We continue to see people bid on China postal covers of dubious provenance and authenticity, such as Large Dragon covers, Red Revenue covers, Dowager covers, PRC military postage (M1 yellow) covers, C94 Mei Lanfang covers, Cultural Revolution W1, W2, W7, W10 covers. Fake postal cancels were used by philatelic counterfeiters to forge these covers. Apparently, professional counterfeiters know the easiest way to reap high profits is to put these stamps on old, used envelopes and then put hand-engraved fake postal cancels on them. I find it frustrating and disturbing that some innocent buyers, especially those outside China, should fall victim to such a cheap trick.

Many "expensive" covers on the auction block bear telltale traces of forgery. Some bidders were unfamiliar with the Mandarin Chinese writing system, and therefore were unable to detect forged handwritten addresses on the covers. They were unable to tell what type of calligraphic handwriting was genuine, and what was fake. Only experienced collectors with an intimate knowledge in calligraphic graphology are able to recognize forged handwriting. I saw some fake covers on which the addresses reveal the handwriting of counterfeiters whose fingers were probably more familiar with keyboard than with pen -- a clear indication of forgery, as some counterfeiters were probably too young to imitate various types of sophisticated soft-brush or pen handwriting mastered by many individuals from older generations before computer became available.

Some bidders who were unfamiliar with PRC postal regulations were unaware that PRC military postage was strictly forbidden to be used for international mailing. This is commonsensical to almost all RPC collectors, which explains why no one bid on those covers bearing M1 yellow stamp(s) and international addresses. Some bidders lacked a good knowledge in Chinese postal seals (cancellatons), and were unable to recognize nonprofessional engraving from the hands of counterfeiters. Please be aware that all PRC postal seals were machine-engraved at state-run professional mills, and their engraving style and quality are clearly different from those hand-engraved by nonprofessionals.

Only those who know the Mandarin Chinese writing system well and possess a professional knowledge in engraving technology and craftsmanship are able to tell the nuanced differences between authentic and forged seals. This is the case even with some professional appraisers without an intimate knowledge in the Mandarin Chinese writing system plus a professional knowledge in engraving technology and craftsmanship.

One of the effective strategies for countering postal chop forgery is a digitized analysis of the listing picture, i.e., the seal(s) on the stamp(s) of  a suspicious cover. A digitized analysis will indicate color and/or structural inconsistencies at the pixel level, thus revealing traces of forgery. So far this seems to be the ONLY effective method of detecting forged postal covers from online auctions. It is easy, convenient,  free, and Do-It-Yourself. Try it, if you will.

A professional appraiser of Chinese postal seals should necessarily possess a native-level literary of the Mandarin Chinese writing system (including both the regular and simplified forms). A mere oral literacy does not help at all. It is by no means exaggeration that a professional knowledge in the Mandarin Chinese writing system holds the key to effective and successful detection and prevention of philatelic forgery.

Unfortunately, the restrictions imposed by eBay on bidder communication have made it difficult or even impossible for bidders to alert one another about possible forgery, which virtually gives green light to counterfeiters. Adding to this obstacle to bidder mutual alerting is the eBay selling-bidding option of "User ID kept private," which allows counterfeiters to shill-bid on their own items as a way to gain bidding credibility and confidence. This being the case, whenever bidding on "expensive" China postal covers, whether from the imperial era or from the PRC period, please exercise extra caution so that you won't fall victim to counterfeiters again and again.

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