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Confederate States of America
(1860-1865)
U.S. Possessions
The Guam listings include plate number examples of special printings for the 1900 Paris Exposition and Guam Guard Mail.
The Philippines listings include plate number examples of special printings for the 1900 Paris Exposition, 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, and Bureau of Insular Affairs archives (1907).
Specially overprinted stamps were not issued for other U.S.
possessions.
Hawaii was annexed in 1898, about the same time that specially overprinted stamps
were being issued for the former Spanish colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico,
Philippines and Cuba, yet the transition in Hawaii moved directly from
stamps of Hawaii to regular issues of the U.S.
Postage and revenue stamps of Hawaii as a kingdom or independent republic did not feature plate numbers, but many had banknote company imprints. Some Hawaii collectors collect imprint singles as a substitute.
The disputed U.S. and Hawaiian claims to French Frigate Shoals and Palmyra Atoll were resolved when the U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898.
The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917.
Regular U.S. issues immediately superseded stamps of the Danish West
Indies. No overprints were produced.
 Danish West Indies Scott 4a, "T" in
selvage
Several series of revenue stamps have been issued for U.S. Virgin
Islands. They are not overprints of U.S. regular issues or revenues,
but were specially printed by BEP for use in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Examples of plate number singles of the 1935 revenue series and 1965 revenue series are unusual but they do exist. Plate number items of earlier series have not been reported.
Virgin Islands revenues
- U.S. Postal Agency in China / Offices in China / Shanghai overprints
The U.S. operated a postal service in Shanghai, China from July 1919 to December 1922. Stamps of the 1917 unwatermarked Washington-Franklin series were overprinted with revalued amounts at double the stamps' original face value.
Offices in China
The U.S. acquired a number of Pacific island territories, through Guano Act claims, treaties, post-war administration mandates or other means.
No
special overprinting was done for the Marshall Islands, American Samoa,
Midway, Wake, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston Atoll, Baker Island, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, the Line Islands, Micronesia, the Ryukyus, or other Pacific
territories.
Some are now independent and issue their own stamps (Marshall Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia).
Swains Island has been occupied by the U.S. since 1856 and was bonded in 1860. In 1925, Swains Island was incorporated into the U.S. territory of American Samoa. The U.S. claim was recognized by Britain 1910, and by New Zealand in 1980, but is disputed by Tokelau.
Others have been returned or reunited with their
home country:
Japan: The Ryukyus, which includes Okinawa, were returned to Japan in a 1971 treaty; however, China continues to dispute sovereignty over the southernmost Senkaku Islands. The U.S. was awarded Minami-Tori-shima in the 1951 treaty re-establishing independent Japan, but it was returned to Japan in 1968.
Kiribati: The U.S. formally ended claims to Phoenix Islands, Birnie Island, Flint Island, McKean Island, Makin atoll, Teraina, Orona, Butaritari, Kiritimati, Caroline Island, Carondelet Reef, Malden Island, Vostok Island, Starbuck Island, Rawaki Island, Nikumaroro, Manra, Tabuaeran, Kanton or Canton Island, Winslow Reef, and Enderbury Island with the 1979 treaty establishing the independence of the Republic of Kiribati. [Note that "Enderbury" is a misspelling; it was named after London whaling company owner Samuel Enderby.] Britain also claimed the Phoenix Islands and Enderbury in March 1937, as part of their Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony. A year later, FDR declared Enderbury and Canton Island to be under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Interior. In April 1939 the U.K. and U.S. agreed to share them as Canton and Enderbury Islands Condominium, which lasted until the 1979 independence of Kiribati.
France: Clipperton Island was also claimed by Mexico and France. The U.S. claim was never bonded, and 1931 arbitration by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy awarded Clipperton to France.
Pitcairn: The U.S. claim to Ducie Island is dormant and the island is now administered by Pitcairn.
Tokelau: The 1860 U.S. claims to Atafu in the Duke of York island group and Nukunonu in the Duke of Clarence island group were never acted upon, and Britain's 1899 claims stood. The U.S. never formally claimed Fakaofo. The U.S. formally gave up any such claims when Tokelau became independent.
Tuvalu: The U.S. gave up any claim to Funafuti, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, or Niulakita when Tuvalu became independent in 1983.
Australia: The 1876 U.S. claim to Lacepede Islands was repudiated in 1877. It is now part of Australia.
Cook Islands: The U.S. claims to Manihiki, Penrhyn Island, Rakahanga, and Pukapuka or San Bernardo Island or Danger Island, were resolved by the 1980 maritime boundary treaty between the Cook Islands and American Samoa. The privately-owned but U.S.-claimed Nassau Islands or Te Nuku-o-Ngalewu were sold to Cook Islands in 1945.
