Labuan postage stamp year 1895 40c/1$

Labuan postage stamp year 1895 40c/1$ MH

• Year of Issue: 1895 (June)
• Type: Surcharged stamp. The stamp was created by overprinting an existing stamp with a new value.
• Original Stamp: The original stamp was a $1 denomination from the 1894 issue, typically featuring the North Borneo Arms design (or an earlier design for the North Borneo Company).
• Overprint/Surcharge: The new value, “40 CENTS” (or sometimes just ’40c’), was overprinted in black or another color onto the existing $1 stamp. This was done to meet the need for a specific postal rate.
• Design: It belongs to the series of stamps that were originally designed for North Borneo but were overprinted with “LABUAN” and used for the colony of Labuan.

Philatelic Catalogue Numbers (for reference):

• Stanley Gibbons (SG) Catalogue: SG 79
• Scott Catalogue: Scott 62
• Michel Catalogue: Mi 60

As with all surcharged stamps, they were often created in limited quantities, and philatelic sales (stamps sold directly to collectors) were a factor in their issuance. The final value depends heavily on the stamp’s condition (unused, used, or “Cancelled to Order” with a barred cancellation, which is less valuable).