Topical Stamp Collecting
Expanding Horizons

Surcharges, Overprints, Precancels, Perfins, & Watermarks

Overprints are an additional printing on a stamp that was not part of the original design, such as the U.S. Molly Pitcher stamp where the overprint changes the stamp from a definitive to a commemorative stamp.

Surcharges are overprints applied to an existing postage stamp that changes its face value to accommodate inflation, currency change and/or a shortage of a specific denomination.

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