By H.K. Petschel
Nonfiction, 209 pages, 6" x 9" softcover

ISBN 978-1-879628-46-5 • $28

In this, his third book on the subject, author H.K. Petschel uncovers the next phase in the history of stamp counterfeiting, when it fell into the dark underworld of organized crime, from 1940 up to the present day. More Stamp Counterfeiting: The Perfect Crime follows up Stamp Counterfeiting: The Evolution of an Unrecognized Crime, which documented stamp counterfeiting’s origins with mom-and-pop type crooks in 1894 to its progression into organized crime by 1940. A former postal inspector, Petschel’s professional background and lifelong fascination with these “little bits of paper” come through in this latest, enthusiastic look at the historical record of stamp swindles.

Petschel researched newspaper archives, police records and the National Archives to uncover these true crime stories. In doing so, the author also exposes how the U.S. Postal Service has failed to recognize this crime and its detrimental effect on the bottom line and, by extension, the American public.

As a postal inspector, author H.K. Petschel investigated many of the postal counterfeits in the 1970s and authored the manual for counterfeit investigations for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. He has written and published numerous articles to bring national attention to the problem of postal counterfeits. The author of Spurious Stamps and Stamp Counterfeiting: The Evolution of an Unrecognized Crime, he has long been recognized as an authority in the field. Today he lives in Sandpoint, Idaho, where he continues to research stamp counterfeiting when not exploring the Western mountains or Canadian north.

H.K. Petschel was featured on The Cheri Hill Show that aired Sept. 20, 2014, in Las Vegas on KLAV 1230 AM and Sept. 21, 2014, in Reno on 99.1FM Talk. Listen to the podcast using the link below.