U.S. Possessions

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U.S. Possessions

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

Guam (1899)

The Guam overprints were put in use on August 15, 1899. Use of regular U.S. stamps superseded the overprints later in 1899.

Counterfeits of the overprint are common on single stamps, but are usually detectable by the length of the overprint and differences in font from genuine overprints. Counterfeits are less common on plate number items.

Regular issue

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

Only 500 plate number positions of the 1¢ value were printed (25 panes / 25,000 stamps).

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

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

Only 2100 plate number positions of the 2¢ value were printed (1050 panes / 105,000 stamps).

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

Guam Scott 2aSE, 2¢ rose carmine, red Specimen overprint, plate number 898 (on U.S. Scott 279Be) (Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation)

Guam Scott 2S, 2¢ red, specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 888 (Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation)

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

Only 100 plate number positions of the 3¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps).

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

Only 100 plate number positions of the 4¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps).

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

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

Per USPS records, only 100 plate number positions of the 5¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps). Other sources say 200 sheets of the 5¢ were printed, making possible only 400 total plate number positions. In any event, only 10 are known today..

Guam Scott 5S, 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)

Only 100 plate number positions of the 6¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps).

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

Only 100 plate number positions of the 8¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps).

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

Guam Scott 7S, 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)

Only 200 plate number positions of the 10¢ value were printed (100 panes / 10,000 stamps).

Guam Scott 8S, 10¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 932 (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¢ value were printed (50 panes / 5000 stamps).

Guam Scott 10S, 15¢ specimen (guarantee on back) for Paris Exhibition of 1900, plate number 264 (Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation)

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

Only 80 plate number positions of the 50¢ value were printed (40 panes / 4000 stamps)

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

Only 60 plate number positions of the $1 value were printed (30 panes / 3000 stamps)

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 correctly identify this genuine Philippines stamp with a fake Guam Guard Mail overprint.

Guam Scott M2, 4¢, plate number 44873