linn's.

Now, one would think that this type of publicity would have destroyed the market for these fakes, or brought them down to a reasonable price level. However, the exact opposite has been the case. After the Linn's article, I heard several reports from dealers that these fake No.4's were trading briskly at shows around the country. This greatly surprised me, as the ones being offered were nothing but cut down Chad No.C77's, with their obviously modern paper and modern gum.

On the other hand, in the course of my research, I had created over 15 examples, mainly mint, and a few used. I donated these to a young stamp dealer friend of mine, and they truly have become "rarities," realizing $40-$50 each at auction. These high prices are both understandable and fair. I spent many hours, using my years of expertise, to create these examples, and they did, after all, become somewhat famous (or perhaps infamous).

So bottom line, collectors should be careful when buying a United States No.2 or No.4 that looks very "modern." However, if you end up buying one of the examples I produced, save this article, and who knows, maybe someday you will have a true rarity!