A member of the South African Stamp Study Circle, a club for stamp collectors, who does not wish to be named, recently discovered a forged R10 stamp among his purchases.

The club's president, Robin Messenger, said that there may well be many similar stamps currently in circulation.

"The forgery of the R10 stamp has the same appearance as the original issue, and has a cancellation ending with the letters 'RIE', suggesting it may have been posted at Pinegowrie, Johannesburg.

"The forged stamp had a bird on with a glossy appearance and is made up of horizontal lines. The paper is white, non-phosphorescent and glossy, but the perforation gauge is 11 instead of 14," the dealer said.

Alwyn Nel, senior manager for philatelic services at the Post Office, said the matter would be investigated. 

By Zanele Mngadi, The Star, South Africa