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1929 Kansas-Nebraska issues

Due to a rash of post office robberies in the Midwest, the 1¢-10¢ values of the then-current definitive series were overprinted with "Kans." or "Nebr." in an effort to prevent their use in other states and diminish their resale potential. The plan was not successful and was not continued for other states or other stamp issues.

Kansas issues

Scott 658, 1¢, plate number 19339

Scott 658 var, 1¢ with overprint high and to the right, plate number 19339

Scott 659, 1-1/2¢, plate number 19191

Scott 660 var, 2¢, plate number 19273, high overprint

Scott 661, 3¢, plate number 18126

Scott 661 var, 3¢ with overprint overinked, with additional ink splotches, plate number 18803

Scott 661 var, 3¢, no period after "Kans", plate number 18803

Scott 662, 4¢, plate number 18082

Scott 662 var, 4¢ with low overprint, plate number 18038

Scott 663, 5¢, plate number 18907

Scott 663 var, 5¢ precanceled, plate number 18908

Scott 664, 6¢, plate number 18037

Scott 665, 7¢, plate number 18736

Scott 666, 8¢, plate number 18192

Scott 667, 9¢, plate number 18744

Scott 668, 10¢, plate number 19235

 

Nebraska issues

Scott 669, 1¢, plate number 19338

Scott 669 var, 1¢, plate number 19339, high overprint

Scott 669 var, 1¢ precanceled, plate number 19339

Scott 670 var, 1-1/2¢, plate number 19182, high overprint

Scott 670 var, 1-1/2¢ precanceled, plate number 19182, broken precanel mat missing CL of CLAY CENTER

Scott 671, 2¢, plate number 19059

Scott 671 var, 2¢, plate number 19431, high overprint

Scott 671 var, 2¢, plate number 19431, low overprint

Scott 671 var, 2¢ with inverted precancel, plate number 19431

Scott 672, 3¢, plate number 18803

Scott 672 var, 3¢, plate number 18804, extremely high overprint

Scott 672 var, 3¢ precanceled, plate number 18804

By the time the 1-1/2¢ overprint illustrated above was done, the precancel mat had become worn or torn and the CL of CLAY CENTER did not print.

Scott 673, 4¢, plate number 18082

Scott 673 var, 4¢ with inverted precancel, plate number 18038

Scott 674, 5¢, plate number 18908

Scott 674 var, 5¢, low overprint, plate number 18908

Scott 675, 6¢, plate number 18030

Scott 675 var, 6¢ precanceled, plate number 18037

Scott 676, 7¢, plate number 18736

Scott 676 var, 7¢, high overprint, plate number 18740

Scott 677, 8¢, plate number 18191

Scott 678, 9¢, plate number 18742

Scott 678 var, 9¢ precanceled, with very high overprint, plate number 18744

Scott 679, 10¢ yellow, plate number 19235

Scott 679 var, 10¢ orange, precanceled, plate number 19234

Scott 679 var, 10¢, plate number 19235, low overprint

 

Rogues' Gallery: Examples of fake Kansas-Nebraska plate number singles

Example #1: Scott 637, 5¢ Roosevelt with fake Nebr. overprint

Clues:

  • Only plates 18907 and 18908 were used on genuine 5¢ Nebraska overprints; 18909 is not known
  • The font (type face) does not match known genuine issues, as seen most clearly in the lower case "e" and "r"
  • The period is raised too high from the base line of the type, indicating that it was probably typed with a manual typewriter. Also, the overprint is placed unusually low, but this in itself is not unknown on genuine issues. 

Image from a 2004 eBay lot offered as a genuine Scott 674.

 

Example #2: Scott 637, 5¢ Roosevelt with fake Nebr. overprint

Enlargement of faked 'Nebr.'     Enlargement of genuine 'Nebr.'

