Brighton Forgeries

½a Circular 1a Circular 4a Circular Jammu Kashmir New Rectangulars

Commentators speak of this class of forgery as having been produced through a photo-process from originals. Examples are thus correct in basic design but usually appear in odd colors (many are watercolor) and on papers not seen among the originals. The forgeries are rather antique themselves, having been known since the early 1900s. The listings are from Séfi & Mortimer (from which the b/w scans were also taken). Many types are rare or probably non-existent now, and occasionally a new candidate is advanced for consideration.

½a Circular Brighton Forgeries (after Séfi)



Blacks	½a black	water	tissue
	½a black	water	thin white laid
	½a grey	water	thin white laid


Blues	½a ultramarine	water	toned pelure
	½a Prussian blue	water	toned pelure
	½a bright blue	water	white laid
	½a bright blue	oil	thin white laid
	½a bright blue	oil	tissue


Reds	½a brown-red	oil	tissue
	½a carmine-red	oil	laid
	½a dull red	water	toned pelure
	½a red	water	white laid
	½a pale red	oil	thin white laid


Oranges	½a dull orange	oil	tissue


Yellows	½a yellow	water	tissue
	½a yellow-ochre	water	white laid
	½a yellow-ochre	water	toned pelure
	½a bright yellow	water	toned pelure
	½a pale yellow	water	thin hard white wove
	½a yellow-ochre	oil	thin white laid


Greens	½a emerald-green	water	toned pelure
	½a yellow-green	water	white laid
	½a deep olive-green	water	white laid
	½a emerald-green	oil	thin white laid
	½a green	oil	tissue


Browns	½a chestnut	oil	thin white laid

1a Circular Brighton Forgeries



Blacks	1a black	water	tissue
	1a black	water	toned pelure
	1a black	water	toned laid
	1a black	water	white laid
	1a grey-black	oil	thin white laid
	1a black	oil	thin white laid
	1a black	oil	coarse grey wove


Blues	1a ultramarine	water	toned pelure
	1a bright blue	water	white laid
	1a bright blue	oil	thin white laid


Reds	1a brown-red	water	white laid
	1a brown-red	water	toned laid
	1a brown-red	oil	tissue
	1a dull red	water	toned pelure


Oranges	1a dull orange	oil	tissue


Yellows	1a yellow-ochre	water	toned pelure
	1a bright yellow	water	toned pelure
	1a yellow-ochre	water	white laid
	1a pale yellow	water	thin white wove
	1a yellow-ochre	oil	thin white laid


Greens	1a emerald-green	water	toned pelure wove
	1a yellow-green	water	toned laid
	1a yellow-green	water	white laid
	1a deep olive-green	water	white laid
	1a green	oil	tissue


Browns	1a chestnut	oil	thin white laid

4a Circular Brighton Forgeries



Blacks	4a black	water	tissue
	4a black	water	toned laid
	4a black	water	white laid
	4a black	oil	thin white laid
	4a grey	oil	thin white laid


Blues	4a Prussian-blue	water	tissue
	4a greyish-blue	water	tissue
	4a greyish-blue	oil	tissue
	4a ultramarine	water	toned pelure
	4a bright blue	water	white laid
	4a bright blue	oil	thin white laid


Reds	4a dull red	water	toned pelure
	4a red	water	white laid


Oranges	4a dull orange	oil	tissue


Yellows	4a yellow-ochre	water	toned pelure
	4a bright yellow	water	toned pelure
	4a yellow-ochre	water	white laid
	4a pale yellow	water	thin white wove
	4a yellow-ochre	oil	thin white laid


Greens	4a emerald-green	water	toned pelure
	4a yellow-green	water	toned laid
	4a yellow-green	water	white laid
	4a deep olive-green	water	white laid
	4a green	oil	tissue


Browns	4a chestnut	oil	thin white laid

Is this a Brighton? The qalamrao at the 11 o’clock position is most distinctively Brighton-like, as are other aspects of the general demeanor, but there are other features that differ from the Platonic form. There is indeed a 4a Prussian blue sighted, but on the imitation native paper (“tissue”), while this specimen is on a different sort of thin wove. And again, while the pigment is slightly water-soluble in the way of many blue dyes, it is probably not watercolor proper. While we have heard that Brightons are known with fake cancelling, as here, we have never come across an account that tells what kind. All in all, a tough call for us Brighton tyros.

Jammu-Plate Brighton Forgeries



Blacks	½a+1a black	water	toned pelure wove
	½a+1a black	water	toned pelure laid
	½a+1a black	water	white laid
	½a+1a greenish-black	water	white laid
	½a+1a greenish-black	water	white wove
	½a+1a brownish-black	water	thick ribbed wove
	½a+1a black	water	thin toned laid
	½a+1a black	oil	thin toned laid
	½a+1a indigo-black	oil	thin toned laid
	½a+1a black	oil	thin toned wove


Blues	½a+1a indigo	water	toned pelure woves
	½a+1a ultramarine	water	toned pelure woves
	½a+1a blue	water	toned pelure laid
	½a+1a ultramarine	water	white laid
	½a+1a deep greenish-blue	water	white wove
	½a+1a blue	oil	thick white laid


Reds	½a+1a pale red	water	toned pelure wove
	½a+1a brick-red	water	toned pelure laid
	½a+1a brick-red	water	white laid
	½a+1a brick-red	water	thin white bâtonné
	½a+1a brick-red	water	thin toned laid
	½a+1a dull lake	water	thin white wove
	½a+1a scarlet	oil	thin toned wove
	½a+1a pale red	oil	thin toned wove


