D.B.S.R.
Danube Black Sea Railway
Formed a link between the Danube Steam Navigation Company´s mail boats at Czernawoda and the Austrian Lloyd at Kustendje (Constanza)

 

1867  Black on coloured paper
Format:  approximate18 1/2   x  22 1/2 to 18 3/8 x 22 1/8.  Punched perforation, 12 teeth left, 11 right, 8 top/ bottom or vice-versa  
dbsr4.jpg (15829 bytes)
PE1.    20 Paras  Black on yellowish green paper or faded to a greyish-blue shade
Coloured through paper, fairly thick soft wove, with mesh.
Cancellations:
Three known:
1. Circle, LLOYD AGENZIE KUSTENDJE with day and month in centre
2. Circle, KUSTENDJE TURQUIE with day, month and year in centre
3. Circle, KUSTENDJE with day, month and year in centre


All reprints issued around 1890 by  the printers M. Kaiser in Vienna using original clichés
  Genuine stamps 1st reprint 2nd reprint 3d reprint
Colour yellowish green paper or faded to a greyish-blue shade Several shades of green and in blue, pink and yellow   Green, blue, orange, pink and yellow
R in DBSR No line at bottom Line to frame Line to frame Line faint or absent
Water line
on left		 Well defined, level with top of mast Broken by mast Top line absent, mast projects Very blotchy, white blodge on cliffs
Engine wheels Vertical shading Vertical shading but faint No shading No shading, wheels distorted
Corner lines guide lines about 1 mm from each corner of the design present present no corner lines
         
         
         
  5. Faint rays from star, 5 at right and 2-3 at left
6. The right vertical and bottom horizontal lines of each corner square are thickened
10. The outline of the left white mountain in the upper range is not joined to that of the dark mountain to its left		 5. Rays fainter or invisible
6. There is no difference in thickness of corner square lines
 5. Strengthened rays, 5 at each side
6. Lines as 1st reprint, slight evidence of strengthening
 5. No rays, only fragments of line
6. The right  and bottom  lines of each corner square are a little thicker than the other lines

*

3d reprint, six different types A display
I. dot over S in PARAS
something about vertical lines near moon except in upper right corner?
  
II. Dot in front of boat  
III. broken line near LOCAL-POST  
IV. line under SR thicker  
V. dot left of S in DBSR
Larger image
VI. Dot over bottom left turkish 20  

*

Forgeries
dbsr5.jpg (21495 bytes)Fournier forgery
  First forgery (Fournier) Second forgery Third forgery Fourth forgery Fifth forgery
Colour Green, blue, orange, pink, yellow Green
Blue-green Yellow
Perf Punched 11/8 or imperforate Punched with 13/9 Perf 11 1/2 (not punched) Punched 11 left, 12  right, 8 top/b Punched 11/8
  Letterings and numerals too large
Small ship in front connected to frame by blob of colour
Top left mountain connected to dark mountain at left		 No dot after CZERNAWODA Spiro?  Very primitive
No hyphen between LOCAL and POST
No dot after CZERNAWODA		 Star too large
No rigging on the large ship
Two small boats are missing
 Star too large, point touching crescent
L+O in Local touch at bottom
No dot after CZERNAWODA
Exterior corner angles No No No No No
  Very thick extra ray at top right of crescent and below star        
Bogus cancellations
A/ Double circle with Turkish text and date
B/ Double circle with text BEYROUTH - SYRIE
C/ Triple bordered rectangle with Turkish text - see below, 3d row, 2nd stamp

 

H.G.L. Fletcher: The Danube and Black Sea railway  (The Cinderella philatelist vol 1 page 114)
A small collection
An article (in romanian)
A small display w info (in english)
About the river danube (Austrian philately.com)
A print depicting Kustendje and Czernavoda + train
Most facts courtesy of S. Ringstrom / H.E. Tesler "The Private Ship Letter Stamps of the World Part 2"
which is recommended for those for whom this has served as an appetizer
A display
Note: I have only bad scans - thus I can not distinguish what the illustrations I have are -
any good quality scans are welcome.


Some extra images, too small to identify, but just for the entertainment