The Making of Sperati Reproductions
 

This 16 page presentation (here as PDF file and below in thumbnails that link to 600 dpi images) describes and illustrates many of the ingenious techniques used by Jean De Sperati in manufacturing his stamp reproductions, or as he preferred, his "philatelic art." It is the story of how Sperati creating his art as well as his artifices.

Sperati was an exceptionally talented and prolific postage stamp forger. The British Philatelic Association (BPA) purchased his stock in 1953 and then published The Work of Jean De Sperati that described and illustrated 358 of his reproductions. In 2001, a second book, written by Robson Lowe and Carl Walske (Sperati II) was published by the Royal Philatelic Society that identified a further 102 reproductions.

Sperati wrote about his techniques in La Technique and although this exhibit uses information found in the English version of that work (PDF file of version in English is here), it is focused primarily on the physical evidence. After his death in 1957, Sperati's daughter conveyed to Carl Walske much of his remaining production-related artifacts. Several of those items are incorporated in this exhibit including original unfinished items, working proofs, negatives, cancel tracings and celluloid clichés used to print the reproductions. Many of the items shown are not known outside of this collection.

In 1942 Sperati sent an approval sheet shown on page one to a stamp dealer in Portugal that was intercepted by French Customs. He was then prosecuted for exporting stamps of substantial value without declaring them. In his defense, Sperati claimed that they were all forgeries. When a French criminologist declared them to be genuine, Sperati produced an identical set of the stamps. He was finally acquitted of the smuggling charge by the court in Chambery in 1948.