United States 1950 2-cent Stamped Envelope Indicium with 1958 Surcharge

United States · 1958 · 2 cents on 2 cents

This item features a 2-cent red indicium from a 1950 United States stamped envelope, overprinted with an additional 2-cent surcharge in 1958. This modification allowed the postal service to update the face value of existing stationery stock.

Surcharging postal stationery was a practical method for postal administrations to quickly adjust to new postal rates or re-purpose older issues without the expense and time of printing entirely new envelopes.