Existing comment:
Small Print, Big News.
Many overprints -- even though they are only several letters or words -- tell a great deal about a moment in time. An overprinted stamp is a fraction of the size of a newspaper headline, a magazine cover, or a street banner, but its message is clear. When the overprint is a numeral, it instantly communicates economic news; when it includes a different unit of currency, the news is political as well.
A celebratory overprint conveys the excitement surrounding an event, both at the time and in retrospect.
The circumstances prompting a postal authority to overprint an existing stamp may be politically or economically challenging, or they may be cause for celebration. The four main reasons are:
* To change its value. The overprinted denomination always supersedes the original value.
* To show political or territorial control. Occupying powers usually provide some level of postal service in the occupied territory.
* To change its status. For example, if there is a shortage of airmail or postage due stamps, the postal authority may overprint a regular stamp to create a stamp for that specialized purpose.
* To commemorate an event or to honor a person. |