Again, all basic items are fake. The overprints are crude. They not even look like the genuine ones. Still there are buyers that do not hesitate to shell out more then $200!
I know how hard it is, when you start collection stamps from Armenia. So many forgeries. So few informations. Even in the Scott catalog images of fakes are present. And the genuine items are quite rare. Some very rare. So when you see something on the Internet and the seller has over 4500 feedback ratings with a perfect score of 100%, what do you do? At the beginning I too bought some of the forgeries. Still, I think, that should not be necessary.
I am planning to start a little service. You send me a link to an item (picture, eBay lot etc.) and for a small handling fee of $10 I give you my opinion. While this is not enough for a complete research of an expensive and difficult item, its definitely enough to weed out all the crude and obvious forgeries. And if I see something that is difficult I will tell you so.
Expect an addition with a request form to this site in the near future!
Over $900 for crudely faked overprints on fake stamps…
I just discovered your blog and I am always amazed at how much money some collectors can put in dubious items. I have other examples on my blog, including a forger with a inkjet printer who happens to loose money selling his forgeries !