Cherry Blossoms: 1/2 Sen Brown with Syllabics
Genuine
Brown issued February 1874 with Syllabics 
(1 -i ) and 
(2 – ro) only
Scott #32 and Sakura #28 on foreign paper
Size 19 1/2 mm x 22 1/2 mm
The 1/2 sen brown with syllabics has four original plates — two for each syllabic. Any brown stamp with syllabic 
(3-ha) is a forgery.
Reminder: Only 16 petals or florets in the genuine Kiku Crest (Chrysanthemum Crest). The Ki-Hansen error occurs only on Plate 4, Positions 23 of the 1/2 sen with crossed branches. Any syllabic stamp with the Ki-Hansen error is a forgery.
Syllabic (1-i)
Syllabic (2-ro)
Differences Between Genuine and Forged
All 1/2 brown Cherry Blossom stamps with syllabic (3-ha) are forgeries.
Genuine: Stems between the third and fifth leaves are solid or have very close lines. Forgeries: In the syllabic forgeries the stems are missing.
Genuine: In the paulownia flower, a line crosses most of the small blossoms. Forgeries: These lines are fewer or missing in the forgeries.
Genuine: The paulownia branches pass in front of the top leaf. Forgeries: These branches stop of the edge of the top leaf and appear to pass behind.
Wada 1/2 Sen Forgeries Plates 15 & 16
Plate 15: As said before, the forgers did whatever suited them at the time. They often changed the same plate in different ways to make a different stamp or to change from sankō to mozō, or remove the sankō or mozō altogether. Wada’s Plate 15 is a great example of the possible changes that could be made. See all the changes Wada made to Plate 15 here.
Plate 16: Only used for the 1/2 values with syllabics. The same plate was used to forge both the February 1874 issue in brown and the 1875 issue in gray. Different positions on the same plate had different syllabics. The whole plate was printed in both colors and all are “unsigned.” The positions with their syllabics are listed below:
-
-
- Postions 1 & 5: syllabic (3-ha) (Note: No genuine in brown with this syllabic.)
- Positions 2 – 4: syllabic (1-i)
- Positions 6 – 8: syllabic (2-ro)
- Postions 1 & 5: syllabic
-
“Signed” Forgeries
Maeda: syllabic with sankō
Maeda: syllabic with sankō
Stamp pretends to be the Ki-Hansen error which doesn’t exist on the 1/2 brown with syllabic.
Wada: Plate 15, State 1, syllabic with sankō
Chrysanthemum Crest has 15 petals
Wada: Plate15, State 2, syllabic with mozō
Chrysanthemum Crest has 15 petals
Mihon: Type 1
Chrysanthemum Crest has 15 petals
Mihon: Type 2
Chrysanthemum Crest has 15 petals
Mihon: Type 3
Chrysanthemum Crest has 16 petals
“Unsigned” Forgeries
Wada: Plate 15, Position 2, state 4, syllabic (1-i)
Wada: Plate 15, Position 3, state 4, syllabic (2-ro)
Wada: Plate 16, Position 4, syllabic (1-i)
–
Wada: Plate 16, Position 8, syllabic (2-ro)
Wada: Plate 16, Position 1, syllabic (3-ha)
Ramsden: syllabic (2 – ro)
Spiro: syllabic (2 -ro), 17 petals in Chrysanthemum Crest
Unknown Forger: syllabic (1 – i)
Unknown Forger: syllabic (2 – ro)
ABC Kurabu (ABC Club) - 1950's-1960's
For more information about the ABC Kurabu Forgeries click here.
Note: Numbers in parenthesis and bold are the catalog numbers found on reverse of the forgeries. State 4 forgeries did not have any numbers on the reverse. It is believed that State 4 forgeries exist for all different values. But only a few State 4 examples were available for examination. When State 4 was available for examination, the design type is recorded.
ABC (Kurabu) Club Forgery, 1/2 sen brown, syllabic ロ (2 -ro) – Design 111
State 1, 2, 3, & 5 (No. 23) and State 4 (no number).
Characteristics of Design 111:
-
-
- Breaks in frame lines.
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Souvenir Sheet of Unknown Origin and Age
Stamp reproduces the 1/2 sen Cherry Blossom stamp, syllabic ロ (ro).
The sheet (90 x 55 mm) has the stamp with an inscription at the top reading: sakura kitte yōshi kana-iri hansen mokoku [reproduction of Cherry Blossom stamp, 1/2 sen on foreign paper with syllabic]. The information about this sheet is found in Japaneses Philately, volume 52, page 113, This issue of Japanese Philately was published in 1997.
The genuine stamps were always perforated. But, as always, the imperforate stamp in the Souvenir Sheet could be cut out and perforated.
Reproductions
Tayama 1908
This 1/2 sen stamp, syllabic イ (i-1) is found in sheet 1 included with the 1908 issue of the Communications Law Monthly Report. It has the type 2 cancel.
Inscriptions translate:
1/2 sen light brown;
Issued: Meiji 5.9 (September 1872);
Off Sale: Meiji 8.8 February 1875);
Invalidated: Meiji 22. 11 (November 1889)
Click here to see more information about Tayama reproductions.
Japan Stamp Publicity Association
JSPA Sheet No. 8 issued 15 October 1962
The stamp in this sheet reproduces the genuine issue of February 1874on hard wove paper with syllabic イ (1-1). The sheet is on wove paper. For more information click here.