1899 Philippines Special Delivery Overprint

Philippines · 1899 · 10 cents

The stamp features a winged messenger, likely Mercury, in flight, holding a caduceus, with 'SPECIAL DELIVERY' and 'UNITED STATES POST OFFICE' text. It is diagonally overprinted with 'PHILIPPINES'.

Issued shortly after the Spanish-American War, this overprinted U.S. stamp signifies the establishment of American postal services in the Philippines as it became a U.S. territory.