The Perfin That Never Was 

                                                                                    By Tam 

Catalogue #C53 in Eros Catalogue (1996), is the ‘CT’ Monogram of Creditul Tenic.  It is given a ‘very rare’ rating suggesting that only 1-5 copies are known, but has anyone seem one? I have a large number of examples of a very similar perfin which is not recorded in that catalogue, and suspect that the Eros illustration is incorrect.

It is worth looking at the perfin in other catalogues.  It first appears as #C20 in an old checklist by Eros of about 1980 and the accompanying illustration seems to be the one which later appeared as the 1989 Eros Catalogue  published  by the US  Perfin  Club  as #C44. However, in the 1981 version of his catalogue, which was awarded a ‘Silver’ in the 1981 International Stamp Exhibition the illustration numbered as C32 which is a hole taller. The example I have appears in the Perfin Club 1993 Supplement 2 as #C44b

C53 (1996)

C20 (1980) /C44 (1989)

C32 (1981)

C44b (1993)

Has anyone seen an example of  C53 (1996)?