Home Stamps

M11389 - 1929 Kansas Overprints, set of 11 stamps and free album page - Mystic Stamp Company

By A Mystery Man Writer

Last updated 13 May 2024

M11389 - 1929 Kansas Overprints, set of 11 stamps and free album page - Mystic Stamp Company

Buying and Selling U.S. and worldwide postage stamps for stamp collectors.
Get%20this%20mint%20fresh%20set%20of%20Kansas%20Overprints%20(stamps%20658-668)%20in%20fine%2C%20never%20hinged%20condition.%20Comes%20with%20a%20free%20album%20page%20to%20add%20these%20gems%20to%20your%20collection.%0AKansas-Nebraska%20Stamps%26nbsp%3B%0A%0AOn%20May%201%2C%201929%2C%20the%20Kansas-Nebraska%20stamps%20were%20officially%20placed%20on%20sale.%0A%0ADuring%20the%201920s%2C%20a%20rash%20of%20post%20office%20robberies%20baffled%20US%20postal%20inspectors.%20Burglars%20were%20stealing%20stamps%20in%20one%20state%20and%20then%20selling%20them%20in%20another.%20As%20the%20Post%20Office%20Department%20searched%20for%20a%20solution%20to%20put%20an%20end%20to%20the%20problem%2C%20the%20robberies%20became%20more%20frequent%20and%20more%20widespread%2C%20especially%20in%20the%20Midwest.%0A%0AIn%20February%201929%2C%20the%20Bureau%20of%20Engraving%20and%20Printing%20was%20authorized%20to%20apply%20special%20state%20overprints%20to%20the%201%26cent%3B%20through%2010%26cent%3B%20denominations%20of%20the%20current%20regular%20issues%2C%20in%20an%20effort%20to%20put%20an%20end%20to%20the%20interstate%20sale%20of%20stolen%20postage%20stamps.%20Once%20the%20stamp%20had%20been%20produced%2C%20the%20name%20of%20the%20state%20where%20the%20stamps%20were%20to%20be%20used%20would%20be%20imprinted%20over%20the%20design.%20Such%20a%20move%20had%20been%20under%20consideration%20for%20some%20time%2C%20but%20the%20newly%20invented%20rotary%20press%20now%20made%20the%20idea%20feasible%20and%20affordable.%20It%20was%20hoped%20that%20the%20overprints%20would%20make%20it%20difficult%20to%20sell%20or%20use%20stamps%20from%20another%20state.%0A%0A%0AKansas%20and%20Nebraska%20were%20selected%20as%20trial%20states%20since%20the%20postal%20inspector%20who%20had%20made%20the%20suggestion%20was%20in%20charge%20of%20inspections%20in%20these%20two%20states%20and%20would%20be%20supervising%20the%20experiment.%20They%20were%20also%20among%20the%20states%20that%20suffered%20%26ndash%3B%20in%20one%20year%20alone%2C%20machine-gun%20toting%20gangsters%20had%20stolen%20more%20than%20%24200%2C000%20(nearly%20%247%20million%20today)%20worth%20of%20stamps.%20The%20new%20overprints%20were%20abbreviations%20of%20the%20states%20(Kans.%20and%20Nebr.)%20and%20were%20applied%20in%20the%20same%20manner%20as%20precancels.%20Each%20state%20received%20a%20small%20supply%20of%20stamps%20for%20each%20of%20its%20post%20offices.%0A%0A%0AIf%20successful%2C%20it%20was%20decided%20that%20these%20overprints%20would%20be%20used%20in%20the%20other%2046%20states%20as%20well%20(Alaska%20and%20Hawaii%20didn%26rsquo%3Bt%20become%20states%20until%201959).%20Fortunately%20for%20collectors%2C%20problems%20arose%20and%20the%20idea%20was%20abandoned%20%26ndash%3B%20otherwise%20there%20could%20have%20been%2048%20different%20varieties%20of%20each%20stamp%20issued%2C%20which%20would%20have%20been%20a%20nightmare%20for%20philatelists.