Fictitious first day covers of all of the Scout issues of Turkey, with phony cancels and cachets have been reported previously.  Now, however, a purported Turkey #RA139-46 set has been found on a cover with fake overprints on each stamp of the set, including the single Scout stamp (#RA143).

The fake cover is supposed to be first day, but contains the usual fake Istanbul cancel.  The real surprise, however, is the overprints, which have not before been reported as forgeries.  They are easily detectable as such because of a complete lack of serifs and all fine detail.  The "e" of "Sefkat" is almost always closed on the fakes.  Other letters also show obvious differences from the genuine.
An overprinted set is worth a few dollars more than an original set without overprints (#RA101-08), but who would have thought that the difference was worth the trouble to someone of making up fake overprints to fool the unwary.  Better check your own set and, if you have a fake, please let others know that their extent on the market may be estimated.

SOSSI Journal, Volume 39, Number 1, January 1990
Created by Keith Larson