Stamp China 1897 overprint 1 dollar on 3 cents

An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or

revenue stamp A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...

postal stationery A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or Newspaper wrapper, wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage ...

banknote A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commerc ...

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...

after it has been

printed Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabon ...

Post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

s most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

. Well-recognized varieties include commemorative overprints which are produced for their public appeal and command significant interest in the field of

philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...

Surcharges

The term "surcharge" in philately describes any type of overprint that alters the price of a stamp.Williams & Williams, p. 258. Surcharges raise or lower the face value of existing stamps when prices have changed too quickly to produce an appropriate new issue, or simply to use up surplus stocks. Any overprint which restates a stamp's

face value The face value, sometimes called nominal value, is the value of a coin, bond, stamp or paper money as printed on the coin, stamp or bill itself by the issuing authority. The face value of coins, stamps, or bill is usually its legal value. Ho ...

in a new

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

is also described as a surcharge. Some postal systems have resorted to surcharge overprints when converting to a new national monetary system, such as

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

did when the

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...

converted to decimal currency in the 1960s. Stamps have occasionally been overprinted multiple times. A famous example of repeated surcharging happened during the German hyperinflation of 1921–1923. Prices rose so fast and dramatically that postage stamps which cost five or ten

pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

s in 1920 were overprinted for sale in the values of thousands, millions, and eventually billions of marks. File:UK-Stamp-1873-Pennystamp Overprinted to Halfpenny.jpg, Victoria, 1873: Penny stamp overprinted to new value of halfpenny File:Guatemala 1881 Sc17.jpg,

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

1881: 1 centavo surcharge on 1/4 real File:Ceylon-UK-Stamp-1888-Double-Inverted-Surcharge.jpg,

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, 1888: Stamp surcharged by a "double inverted" overprint File:Uruguay 1892 Sc100.jpg,

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, 1892: 1c provisional surcharge on 20c issue of 1889–1901 File:Stamp Siberia 1919 50k.jpg,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, 1919: Tsarist 3-kopeck overprinted to new value of 50 kopecks for use in

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

Image:Germany278.jpg,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 1923: Five thousand

mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

value overprinted to two million

Commemorative overprints

Overprints have often been used as commemoratives, providing a faster and lower-cost alternative to designing and issuing special stamps or

postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...

s. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, which historically has issued relatively few commemorative overprints, did this in 1928 for issues celebrating Molly Pitcher and the discovery of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

. British stamps heralding the

1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the 1966 FI ...

were reissued after England's victory with the overprint "England Winners". Similarly,

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

issued a set of 32 stamps showing team pictures of all the participants in the 1998 World Cup – after the tournament eight of these were reissued with an overprint announcing France's win. In some rare cases, commemorative overprints have been applied to souvenir sheets. When these postal commodities are overprinted, they are always very carefully positioned for aesthetic appeal, usually on the blank outer border (" selvage") of the paper. File:UK-Hong-Kong-Stamp-1891-Overprint 50-Year-Jubilee.jpg,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, 1891: Definitive postage stamp overprinted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of British administration File:Molly pitcher stamp.jpg,

, 1928: The mythic American revolutionary war hero " Molly Pitcher" was honored with an overprint. File:1935 CPA 514 Stamp of USSR sanfrancisco.jpg,

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, 1935: Aviator Sigizmund Levanevsky with red overprint for his North Pole flight, August 1935. Also includes 1 rouble surcharge. File:USSR 1945 895 1377 0.jpg, Soviet Union, 1945: Overprint marking

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

File:Timbre Tanger UKsurch 2-6 1957.jpg,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, 1957: For use in UK postal agencies in Morocco, commemorating the centenary of the British postal office in

Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...

Stamp of Peru - 1957 - Colnect 315812 - Airline Peru Great Britain.jpeg,

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, 1957 re-use of 1948 London Olympic stamps to commemorate Melbourne 1956

Change of function overprints

Regular stamps were also overprinted to indicate exclusive usage for a special function or combination of functions; intended for

airmail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...

official mail Official mail is mail sent from, or by, an authorized department of government, governmental agency or international organizationHorning (1970), pp. 97–98 and normally has some indication that it is official; a certifying cachet, return address ...

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

postage due Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due. Background While the problem of what to do about letters not paying th ...