%0A%0AThe%20Kansas-Nebraska%20stamps%20were%20officially%20placed%20on%20sale%20on%20May%201%2C%201929%20(though%20some%20stamps%20were%20released%20on%20April%2015).%20When%20they%20were%20released%2C%20the%20Post%20Office%20Department%20made%20the%20announcement%20that%20these%20stamps%20were%20valid%20as%20postage%20throughout%20the%20United%20States.%20However%2C%20these%20overprints%20were%20very%20similar%20to%20the%20current%20precancels%2C%20which%20were%20not%20valid%20for%20use%20outside%20the%20intended%20area.%20Numerous%20complaints%20were%20received%20because%20post%20offices%20in%20other%20states%20were%20not%20accepting%20the%20overprinted%20stamps%20as%20evidence%20of%20pre-payment.%26nbsp%3B%0A%0AOthers%20argued%20that%20the%20program%20was%20a%20farce%20intended%20to%20save%20money.%20They%20pointed%20out%20that%20small%20post%20offices%20were%20required%20to%20purchase%20an%20entire%20year%26rsquo%3Bs%20supply%20of%20stamps%20at%20once%20under%20the%20plan%2C%20which%20cut%20government%20distribution%20costs%20by%20more%20than%20half.%20Those%20critics%20claimed%20that%20the%20overprints%20were%20a%20method%20to%20discourage%20would-be%20thieves%20from%20stealing%20the%20huge%20stockpiles%20of%20stamps%20that%20would%20be%20stored%20in%20poorly%20defended%20small%20towns%20as%20a%20result%20of%20the%20cost-cutting%20program.%20In%20the%20wake%20of%20such%20widespread%20criticism%2C%20officials%20halted%20the%20experiment%20in%20less%20than%20a%20year%20and%20let%20the%20existing%20supply%20of%20stamps%20exhaust%20itself.%20Consequently%2C%20not%20many%20of%20these%20stamps%20were%20produced.%20For%20example%2C%20there%20were%20just%20530%2C000%209%26cent%3B%20Nebraska%20stamps%20issued%2C%20which%20meant%20there%20was%20less%20than%20one%209%26cent%3B%20stamp%20for%20every%20two%20people%20in%20the%20state%2C%20whose%20population%20was%20about%201.3%20million.%0A%0A%0AAs%20early%20as%20June%201929%2C%20collectors%20were%20eagerly%20seeking%20these%20new%20and%20scarce%20stamps.%20Various%20types%20surfaced%2C%20including%20the%20shifted%20overprints%2C%20which%20resulted%20in%20strips%20containing%20one%20stamp%20completely%20lacking%20the%20overprint.%20Because%20there%20were%20so%20few%20stamps%20and%20such%20a%20great%20demand%20for%20them%2C%20these%20issues%20became%20a%20prime%20target%20for%20counterfeiters.%20The%20most%20common%20forgeries%20were%20known%20as%20the%20%26ldquo%3BCalifornia%20Fakes%2C%26rdquo%3B%20since%20they%20were%20first%20discovered%20in%20San%20Francisco.%20Since%20the%20genuine%20overprints%20were%20printed%20using%20electrotype%20plates%20and%20the%20forgeries%20were%20done%20using%20a%20typewriter%2C%20the%20difference%20between%20the%20two%20is%20easy%20to%20distinguish.%20On%20a%20genuine%20overprint%2C%20the%20image%20was%20printed%20on%20the%20surface%20rather%20than%20impressed%20into%20the%20stamp.%20Thus%2C%20the%20ink%20lies%20flat%20on%20the%20surface%20and%20almost%20appears%20raised.%20Most%20importantly%2C%20if%20one%20turns%20the%20stamp%20over%2C%20the%20image%20doesn%26rsquo%3Bt%20appear%20impressed%2C%20and%20it%20never%20breaks%20the%20gum.%0A%0AClick%20here%26nbsp%3Bto%20get%20the%20individual%20Kansas-Nebraska%20stamps%20you%20need.