Lexicon for Sperati Site
 

In working on this collection of Sperati materials it became apparent that a special lexicon was needed. This site uses a special vocabulary beyond the argot of that normally used by philatelists.

1942 approval sheet - Refers to the famous sheet of 18 reproductions mounted on a small approval sheet that was sent by Sperati to a dealer in Portugal in 1942. The French Customs opened the letter and prosecuted Sperati for exporting valuable stamps with declaring them. Sperati claimed that they were forgeries and quite valueless. A French expert declared them to all be genuine stamps. After Sperati showed the court identical sheets with the same set of reproductions, he was acquitted, The actual original sheet is here.

BPA card proof - As an adjunct to Sperati I, the British Philatelic Association (BPA) printed images from Sperati's negatives. The negatives reproduced include cancels that he forged as well as his reproductions. These pulls were printed on glossy, thick photo paper card stock. Each item was backstamped with a purple "SPERATI REPRODUCTION" rimless oval handstamp.

cancel retained - For his raw material Sperati often used genuine, common stamps. These included the proper perforations, watermarks and correct cancels for the period. After applying protective coatings to the genuine cancel, Sperati chemically treated the stamps to remove the design before printing his new design.

cliché - Sperati printed the large majority of his reproductions using a piece of film, termed a cliché, for his photo-lithography process. He smeared the cliché with ink, placed it onto a bed, and ran his paper through a simple roller press to made his reproduction.

color trial proof - Sperati often marked proofs with the ink formula that was used. He was also in the habit of making a thumb or fingerprint on the untrimmed proof to have a quick visual clue as to the finished color.

composite proof - a proof reproduction that was printed using two or more clichés. Most often seen with key and duty clichés producing a reproduction of a British stamp. Not always apparent when viewing a black proof.

covered cliché - when not is use, Sperati stored his clichés by coating them with collodion. The clichés that survive usually have been treated for storage but still show evidence of the ink that was last used.

duty cliché - a cliché used by Sperati to print the value tablet only, or the value tablet and a second tablet such as a colony name, on a reproduction. This method, which mimicked the use of multiple plates by actual stamp printers, is most often seen on reproductions of British Colonial issues.

finished reproduction - This term is used here specifically to mean a Sperati reproduction in the form of a stamp that resembles most closely an actual postal emission. This term is used to differentiate an item from his working proofs (usually untrimmed) and the typical color proofs that resemble signed die proofs.

gum - Sperati usually made his own gum that he applied to his reproductions. Although he claims in his Technique that he was able to preserve original gum when he decolored stamps, I believe that most all of the reproductions with gum that I have seen bear his fake, albumin based, gum.

key cliché - a cliché used by Sperati to print the main design only that leaves a void space for the value tablet to be inserted, or a second tablet such as a colony name, on a reproduction. This method, which mimicked the use of multiple plates by actual stamp printers, is most often seen on reproductions of British Colonial issues.

Livre D'Or - Sperati's book of reproductions of stamps that had fooled the experts. What constituted this collection expanded over time. All of the items that had received one or more expert opinions stating the reproduction was a genuine stamp.

matrix / matrices - Sperati termed his master negative a matrix (plural, matrices). From his master he made transfers (clichés) to make his prints. He used glass negatives as well as film negatives. If he needed to retouch something on a design, this was usually done on the matrix.

model - Sperati often photographed genuine stamps for his master negatives. These models then have the characteristics of the specific position of the model. This allows many of his reproductions to be traced to a specific plate position. Many of Sperati's actual genuine stamp models were sold to Robert Lyman, an American stamp dealer, in the 1950s. Some few exist that originated with his daughter. The word may also refer to a cancel that Sperati traced and then processed for use.

negative - Sperati occasionally used glass negatives but most often they were on film. Typically, he touched up flaws with paint directly on the negative and then made his transfers for printing. Therefore, a single negative might have been used for several different types.

painted model - an actual stamp that Sperati photographed to produce a negative. His painted models that used to isolate a part of a design, such as the corner letters on the Great Britain 2sh reproduction, rarely survived.

painted negative - Sperati negatives often were painted on one, or both sides, to correct flaws. Most negatives that still exist show such painting.

paper trial proof - a printing on an unusual paper. An example is the 2d Newfoundland design on page here that shows that it was printed on paper with printed text from a book.

photo lithography - the method of printing employed by Sperati. for the majority of his reproductions, he hand-inked his clichés and ran then through a roller press. Some of his very early reproductions were made using a copper plate rather than a cliché of film to print.

proof - I use this term loosely to mean both deliberate proofs as well as unfinished prints, usually untrimmed, that Sperati did not intend to sell. Almost all of such material is from the Sperati archives.

protected cliché - when not in use, Sperati stored his clichés by coating them with collodion. The clichés that survive usually have been treated for storage but still show evidence of the ink that was last used.

retouched negative - same as painted negative. Sperati made all his retouches on teh negative. Sometimes he painted on both sides of the negative. After retouching, he transferred the image to a cliché for printing.

Sperati I - The Work of Jean De Sperati, the pair of books, one of photo plates and one of text, that was published by the British Philatelic Association (BPA) in 1955. The cornerstone treatise written by Robson Lowe (not credited) that illustrated and described the distinguishing characteristics of the Sperati reproductions that were included in the BPA purchase of material from Sperati.

Sperati II - The Work of Jean De Sperati II, Including Previously Unlisted Forgeries by Robson Lowe and Carl Walske, a book published by the Royal Philatelic Society of London in 2001. A large portion of the items included in this volume were purchased from Yvonne Pochard de Sperati, after her father's death. Items purchased directly from her by Carl Walske that are included in the photo plates are included in this collection and have never appeared on the open philatelic market.

Technique (short for La technique complete de la 'Philatelie d'Art) by Jean de Sperati, the French language unpublished typescript of 120 pages plus title page and card boards in which Sperati describes his technique in making his reproductions. There are maybe as many as six original copies of this signed version. In addition, there is a hardbound book of typed pages with original drawings, The Complete Technique of the Art of Philately, with the same text but in English, apparently translated by Sperati and/or with his secretary. I do not know how many original copies of this exist, but I am not aware of any others than the ex Walske example now in the Frajola collection.

trial exposure - an album in Carl Walske's purchases from Yvonne Pochard de Sperati included prints on photo paper with Sperati's notes that are consistent with them being trials with different exposure times. For five examples, see top row on page here.

working proof - a proof of color or paper or essay of an incomplete design. Many of these working proofs include Sperati's notes, some include dates noted in month/day/year format, written in the untrimmed margins.