, special delivery,

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

and so on. The official stamps of some countries like Great Britain had an overprint which defined the specific official usage; for

inland revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

, government parcels, office of works,

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, admiralty, war tax (see below). The opposite occurs as well, in this case special function stamps are overprinted to serve as regular stamps. 1899 Malta 5s revenue stamp.jpg,

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, 1899: 5s, 1886 issue, overprinted 'Revenue' 1900 British army telegraphs stamp.JPG,

, 1900: British 1/2d stamp overprinted 'ARMY TELEGRAPHS' Nicaragua 1901 Sc153 used.jpg,

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, 1901: A

stamp overprinted for use as regular stamp Briefmarken Flugpost 1918.jpg,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, 1918: Austro-Hungarian Empire stamps overprinted 'FLUGPOST' for airmail. Also surcharged. Stamp Soviet Union 1924 d1a.jpg,

, 1924: regular 1918 issue overprinted 'DOPLATA' for postal duty. Also 1 kopeck surcharge. Stamp UK MEF 1942 2p.jpg,

, 1942: British 2d stamp overprinted 'M.E.F.' ('Middle Eastern Forces'), for military use File:Soviet_stamp_Talalihin.jpg, Soviet Union, 1944: regular 30-kopeck stamp overprinted "AVIAPOCHTA" for airmail, and value increased to 1

ruble The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...

Security measures

Overprints have been used as security measures to deter misuse and theft. In the nineteenth century, Mexico was plagued by thefts of stamps on their way to remote post offices. To address this, stamps were shipped from Mexico City to the local districts where they were overprinted with the district name – they were not valid for postage without the overprint. In El Salvador a significant quantity of stamps was stolen from the San Salvador post office in 1874. As a result all remaining stock was officially overprinted 'Contrasello' preventing usage of the non-overprinted stamps. The United States used a similar strategy to deal with thefts in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

in 1929, overprinting the current definitive issue with "Kans." and "Nebr." before they were shipped from Washington, to make it more difficult to sell stolen stamps outside the indicated state. File:Stamp Mexico 1864 1r eagle.jpg,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, 1856:

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

district overprint File:El Salvador 1874 type 3.jpg,

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

, 1874: Contrasello overprint File:1891 British Government Parcels stamps.jpg,

: Victorian stamps of 1891 overprinted for use only on government parcels File:Stamp US 1929 6c Kansas.jpg,

, 1929: Kansas state overprint File:DBPB 1948 19 Freimarke Schwarzaufdruck.jpg,

, 1948: Allied control mark for

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

postage

Colonial overprints

Nations overprinted stamps for use in their colonies mainly for the same reasons as for their domestic use. Due to poor planning, supply problems, faster than anticipated changing postal rates, changes in currency or other reasons they ran out of stamps, and demand had to be met. Some overprints were used to establish the first stage of postal service in a new territorial possession or colony however. If preparations had not been made, the controlling nation's regular homeland stamps would be overprinted with a local name, local currency or 'abroad' indication. In a similar fashion a nation's domestic stamps may be overprinted for use in foreign post offices under that power's control. For example, from 1919 to 1922 the United States overprinted 18 postage stamps at double value and marked for its office in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China. Italy Estero 1874 Sc10.jpg,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

1874: Overprinted 'ESTERO' ''(abroad)'' for use in the Italian post offices abroad Austria Levant 1886 Sc14Con.jpg,

1886: Local currency (para) overprint for the Austrian post offices in the Ottoman Empire, due to transition from Soldi to Piaster currency PuertoRico-Stamp-1899-PostageDue.jpg,

, 1899: postage due stamp overprinted for use in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Stamp 1899 10c USopGUAM.jpg,

, 1899: overprinted for use in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

D-Karolinen 1900 2II.jpg,

, 1900: Overprinted for use in

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...

PhilippineStamp-1899-$2.jpg,

, 1903: Overprinted for use in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Stamp Syria 1923 1.50pi on 30c.jpg,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, 1923: Overprinted for use in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Mm-0069.jpg,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, 1937: Overprinted for use in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

British stamp overprinted for use in Qatar 1 April 1957.jpg,

, 1957: Overprinted for use in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

Provisional overprints

Provisional stamps are postage issue made for temporary ''ad hoc'' usage to meet demands until regular issues are reintroduced.

Transitional government overprints

New states or states in transition have sometimes found it necessary to recirculate stocks of stamps printed by a previous government. Some historical perspective may be gleaned from the study of such stamps: some transitional government overprints blend neatly with their predecessors' designs, while others attempt to totally obscure or even deface the older markings. In several European nations in 1944–45, Nazi occupational stamps were overprinted for the provisional governments, and those which depicted Adolf Hitler were most heavily overprinted, obliterating his face. File:Danzig75pf1920.jpg, Danzig, 1920:

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

stamp overprinted for

Free City of Danzig The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...