Still others remain part of the U.S. Baker Island, Kingman Reef, Jarvis Island (also known as Bunker Island), Midway atoll, and Howland Island remain unincorporated territories, and Palmyra Atoll an incorporated territory. All are administered under U.S. Minor Islands.
It is possible to find covers bearing plate number
singles of regular U.S. issues that have been canceled in those places, or on ships visiting them.
- Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico islands
The U.S. acquired, claimed, or still claims several unpopulated islands in the Caribbean area.
No
special overprinting was done for Corn Island, Swan Islands, or for Navassa Island, which is also claimed by Haïti. Navassa is administered as one of the U.S. Minor Islands. Swan Islands was ceded to Honduras in 1972.
Baja Nuevo Bank is also claimed by Jamaica, and is administered by Colombia after it took over Nicaragua's former claim in 2012. The U.S. claim has never been relinquished.
Colombia: U.S. claims to Quita Sueño Bank, Serrana Bank and Roncador Bank ended with a 1972 treaty. Roncador Cay was ceded to Colombia in 1981.
Serranilla Bank is also claimed by Honduras and Jamaica, and has been administered by Colombia under a Colombia/Jamaica condominium since it took over Nicaragua's former claim in 2012. Serranilla Bank is the only island supporting a population, a Colombian garrison.
Dominican Republic: The U.S. claim to Alto Velo Island was rejected and Dominican Republic sovereignty is now acknowledged.
Mexico: The bonded U.S. claim to Cayo Arenas Key and Caro Arenas Island was approved in 1881. U.S. claims to Pájaros, Pérez and Chica islets, known as Scorpion Reef, were bonded in 1884. The U.S. renounced its claims in favor of Mexico in 1894.
The U.S. claim to Isla de Aves was ceded to Venezuela in a 1978 maritime boundary treaty.
The U.S. claim to îles du Connétable or Constable Islands was rescinded and they are now administered by French Guiana.
It is possible to find covers bearing plate number
singles of regular U.S. issues that have been canceled on naval vessels visiting those places.
Australia: The U.S. claimed Ashmore Reef in 1878 but the claim was never bonded. British sovereignty was later acknowledged, and the reef is now an Australian territory.
Seychelles: The U.S. claim to Providence Island or Providence Atoll was never bonded. The island is administered by Seychelles.
According to the Antarctic treaty, no country is allowed to formally
claim any part of Antarctica, but all nations are welcome to establish
scientific and exploratory bases. Some countries have issued special
stamps for use by their scientific and support teams. For example,
Australia issues separate stamps for the Australian Antarctic Territory,
whereas France includes its Antarctic bases in stamps issued for FSAT, the
French Southern and Antarctic Territories. However, the U.S. has not
issued separate stamps.
Standard military mail sent within the regular mailstream requires
standard U.S. postage. Some military departments used Official
stamps for some mailing purposes, when those were current. Military mail sent from regular
bases in non-combat zones uses standard U.S. postage. Military mail
sent from active soldiers in combat zones is sent free and thus would not
have plate number singles.
The U.S. Army has operated field or base post offices, and the U.S. Navy has operated fleet post offices, for troops
stationed in various foreign countries as part of peace-keeping efforts,
police actions, or outright war. No specially overprinted stamps
have been issued for this purpose.
Local military officials overprinted Mexican stamps for use during the seven month occupation of Veracruz in 1914. No plate number examples are known. It has not been established whether this is because the original Mexican stamps did not have plate numbers, or the selvage was removed during the overprinting process, or examples are possible but have not surfaced in auctions or the philatelic press. This is an area for further study.
No stamps were issued or overprinted for use during the several U.S. occupations of Panama before its secession and independence from Colombia (1846, 1856, 1885, 1889); of Cuba (1906-09, 1912, 1917-22), other than the original series of overprints linked above; of the Dominican Republic (1903, 1904, 1914, and the 1916-24 occupation); of Honduras (1903, 1907, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1924 and 1925); of Nicaragua (1912-33); or of Haïti (1915-34). Ship covers are known from various naval vessels supporting those actions. Plate number singles are possible on such covers, although no examples have been reported. No plate number singles have been reported on covers from U.S. military actions in Mexico in 1916-17.
In 1944 and 1945, the U.S. Fleet Post Office overprinted the 6¢ Transport Airmail with various types of "R.F." overprints for use by French naval personnel on airmail from French naval vessels to the U.S. and Canada. Authentic uses must be on cover, and no plate number examples are known. A fake example is illustrated on the AMG-France page.
