Paraguay Official Stamp, Black Surcharge on 1c Rose

Paraguay · 1900 · 1c (surcharged)

This official stamp was created by surcharging a regular postage stamp from the 1892 series. A bold, black, sans-serif "OFICIAL" overprint was applied vertically to the 1 centavo rose stamp, which features the Paraguayan coat of arms with a lion and a Phrygian cap.

At the turn of the 20th century, many countries, including Paraguay, issued special stamps for official government correspondence to control and account for postage costs. Surcharging existing stock was a common and economical method to create these specialized issues.