4-cent Martha Washington with Kans. overprint single
A series of post office robberies in the Midwest was the stated reason for the creation of the 1929 Kansas and Nebraska overprinted stamps of the Fourth Bureau Issue.
The Post Office Department conceived the idea to overprint stamps with the abbreviated names of the individual states, believing that stolen overprinted state stamps would be difficult to fence in or out of state. Kansas and Nebraska were selected to initiate the experiment. Since security at large city post offices was considered adequate, only small post offices would receive the stamps.
A one year supply of the 1-cent through 10-cent stamps was overprinted for Kansas and Nebraska. Higher values were not included because they were not printed by rotary press and could not easily be overprinted. The overprinted stamps could only be sold at post offices within their respective states, but they were valid for postage throughout the United States and wherever U.S regular stamps could be used. Shipments of the stamps began on April 15, 1929.
Economics rather than theft actually played the pivotal roll in promoting the state stamp idea. Kansas and Nebraska postmasters were required to requisition a one-year supply of the overprinted stamps, not the normal quarterly supply requisition. Had the experiment succeeded, the Post Office Department planned to extend the scheme to all forty-eight states, hoping to cut fulfillment costs by 75 percent.
There was considerable confusion as postal clerks nationwide misunderstood the rules and tried to assess postage to replace entirely legal usage of the Kansas-Nebraska stamps. The Department decided to abandon any further consideration of state overprinted stamps on March 29, 1930.
Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting
May 16, 2006
1-cent Franklin with Nebraska overprint single
American patriot, inventor, and first postmaster general Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) appears on the Fourth Bureau Issue's 1-cent stamp. An image of Franklin had appeared continually on the lowest value US stamp since 1847, when the US issued its first stamps.
No new engraving was made for the vignette of this stamp. Rather, Marcus Baldwin's engraving for the Washington-Franklin Heads Series was reused. Baldwin modeled his work after a photograph of a plaster bust of Franklin created by French artist Jean Jacques Caffieri's in 1777. Caffieri was one of Louis XV's court sculptors and died in 1792. The stamp's frame was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston and engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing.
The 1-cent Franklin Fourth Bureau, which patrons commonly used on postcards, first appeared in 1923.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
1½-cent Warren G. Harding with Kans. overprint single
Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) of Ohio, the incumbent US president who had died unexpectedly in office less than two years earlier, was chosen to appear on a 1 1/2-cent postage stamp made necessary by postage rate changes in 1925. The first fractional cent stamp in US history, it was intended for use on third-class mail.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. Frederic Pauling engraved the vignette, a Harding profile. It was the same vignette used in 1923 on a 2-cent stamp issued in memory of Harding—stamps sometimes called the 'Black Hardings'. Engravers E.M. Hall, J.C. Benzing, and E. M. Weeks created the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
2-cent carmine Washington with Nebraska overprint single
George Washington (1732-1799), Revolutionary War hero and first president of the United States, appears on the Fourth Bureau Issue's 2-cent stamp, the 'workhorse' stamp of this series. It was printed by the billions for use on first-class letters. Featuring Washington on this stamp perpetuated the tradition, begun in 1847, of portraying Washington on a stamp in current use by the Post Office Department.
No new engraving was made for the Washington vignette of this stamp. Rather, an existing engraving made for the preceding series of stamps, known as the Washington-Franklins Heads Series, was used. That engraving, done by Marcus Baldwin, was modeled from a bust created by Clark Mills in 1853. The Mills bust, however, was a reproduction of a bust sculpted by Jean Antoine Houdon at Washington's Mount Vernon, Virginia, home in 1785. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp's frame, which was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing.
The 2-cent Washington was first printed on the flat plate press and was issued on January 15, 1923.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
3-cent Abraham Lincoln with Kans. overprint single
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the Civil War, appears on the 3-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue. An assassin's bullet killed Lincoln in April 1865.
Clair Aubrey Huston used an existing engraving of Lincoln, executed by George F. C. Smillie in 1898, for his design of the vignette. Smillie had based his engraving on Matthew Brady's photograph of Lincoln, taken in 1864.
Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the stamp's frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
4-cent Martha Washington with Kans. overprint single
First Lady Martha Washington (1731-1802) graces the 4-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue. Mrs. Washington's image also appears on the 8-cent stamp of the Series of 1902.
Patrons often used the 4-cent stamp to pay the postage on a double weight letter.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. The vignette, engraved by Leo C. Kauffmann, was based on a drawing done by the French artist Charles Francois Jalabert. Jalabert based his drawing, in part, on a portrait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
5-cent Theodore Roosevelt with Kans. overprint single
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), hero of the Spanish-American War and the Battle of San Juan Hill, conservationist, and president of the United States appears on the 5-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue, the stamp commonly used on letters to foreign destinations. Its blue color conformed to Universal Postal Union regulations for the color of stamps intended for use on foreign mail.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the Roosevelt issue. John Eissler engraved the vignette, modeled on a 1907 photograph by the Washington, DC, firm of Harris & Ewing. Edward E. Myers and Edward M. Hall engraved the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
6-cent James A. Garfield with Nebr. overprint single
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing selected an image of James A. Garfield of Ohio (1831-1881) for the 6-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue (1922). Assassinated in 1881, Garfield had been featured on four other stamps, the first appeared a year after his death in 1882. The Bureau based all five Garfield stamps on a likeness captured by New York photographer Edward Bierstadt. John Eissler engraved the vignette for the Fourth Bureau issue. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical, but they agreed to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
William McKinley of Ohio (1843-1901) appears on the 7-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue. He served as president of the United States between 1897 and 1901, when an assassin's bullet killed McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. He had appeared on the 5-cent stamp in the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the 7-cent McKinley stamp. Louis Schofield, inspired by a George Rockwood's 1898 photograph of the president, engraved the vignette. Edward E. Myers engraved the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
8-cent Ulysses S. Grant with Kans. overprint single
General Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), Civil War hero and president of the United States (1869-1877) was selected for the Fourth Bureau Issue's 8-cent stamp. This marked Grant's fourth appearance on a US postage stamp.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. He used a photo of Grant taken by Matthew Brady, frequently regarded as the era's greatest photographer, as a model for the vignette. Louis Schofield engraved the die for the vignette, and John Eissler reworked the piece. Edward M. Hall and William B. Wells engraved the frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
The 9-cent stamp of the Fourth Bureau Issue features an image of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) of Virginia, author of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States (1801-1809). The stamp was issued in 1923. Jefferson first appeared on a US postage stamp in 1856.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the 9-cent Jefferson, basing the vignette upon an existing engraving of Jefferson created by George F.C. Simille for the 2-cent value of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Series. Simille used as a model for his engraving a portrait of Jefferson painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1805. Simille's engraving was transferred to a new die and restored by John Eissler and Leo Kauffmann for use on the 1923 stamp. Edward M. Hall engraved the stamp's frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
James Monroe (1758-1831) of Virginia served as president of the United States between 1817 and 1825. He is best remembered as the author of the Monroe Doctrine, which forbade any interference by foreign governments in western hemisphere.
Monroe appears on the 10-cent stamp in the Fourth Bureau Issue, designed by Clair Aubrey Huston. Huston used George F.C. Simille's engraving of Monroe, created for the 3-cent value of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Series, for the vignette. Edward J. Hein transferred Simille's engraving to a new die and restored it for the new stamp. Simille probably drew his engraving from an engraving by Asher Durand, which itself seems to have been based on a painting by John Vanderlyn. Edward M. Hall and Howard I. Earle engraved the stamp's frame.
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through 10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May 1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many counterfeits.