Yellows	½a+1a bright yellow	water	white pelure
	½a+1a yellow	oil	thick white wove


Greens	½a+1a emerald-green	oil	pelure laid
	½a+1a deep green	oil	thin toned wove

Kashmir Brighton Forgeries



1st Kashmir Plate	½a orange-yellow	oil	stout white wove
	½a orange-yellow	oil	thin coarse wove


	1a black	oil	tissue
	1a crimson	oil	tissue
	1a brown-purple	oil	tissue




Visitors’ Plate	¼a black	oil	tissue
	2a orange-yellow	oil	tissue
	2a deep chestnut	oil	tissue




4a Kashmir Die	4a bluish-green	oil	tissue
	4a olive-green	oil	tissue

The preceding is indeed a ½a orange-yellow oilcolor on thin coarse wove, so we tentatively advance it as the item mentioned above. But for this Brighton option one might well take it for a slightly wayward reprint; Séfi’s reprint listing does not mention an orange-yellow, just a pale yellow and an olive-yellow, neither of which fits this item nearly so well as orange-yellow. So here it sits, putting some color to this particularly barren patch of page.

New Rectangular Brightons

We alert the reader to the extensive on-site section in Séfi & Mortimer on the New Rectangular ►Brightons. These forgeries are more dangerous than those of the earlier period.

⅛a Plate

The ⅛a bright yellow oilcolor forgery on thick toned-wove paper is a scarce forgery of the entire sheet in the Brighton class. The color is unlike any of the shades found among the originals.

½a Plate

Two types only of Brighton forgeries on a distinctive paper are recorded by Séfi & Mortimer for this denomination. The forged plate is correct in width but short in height by about 1.5 mm. The Maltese-type cross etched on the left side of the authentic plate is reproduced too distinctly and too large, what appears to be an ill-conceived modification of their photo-processed plate.

¼a Plate

A problematic case. This forged plate is reported by Séfi & Mortimer to be of the correct height and only slightly too narrow in width. The size diagnostic is therefore not safe for single copies in this denomination.

1a Plate

Unattested. Séfi & Mortimer remark (p 278) that “there appears to be no reason why it should not exist; if it does, it is probably either very rare or very dangerous.”

We advance the preceding as candidates for Brightonhood, though they are not scarce and the red at least is certainly not dangerous. The design is perfect, subject #14 in the plate. But the white in the printing is too expansive to look right, as if produced from an image of an image in a photographic process. The paper is also anomalous—very thin with unusually narrow horizontal laiding lines. The width is slightly narrower than an original. Judge as ye will.

2a Plate

The 2a plate is the easiest to diagnose, for even singles of the forgery can be recognized at sight as being too narrow in both dimensions. Here below we show two 2a Brighton sheets on smooth greenish-yellow tinted paper and on coarse yellow-toned paper:

Size comparison: an original is placed over the narrower Brighton.

Above: This (not uncommon) item doesn’t have a clear match in the Séfi listing. The shade is not quite a ‘deep ultramarine’ (more violet in sunlight) and the paper, though indeed a thin white wove, is not pelure.

4a + 8a Plate

The dimensions of the 4a + 8a Brighton sheet are accurate. Forgeries are easily told, however, because certain of the simulated perforation dots in the margins are missing. Originals have all such dots present, seven on each pane. Was the editing of the dots purposeful? Otherwise one has to wonder how it happened.

The 4a bright rose Brighton pane. Only three of the expected seven margin dots are present.

The 8a crimson-red Brighton pane. Four of the expected seven margin dots are present. There are shade and paper varieties in both denominations according to Séfi’s table below.

And here something of the wayward colorings; the 4a brown-lake? and 4a olive-green, on meshed wove paper, in obeisance to the table:

New Rectangular Brighton Forgeries (after Séfi)



⅛a bright yellow	ink	thick toned wove




¼a bright rose	ink	thin white meshed wove
¼a vermilion	ink	thin hard unmeshed wove




½a brown-lake	ink	fine meshed medium wove
½a scarlet	ink	fine meshed medium wove




2a violet-blue	water	white laid
2a deep ultramarine	oil	white pelure wove
2a rose	ink	white laid
2a bright rose	ink	thin meshed white wove
2a scarlet	ink	thin meshed white wove
2a red	ink	greenish-yellow tissue paper
2a marone	ink	bright green tissue paper
2a red	ink	very coarse yellow tissue paper
2a red	ink	thin greenish-yellow wove




4a crimson-red	ink	white semi-pelure wove
4a bright rose	ink	thin white meshed wove
4a bright rose	ink	thin hard unmeshed wove
4a scarlet	ink	thin hard unmeshed wove
4a brown-lake	ink	thin hard unmeshed wove
4a orange	oil	white pelure wove
4a myrtle-green	ink	thin white wove
4a olive-green	ink	thin white wove
4a olive-green	ink	white semi-pelure wove
4a chestnut	oil?	white pelure wove




8a bluish-black	ink?	hard unmeshed wove
8a ultramarine	oil	hard unmeshed wove
8a ultramarine	oil	white semi-pelure wove
8a deep blue	oil	white semi-pelure wove
8a crimson-red	ink	white semi-pelure wove
8a bright rose	ink	white semi-pelure wove
8a bright rose	ink	thin white meshed wove
8a bright rose	ink	thin hard unmeshed wove
8a orange	oil	thin unmeshed wove
8a chestnut	oil?	white pelure wove

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