No stamps were issued or overprinted for use during the U.S. occupation of Japan following World War II. The Ryukyu Islands issued their own stamps until they were formally reincorporated into Japan in 1972.
See links below related to stamps of the Allied Military Government for use in France, Italy, Germany and Austria.
- Colombian local airmails (SCADTA)
SCADTA (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aereos) was a joint venture between Colombia and Germany ("Alemana" in Spanish) to provide airmail service within Colombia from July 1920 through 1931. The company printed its own stamps, and overprinted the stamps with two letters denoting the country of origin. Letters from the U.S. had the SCADTA stamps overprinted with "EU" to indicate the mail had originated in the United States ("Estados Unidos" in Spanish). The stamps were printed and applied in Colombia.
Scott CLEU1-62, CLC1-12, CLCF2, and CFLEU1-3 were assigned to these stamps using standard prefixes. CLEU, for example, is a SCADTA airmail (C) local (L) for stamps on mail originating in the U.S. (EU). CLFEU is for registered (F) airmail (C) locals (L) originating in the U.S. (EU), and so on.
No plate numbers have been noted for any of these SCADTA issues.
Thanks to APNSS member Robert Martin, founder of Stamp Collecting Clubs for Kids, for details on these issues.
Official diplomatic mail sent by diplomatic courier does not require
postage.
Official mail sent within the country represented uses the stamps of
that country.
Personal mail sent to U.S. addresses by employees in overseas
embassies, consulates and other offices can be included in the regular
diplomatic pouches. Standard domestic postal rates apply. Stamps must be affixed, and such mailings are canceled in Washington,
D.C., where they enter the mailstream. Plate number singles may
exist on modern diplomatic mail, but would have to be collected on cover.
Celestia or the Nation of Celestial Space was declared as the owner of all outer space by an Illinois resident in 1948. The micronation issued both stamps and gold and silver coins, including at least one stamp issue with plate numbers that is illustrated here.
Allied Military Government (AMG)
Special stamps were produced for use by citizens of France, Germany,
Austria and Italy (Sicily), using the military postal service run by the Allied
Military Government immediately after World War II. These services
were superseded when infrastructure, personnel and procedures were
established and local postal service could resume.
- France
(1944-1945) (complete)
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Germany (1945-1948) (complete)
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Austria including postage due issues (1945-1948) (complete)
- Italy
(1943-1946) (complete)
The 8 pfennig and 12pf values of the Washington printings of the AMG-Germany issues were overprinted for use as travel permits to or within occupied Germany. Plate number items may exist, but have not been reported.
The Soviet government also issued military stamps for the Soviet Zone, later to become East Germany or the German Democratic Republic. The Soviet Zone stamps were printed with counting numbers, rather than plate numbers.
AMG stamps for Trieste (FTT), Venezia Giulia (V.G.) and AMG-Naples are considered issues of post-war Italy. They are not known with plate numbers.
Overprinted stamps issued for use in Saarland under the League of Nations (1920-35) or France (1946-57) are considered issues of Germany. It is not clear if there was an overlap between the use of AMG-Germany stamps and stamps under the French occupation, or if any plate number examples might exist. This is an area for further study. Newsletters and catalogs produced by the Allied Military Government Collectors Club (AMGCC) may illustrate examples.
Temporary stamps used after the 1945 liberation of Korea are considered issues of South Korea or the Republic of Korea. This is an area for further study. Newsletters and catalogs produced by the Allied Military Government Collectors Club (AMGCC) may illustrate examples.
Temporary stamps used after the 1943 liberation of former Italian colonies in Africa (Libya, Ethiopia), of French colonies recaptured from German occupation (Algeria, Tunisia), and of French colonies liberated from Vichy France governments in north and west Africa, Syria, Indochina, the Caribbean and Pacific islands are considered issues of the respective countries. This is an area for further study. Newsletters and catalogs produced by the Allied Military Government Collectors Club (AMGCC) may illustrate examples.
We are deeply indebted to APNSS member, the late Wallace Cleland, for generously
sharing examples of the AMG issues for Italy, France, Austria and Germany. Many of the plate number singles
shown here are
photographically cropped from images Wallace used to illustrate his series
of articles on AMG
plate blocks. For more information, see the April 2006 through October 2006 issues of
The United States Specialist, published by the
United States Stamp Society.
Technically, the U.S. considers all territories that aren't specifically states an integral part of the U.S., rather than possessions. However, collectors generally refer to stamps issued for use in these U.S.-related incorporated or unincorporated territories as "possessions."
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This page last updated August 26, 2026.
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