File:KievIIee7rub.jpg,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, 1918–1923: Kyiv

trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...

overprint on 7 rouble Russian Imperial stamp for the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

File:Armenia 1920 149TE5.jpg,

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

1920: Framed HP monogram on 10 rouble Russian Imperial stamp. This overprint type was introduced at Erivan (now

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

). File:Lithuanian postage stamps with overprints of Central Lithuania (Litwa Srodkowa), 1920.jpg,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

n postage stamps with overprints of Central Lithuania (''Środkowa Litwa''), 1920 File:Irish Stamp 2 Two Pence Overprint.jpg,

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, 1922: British stamp overprinted for

Provisional Government of the Irish Free State The Provisional Government of Ireland () was the provisional government for the administration of Southern Ireland from 16 January 1922 to 5 December 1922. It was a transitional administration for the period between the ratification of the Anglo ...

File:19930226 100rub Latvia Postage Stamp.jpg,

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, 1993: Soviet stamp overprinted for independent Latvia File:Sharjah1963-65nosheikh.jpg, The first definitive issue of postage stamps of

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

(UAE), 1 riyal, 1963 and 1965, with Saqr bin Sultan Al Qasimi obscured following the coup

Wartime overprints

During times of war, many nations have issued war tax stamps. Before new stamps could be printed, older stamps were frequently overprinted with surcharges or a simple inscription such as "War Tax". In actual combat zones, the replenishment of stamp stocks is generally low on a military's list of priorities. In contested or occupied areas, captured local stamps are often expediently overprinted by the occupying forces. File:Deutsches Reich - Belgien.jpg,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, World War I: German postage stamp overprinted with "Belgium" for use during the German occupation File:Stamp Malta 1918 3p war tax.jpg,

, 1918: Postage stamp with wartime taxation applied File:Russia Wrangel 1921 Sc338A.jpg,

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, Wrangel 1921: Russian Imperial stamp of 1908–1918 overprinted for the posts of Wrangel's

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and civilian refugees File:StampFiume-Kupa1941Michel2.jpg, City of

Fiume Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a po ...

and environs (Fiume-Kupa), 1941: Yugoslavian stamp overprinted for the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

occupation File:Japanese Overprint of US Phillipine Islands Stamp 1942.jpg,

1942: Japan occupation overprint of US PI stamp for the "First Anniversary of the Great East Asia War", December 8, 1942 (FD/CDS) File:Australia-Stamp-1946 BCOF Wartime Overprint.jpg,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, 1946: Surplus

kookaburra Kookaburras (pronounced ) are terrestrial animal, terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri language, Wira ...

stamp from 1937 overprinted for use by the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Precancels

Any stamp that is cancelled by postal authorities before it is sold is described as "precancelled": the precancellation mark is an overprint. This is usually only done when stamps are sold in large bulk quantities to businesses or other large organizations: the postal service will save the labor of cancelling each individual stamp by precancelling the entire purchased quantity. The overprints also help prevent theft or misuse because they usually include the name of the city or region in which they are to be used. Unlike standard cancellation marks, they usually do not give a specific date, affording the bulk purchaser time to use them at their discretion. In some situations, however, months or years may be included in the overprint to indicate an expiration. Precancels for official government use are fastidiously prepared, but other kinds are almost always "heavy cancels" which deliberately obliterate much of a stamp's design. Since the 1980s, many modern postal systems no longer use overprints to indicate bulk purchases. Bulk mail is franked using

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, Machine-readable data, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly ref ...

s on pre-printed envelopes or on blank adhesive labels. The

USPS The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

introduced a new standard of barcode cancellation in 2011. File:StampCanadaPréoBarVictoria1870-T35i.png,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, 1870: Early heavy cancel for bulk purchase File:Franceprecancel5cparis1920.jpg,

, 1920: Bulk postage precancel marked for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

File:Stamp US 1938 2c precancel.jpg,

, 1938: Business precancel marked for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Private overprints

Any overprint that does not originate from a stamp-issuing authority is considered a private overprint or private cancellation. Such overprints almost always invalidate a stamp for postal use. Most countries treat unofficial overprints the same way the

United States Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...

does: the USPS Domestic Mail Manual states that stamps "overprinted with an unauthorized design, message or other marking" are not valid for postage. Private overprints generally remain outside the formal realm of philately, although individual issues can achieve notoriety through their popularity or aesthetic appeal. Private overprints are typically political messages or commercial promotion, but can also originate from speculative philatelic purposes produced deliberately with a view to selling them to unsuspecting collectors. Stamps owned by commercial entities have sometimes privately overprinted the ''backs'' of their purchased stamps. These overprints are usually made as control marks or accounting information. Such overprinting does not invalidate a stamp unless it shows through the front. File:Suriname fake overprint 1873 N3.jpg,

Suriname Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...

