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OVERPRINTS, SPECIMENS and ITEMS OF SPECIAL INTEREST.
There is now a lot of interest in unusual stamp items so I have added this section. Of course it is not all that is available so your inquiry is welcome and can be sold direct to you. Subjects that will also be covered here will be proofs, trial printings, color tests, flaws and errors etc. Examples will be shown of each type rather than a catalogue of what are specialist items. Delcampe is a stamp auction site worth visiting for actual items that you can buy.
OVERPRINTS are a separate printing over the top of the already printed stamp. A printed sheet of stamps is put through the printer and printed on top of the stamp- overprinted. Stamps maybe overprinted as part of the design and would be termed the follow on printing. Sometimes margin printings are done this way. But commonly overprints are printed Specimen in black or red, or any other color. They maybe on imperf ungummed paper as well on a finished stamp that is perforated and gummed. Normally one half of a sheet is overprinted giving joined pairs with and without.
Bees Are Important issue Specimen Overprints were on half of the sheet giving joined pairs with and without. Some sheets were also printed with a black Honey Bee down the left margin.
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Guernsey Lady - the third Wine Post issue has Vertical paired dated overprints in blue- To HM Custom 1993 and To Parliament 1993. Unused 1992 sheets of eight in two rows, were overprinted giving joined vertical pairs. In this case the entire sheet was overprinted. These were the first Wine Post stamps to be overprinted.
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The Mount Aspiring stamp overprinted in red on the finished sheets. Half of a sheet was overprinted from a small selection.
The red Kiwi To Parliament and To HM Customs overprints were on se-tenant sheets. Half of each sheet was the low and high values so that joined pairs are possible. Both the overprints were black.
The Emergency Postage stamp was printed for mails during the Covid Emergency. Since all postal operators were exempt from the regulations these special stamps were printed for all mail. Some sheets later on were overprinted Covid in black giving with and without overprints.
This is one of the most sort after stamps printed by New Zealand Wine Post. It was never issued even though it was printed and perforated. The design was partially prepared also. So it has never received a catalogue number. It is the only stamp issue printed for the 2013 San Fransisco cup challenge according to collectors who have procured it. And certainly I never seen another design for that regatta. New Zealand was winning by 7 to Nil against Australia with only one race to win. It looked like Australia had no answer to the Kiwi boats performance. So the stamps were printed to make them available as soon as New Zealand crossed the line to win this America's Cup. They were also printed on stationary and there were some specimen over prints. But the Australia won the next 8 races to take the cup. So the whole issue was abandoned.
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