Clues:

  • This time, a correct plate number was selected from among the several used to print Scott 637.
  • However, while the type font is closer to the genuine one than that of the Fake 5¢ Nebraska Example #1, the ascender of the 'b' is not tall enough and its bowl (the O part) is too narrow, and the arm of the 'r' is too long. Compare with the 'Nebr.' in genuine examples above, most easily seen on the 6¢, 9¢ and 10¢ stamps, and in the enlargement from a genuine 6¢ example.
  • The period on genuine overprinted stamps occupies its own space, and is very slightly raised above the base line of the type. On the faked example, the period is too far to the left, appearing actually under the arm of the 'r'. It also appears to be on the exact same level as the letters.

Image from a 2007 eBay lot offered as a genuine Scott 674.

 

Example #3: Scott 641, 9¢ Jefferson with fake Nebr. overprint

Clues:

  • Only plates 18742 and 18744 were used on genuine 9¢ Nebraska overprints; 19355 was never overprinted.
  • The font is a better match than that used on the 5¢ Example #1, but still has problems with the "N" (too narrow), "e" (horizontal bar too high) and "r" (right extender too long); and the period is too full.
  • The overprint looks "typed," over-inked -- the real thing looks "printed" and has "holes" in the inked overprint letters.
  • Also, while we have seen overprints that are placed high or low, or a bit to the right or left, genuine overprints are not known other than dead-on level -- this one slopes up to the right.
  • The real key is the plate number -- in this case, the faker might have been better off offering it as a normal single stamp. 

Image from a 2003 eBay lot clearly described as a faked Scott 678.

 

Example #4: genuine Scott 663, 5¢ Roosevelt, but with blue color chemically altered

Clues:

  • The normal 5¢ blue Scott 637 is not known with a color error.
  • There is no way that the personnel responsible for overprinting the already-printed 5¢ stamps would have allowed a full pane of misprinted stamps to continue the overprinting process. The pane would have been immediately destroyed.
  • It is relatively easy to alter blue ink chemically or by exposure to light.
  • The stamp itself may not have been altered at all. The stamp color might have been altered using any number of graphical software applications.

Example #5: genuine Scott 635, 3¢ Lincoln with fake Nebr. overprint

Clues:

  • The font, spacing and clarity of the "Nebr." overprint are all wrong.
  • The overprint looks "typed," over-inked (perhaps typed twice?) -- the real thing looks "printed" and has "holes" in the inked overprint letters.
  • When viewed in the context of the plate block of four from which this PNS was photographically cropped, the Nebr. overprints are not on the same level from one stamp to the next. Since the mat used to apply the overprints is in fact perfectly level, having stamps in the same row with overprints appearing at different levels is simply not possible. The fake overprints were clearly typed onto each stamp.
  • When viewed in the context of the plate block of four, the Nebr. overprints are not evenly aligned for stamps in the same column. Again, the overprint mat is perfect, with level Nebr. in horizontal rows, and aligned Nebr. in vertical columns. For an entire pane of 100, the overprints might be high or low, or slightly left or right, but it is not possible for adjacent stamps to be misaligned individually.
  • In other examples from this plate block where the Nebr. appears over a whiter background, it is clear that the overprint is the grayish-black of typewriter ribbon ink, rather than the true black of the printer's ink used for genuine overprints.

Image from a 2019 eBay lot listed twice, at different prices, as a genuine Scott 672 plate block.

Example #6: genuine Scott 634, 2¢ Washington with fake Kans. overprint

Clues:

  • Plate number 20341 was not among the 12 plates used on overprints of the 2¢ denomination.
  • The font and spacing of the "Kans." overprint are wrong. All four letters are too short and too wide, and the period is too far away.
  • The overprint is not level. The overprint was made done using a mat that was clamped to the press, making skewed overprints impossible.
  • When viewed in the context of the plate block of four from which this image was photographically cropped, the Kans. overprints are not evenly aligned for stamps in the same column. Again, the overprint mat is perfect, with level Kans. in horizontal rows, and aligned Kans. in vertical columns. For an entire pane of 100, the overprints might be high or low, or slightly left or right, but it is not possible for adjacent stamps to be misaligned individually.

Image from a 2020 eBay lot offered as a genuine Scott 660 plate block described as having a "diagonal overprint shift error."

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This page last updated August 12, 2020.