, 1873: A private speculative surcharge File:Moquette ovp NVPH7.jpg,

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

, 1881:

Moquette Moquette is a type of woven pile (fabric), pile fabric in which cut or uncut threads form a short dense cut or loop pile. The pile's upright fibres form a flexible, durable, non-rigid surface with a distinctive velvet-like feel. Traditional moqu ...

private overprint File:IXLeipzigerBriefmarken-HandlermesseCentraltheater1926-2.jpg,

, 1926: A private commercial overprint

Specimen overprints

Some stamps are never valid for postal use. They are made for use in promotional displays or as reference material by postal authorities and the

Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

(UPU). Still others are manufactured by printers for color matching throughout successive printings. In all such cases, the stamps will display the word "specimen" (or "cancelled") on its face. Occasionally, the word may be uniquely handwritten by a postal authority or, much more elaborately, punched through the stamp paper in a method known as perfin. Most often, though, specimen markings are applied as a prominent overprint. Colombia 1888 Sc137 Muestra.jpg,

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, 1888: Overprinted ''muest''(''ra'') (Sp.) Stamp-Natal 1902 £20 green.jpg, Natal, 1902: Specimen for a £20 stamp Australia-1924 Specimen stamp overprint.tif,

, 1924: Specimen overprint

Overprints on currency

The design and printing of valid paper

is rarely done hastily and overprints are extremely rare, but in times of crisis such measures have been taken. After World War I, the various successor states of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

made multilingual overprints to their old Imperial currency until new notes could be designed and circulated. Currency overprints were also used during World War II to mark all

United States dollar The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

s in the Hawaiian islands. These Hawaii overprint notes were made in case the islands were captured and the invading forces gained control of the money. Another unusual overprinting situation involving U.S. notes occurred when limited numbers of series 1935A silver certificate dollar bills were overprinted with either a red "R" or an "S". This indicated they were made of "regular" or "synthetic" paper and was a test of their wearing qualities. The

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an Gourde was overprinted after the unexpectedly rapid fall of the Baby Doc Duvalier regime. The overprint consisted of a red circle with a slash across it with the date of the end of the Duvalier regime (7 February 1986) printed below in red. The brusque symbol obscured the images of Baby Doc and Papa Doc until they were replaced with images of figures from Haitian history. Something similar was done in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

in 1979 when the Shah's picture was covered by an intricate design. File:Raccolta di Carlo Bettanin, item 16.jpg, Austria, 1919: Austro-Hungarian Imperial ''krone'' restricting circulation to the new Republic of Austria File:US-$10-FRN-1934-A-Fr.2303.jpg,

, : US $10 Hawaii overprint note File:PUNL231b Sig U S784303 tyvek.jpg, Haiti, 1986: Duvalier portrait obscured with prohibition sign File:Counterfeit 100 dollar bill, dated 1974 but probably made later, over-stamped with "Contrefaçon" on both sides. On display at the British Museum, London.jpg, An overprinted Series 1974 counterfeit $100 bill, marked '' (

counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

in French) to indicate its status as a fake File:5 yen 1938 obverse.jpg, 5 Yen note from 1938 with cancel marks. These were repurposed for military use in China. File:5 yen 1938 reverse.jpg, 5 Yen note (1938) overprinted reverse

Overprint errors

Overprint errors are widespread. Known are double, inverted, misspelled, wrong, partly or entirely missing overprints. Uruguay 1880-82 ScO1 B4 DO.jpg,

, 1880–1882: block of four with double overprint 'OFICIAL' Uruguay 1891 Sc99a.jpg,

, 1891: 5c overprint error, middle stamp with 'Provisorio 1391' instead of 'Provisorio 1891' Jhind Queen Victoria Head Half Anna Error 1899 SG17a.jpg,

Jind Jind is one of the largest and oldest cities in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu Pindara and Ramrai are the ma ...

, 1886–1899: Half anna Queen Victoria overprinted 'JHIND STATE' inverted Barbados revenue stamps.jpg,

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, 1916: Stamps overprinted for revenue usage with missing tail to y of 'Penny' Ceskoslovensko1920hradcany1000airmail28invert.jpg,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

, 1920: Inverted 28Kc airmail overprint

References and sources

;References ;Sources * * * GBOS. ''Bogus overprints. Website Great Britain Overprints Society
Online article
/cite> {{Commons category, Counterfeit overprints on stamps

External links

The GB Overprints Society
specializing in British overprints

essay on postal overprints Postage stamps Philatelic terminology Stamp collecting