Editing Overprint (section)

== Commemorative overprints ==
Overprints have often been used as [[Commemorative stamp|commemoratives]], providing a faster and lower-cost alternative to designing and issuing special stamps or [[postmark]]s.  The [[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|United States]], which historically has issued relatively few commemorative overprints, did this in 1928 for issues celebrating [[Molly Pitcher]] and the discovery of [[Hawaii]]. British stamps heralding the [[1966 FIFA World Cup]] were reissued after England's victory with the overprint "England Winners". Similarly, [[Postage stamps and postal history of Guyana|Guyana]] issued a set of 32 stamps showing team pictures of all the participants in the 1998 World Cup – after the tournament eight of these were reissued with an overprint announcing France's win.

In some rare cases, commemorative overprints have been applied to [[souvenir sheet]]s. When these postal commodities are overprinted, they are always very carefully positioned for aesthetic appeal, usually on the blank outer border ("[[selvage]]") of the paper.
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File:UK-Hong-Kong-Stamp-1891-Overprint 50-Year-Jubilee.jpg|[[Postage stamps and postal history of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]], 1891: Definitive postage stamp overprinted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of British administration
File:Molly pitcher stamp.jpg|[[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|United States]], 1928: The mythic American revolutionary war hero "[[Molly Pitcher]]" was honored with an overprint.
File:1935 CPA 514 Stamp of USSR sanfrancisco.jpg|[[Postage stamps and postal history of Russia|Soviet Union]], 1935: Aviator [[Sigizmund Levanevsky]] with red overprint for his North Pole flight, August 1935. Also includes 1 rouble surcharge.
File:USSR 1945 895 1377 0.jpg|Soviet Union, 1945: Overprint marking [[Victory Day (9 May)|Victory Day]]
File:Timbre Tanger UKsurch 2-6 1957.jpg|[[Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain|Great Britain]], 1957: For use in UK postal agencies in Morocco, commemorating the centenary of the British postal office in [[Tangier]]
Stamp of Peru - 1957 - Colnect 315812 - Airline Peru Great Britain.jpeg|[[Peru]], 1957 re-use of [[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 London Olympic]] stamps to commemorate [[1956 Summer Olympics|Melbourne 1956]]
</gallery>