Provisional Stamps

Provisional stamps are those whose value or purpose has been altered after printing, by means of either a surcharge or overprint.

The earliest instance of a provisional surcharge occurred in Mauritius in 1854 when undenominated stamps of the Britannia design were overprinted FOUR-PENCE. The following year stamps issued in Cuba and Porto Rico were surcharged with new values. Other early examples are uncommon. In 1863, St Helena’s sixpenny stamp was issued in various colours and surcharged for use at different denominations. In 1877, the stamps of Honduras, which had been prepared eleven years earlier but never used, were surcharged in various denominations when the postal service was eventually organised. From 1876 onwards, Mauritius had a spate of provisional surcharges and this practice became prevalent elsewhere, particularly in Latin America where many provisionals were produced for sale mainly for collectors.

The first provisional surcharges converting stamps for use in another country were issued in 1867, when stamps of the East India Company were overprinted with a crown and surcharged in Straits currencies for use in the Straits Settlements. The following year, Straits stamps were themselves overprinted ‘B’ for use in Bangkok, Thailand. In 1868, also, Portuguese stamps were overprinted for use in Madeira and Azores.

The first provisionals converting stamps for other purposes appeared in 1866 when Indian stamps were overprinted SERVICE for official correspondence. In the same year, Indian revenue stamps were overprinted POSTAGE for postal use.

The first stamps provisionally overprinted to denote a political change were issued in 1866 when stamps of Spain, Cuba and Porto Rico were overprinted HABILITADO POR LA NACION (valid for the nation), following the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a revolutionary junta. In 1874, stamps of Fiji were overprinted with a crowned VR monogram to signify its cession by King Cakobau to the British.