All World Collections, Indian States, Sperati - Day 5

All World – Sperati stamp collection, entitled “Collection no 1”, a stamp approval album (entitled “Timbres Postes”; measuring 15x20cm) exhibiting 235 Sperati reproductions of famous classic stamps; the range of stamps in this album is similar to those contained in Sperati`s famous Livre d`Or album.

This album was gifted by Jean de Sperati to his daughter Yvonne on her 28th birthday, inscribed by Sperati on the inside of the cover and dated 4 September 1952. This is the album that allows us to ascertain the occurrence of Sperati`s secret marking (“marque invisible”) that he mentioned in a correspondence of November 1946, a dark marking visible from the back under UV light, that enabled him to differentiate his stamps from authentic specimens. Sperati`s daughter Yvonne (born 1924) was raised mostly by her aunt; she noted that her mother was not much interested in children and her father was always preoccupied with work, working often 14-16 hours per day. For her 28th birthday Sperati prepared for her this splendid album that encapsulated the highest achievement of his stamp reproduction art (what he termed “Philatelie d`Art”).

Each of the album`s 20 pages contains 9-12 stamps, with most of the highlights of classic world philately being represented, including Buenos Aires tête-bêche, the famous Austrian newspaper stamps, Bavaria 1kr in tête-bêche pair and singles, Saxony no 1 (x3), France with tête-bêche pairs, Italian States, Spain 2r error of colour (a stamp known in three copies) , Sweden 3 skilling yellow (a stamp known in one copy only), Switzerland cantonals, incl. Zurich 1843 4r and 6r, GB 2 shilling brown (x3, in the three separate types), the sun stamps of Uruguay, and much, much more; many of the stamps have Sperati`s signature in pencil on back. The catalogue value has been noted in pencil below each stamp. The album contains absolutely no duplication.

This album contains similar material as Sperati`s Livre d`Or, which in its final form contained 239 stamps, all expertized by the leading philatelic experts of the time from Germany (166 stamps), Italy (38 stamps), Spain (5 stamps), France (26 stamps), and England (4 stamps). In the album we also find the full range of Sperati`s logos, such as “Jean de Sperati, Aix-les-Bains, Savoie”, also on every page is stamped the large yellow circular “Les Jean de Sperati Philatelie d`Art”, and the first page has “Collection no 1” in pencil and “Reproduction Interdite”, also “Copyright by Jean de Sperati”.

This collection is one of the most important resources we have for studying the evolution of Sperati`s reproductions and the technical aspects of his production of both photo-lithography and (in fewer cases) typography. It represents many of his finest reproductions from the time before the British Philatelic Association bought his stock (1953) and published The Work of Jean de Sperati (1955). The album truly represents the crème de la crème of Sperati`s philatelic forgery; it is an object of the highest cultural and historical importance, providing insight into human activities of reproduction and forgery. As an inscribed album it also combines Sperati`s paternal affection for his daughter Yvonne with his extraordinary pride in the achievement of “Philatelie d`Art”.