Giovanni (Jean) de Sperati was an Italian stamp forger. Robson Lowe considered him an artist and even professional stamp authenticators of his time attested to the genuineness of his work. Sperati created what he called a Livre d'Or which he boasted of in his autobiography and which contained 239 favourable opinions as to the genuineness of his forgeries from numerous experts, including Dr. Edward Diena and the Royal Philatelic Society London.
de Sperati and Marie Louise Corne. They were married on 1 August 1914. (Source: Family archive)
A Sperati forgery of an 1856 stamp of Saxony.
An undated work of Jean de Sperati. Probably a proof.
Philatelic fakes and forgeries
In general, philatelic fakes and forgeries are labels that look like postage stamps but have been produced to deceive or defraud. Learning to identify these can be a challenging branch of philately.
War mail forgery Ludwig III. (left). On the right the original.
Propaganda forgery Deutsch-Ostafrika
Probes of the British "Germania"-forgery, connected to 10 and 15 pfennigs
"Germania"-forgery, 15 Pf. in correct colour