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GB Overprints Society

Country list

The following countries have used British stamps overprinted for postal use:


Click on the country name for a list of the stamps.

Perforations and watermarks are not mentioned unless needed to differentiate issues. "Cancelled" and "Specimen" overprints are not included.

The images and illustrations are not to scale, nor should the scanned colours be taken to be a guide to shades.

Some other countries have overprinted postal matter other than stamps, and so only appear under Revenues (eg Barbados, Jamaica, Solomons, Trinidad & Tobago), Stationery (eg Gold Coast), and Postal Orders (many countries, including New Zealand, South Africa etc).


Note: for much of the historical background I am indebted to Tom Current

British postage stamps have also been officially overprinted for the following uses:

The following cachets and markings have often been mistaken for overprints:

Some stamps have been overprinted for political or other propaganda:

or phantoms just for fun:

or (presumably) to deceive collectors:


Not included on these pages are the large numbers of private overprints applied to the margins of stamps and miniature sheets, or the covers of stamp booklets, purely for souvenir purposes by event organisers or philatelic speculators.

Some stamps do not have overprints, but look as if they do.


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page last updated: 3 May 2007

gbos: GB Overprints Society