French Indochina 5c on 15c Surcharge

French Indochina · 1912 · 5c on 15c

This stamp is a surcharge from the 1904-06 definitive series of French Indochina. The original 15c orange-brown and blue stamp, featuring a woman in traditional attire, was overprinted in black with a new denomination of 5 centimes. Surcharging was a common practice to adapt existing stamp stocks to new postal rates.

Issued under French colonial rule, this stamp reflects the administrative and economic realities of French Indochina, where modifying existing postage was more efficient than printing new issues.