U.S. Possessions

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U.S. Possessions

This section illustrates plate number material for overprints on regular U.S. issues.

Guam (1898)

Use of regular U.S. stamps superseded the overprints in 1899.

Regular issue

Guam Scott 1, 1¢ green, plate number 833 (on U.S. Scott 279)

Guam Scott 1 var, 1¢ dark green, specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 975 (on U.S. Scott 279). Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation.

Guam Scott 2, 2¢ red, plate number 867 (on U.S. Scott 279B)

Guam Scott 2a, 2¢ rose carmine, plate number 897 (on U.S. Scott 279Be)

Guam Scott 2aSE, 2¢ rose carmine, specimen, plate number 898 (on U.S. Scott 279Be)

Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation.

Guam Scott 2 var, 2¢ red, specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 888 (on U.S. Scott 279B)

Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation.

Guam Scott 3, 3¢, plate number 448 (on U.S. Scott 268)

Guam Scott 4, 4¢ brown, plate number 791 (on U.S. Scott 280)

Guam Scott 4, 4¢ rose brown, plate number 792 (on U.S. Scott 280a)

Guam Scott 5, 5¢, plate number 837 (on U.S. Scott 281)

Only 200 sheets of the 5¢ were printed, making possible only 400 total plate number positions. Only 10 are known today.

Guam Scott 5 var, 5¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 949 (on U.S. Scott 281)

Guam Scott 6, 6¢, plate number 925 (on U.S. Scott 282)

Guam Scott 7, 8¢, plate number 931 (on U.S. Scott 272)

Guam Scott 7 var, 8¢, misperfed vertically in selvage, plate number 931 (on U.S. Scott 272)

Guam Scott 7 var, 8¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 929 (on U.S. Scott 272)

Image courtesy of Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

Guam Scott 8, 10¢, plate number 518 (on U.S. Scott 282C)

Guam Scott 8 var, 10¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 932 (on U.S. Scott 282C)

Image courtesy of Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions

Guam Scott 9 appears only in positions 61, 71 and 86 of plate number 932, the only plate used to print the special printing. No plate number position is possible.

Guam Scott 10, 15¢, plate number 264 (on U.S. Scott 284)

Only 100 plate number positions of the 15¢ issue were printed.

Guam Scott 10 var, 15¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 264 (on U.S. Scott 284)

Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation.

Guam Scott 11, 50¢, plate number 75 (on U.S. Scott 275)

Guam Scott 12, $1 Type I, plate number 76 (on U.S. Scott 276)

Special Delivery issue

Guam Scott E1, 10¢, plate number 883 (on U.S. Scott E5)

Guam Scott E1a, 10¢, dots in curved frame above messenger, plate number 882 (on U.S. Scott E5a)

Photographically cropped from a plate block of six, one of only a few of this rare variation in existence.

Guam Scott E1 var, 10¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 880 (on U.S. Scott E5)

Guam Guard Mail issues

Overprint on Philippines regular issue.

First overprint in black

Guam Scott M1, 2¢, genuine overprint on early plate number 103592

Image courtesy of Matt Benward

Fake Guam Scott M1, 2¢ with fake overprint on late plate number 122335

Plate numbers 122334 through 122337 were not sent to press until November 15, 1931. BEP then shipped the printed stamps to Manila, where they could not possibly have arrived before early 1932. Still more time would have been necessary for them to be shipped to Guam to be available for overprinting as Guam Guard Mail issues. Yet all genuine Guam Guard Mail stamps using the black overprint were known to have been overprinted on earlier plate numbers first offered on April 8, 1930, and were completely sold out by April 8, 1931.

For additional information on Guam Guard Mail fake overprints, see Joseph M. Napp, Napp's Numbers Volume 2, The Philippine Islands Issues during the American Administrative Period, 1906-1946, Appendix One, "The Guam Guard Mail Issues of 1930." Thanks to Matt Benward for bringing Mr. Napp's work to our attention, and allowing us to correct the description of this genuine Philippines stamp with a fake Guam Guard Mail overprint.

Guam Scott M2, 4¢, plate number 44873