Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Private overprints are overprints (pictures, text, or a combination of the two), rubberstamped or applied by some other method, to postage stamps used by some person or entity other than a government or other official stamp-issuing entity. Private overprints have been used for a number of reasons, though generally this use makes the stamp or stamps invalid for prepayment of postage. In Britain, privately overprinted stamps served as, among other purposes, receipts for tax payments. In Italy, after the fall of Mussolini and his establishment of the Italian Social Republic, stamps of the King were overprinted with fasces by Fascist sympathizers. Private overprints have also been used in the United States. A private overprint exists on the Florida commemorative, and during the Vietnam War, a woman privately overprinted the stamps on her outgoing mail with the slogan "Pray for War" before postal authorities compelled her to move this stamping away from the stamps. See also: underprints, perfins External link http://www.giorgiobifani.net/rsi15a_eng.htm This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.