Bulgaria issued their first stamps in 1879. This first series of 5 stamps was printed in Russia, and they are the only Bulgarian stamps with values in Centimes and Franc. All the 5 first issues exist as forgeries, often with pronounced colour deviations. The most characteristic signs of forgeries of the series Mi 1-5 are:

1. Line perforation (originals are Comb perforated)
2. Missing or deformed triangle under the cyrillic letter "W"
3. Uneven or deformed star (5 ct, 10 ct, 50 ct, 1 fr)
4. Often missing background colour by the lion's hind leg
5. Left front leg touches the frame
6. Flat underside of head of "T" in "CENT." (25 ct)
7. Narrow head of "G" in "BULGARSKA"

Forgery	Original

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Sources:
- Billig's grosses Handbuch der Faelschungen, Part 34, Vienna, 1937
- F. Serrane: The Serrane Guide, APS 1998

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