The Victor Hugo Cover

Introduction

For some years now there has been an intense discussion on the status of the Victor Hugo Cover which is owned and championed by Abed Najjar. As I have an interest in British line engraved stamps, I have been drawn to this debate and have recently participated in a short discussion on Stampboards.com Having been banned from there (!) I would like to continue to explore aspects of the debate in a logical manner.

For my main source of information supporting the cover, I will be using Mr Najjar's own site which can be found at http://victorhugocover.com/ In approaching this subject I would like to stress that I have no financial interest in the cover whatsoever. I am not a member of the RPSL, though perhaps I should be. [I have in fact now joined the Royal]. My other memberships consist of the GBPS, Mulready online forum and my local philatelic society. I do not have any formal education beyond 'A' level, my only relevant qualification is that of a being a philatelist.

Picture source: http://victorhugocover.com/philatelic-details/

A very brief outline is in order. Mr Najjar came across the cover in question some years ago. It appears to be a large piece, left side missing, addressed from the Channel Islands to Brussels. The piece bares three examples of what appears to be penny plate 77. As an added attraction, the handwriting on the cover is that of Victor Hugo, hence the name of the cover.

I think that the stamps on the cover to have been faked. Also, I do not believe that the stamps belong to the cover. Mr Najjar, several expertising bodies and some scientific laboratories think the opposite. There are also philatelists on both sides of the argument, but also a sizeable number of collectors who are just confused by the conflicting evidence. It is for these people that I am primarily writing this article, although the cover is a wonderful doorway into some of the more advanced philatelic concepts which forms a good base for study.

Update: Mr Najjar seems to be adding to his website ad hoc. Rather than place all the arguments on this page I will use this as a menu and will be breaking it down into smaller chunks.

Origins

The important documented repair of 1868

Forensics

Philatelic expertisation.

AP

2016-18