For Rural Communities

North Vietnam, For Rural Communities, 1968, Michel Nr. D38-39; Michel reports that two North Vietnamese stamps (Michel Nr. D36 and 522) were overprinted with Tem Nội BỘ (Stamp of the Interior Department). The size of the overprint is 2.35cm x 1.60 on Michel Nr. D38 and 2.30cm x 0.75cm on Michel Nr. D39. So far none of these stamps have been found on postally used official mail and so it is questionable if the overprinted stamps were ever used or simply represent a trial overprint. Also all “Official Stamps” (i.e. stamps meant for the exclusive use of Government mail) were discontinued after the 1958 Hanoi Soccer Stadium issue and official mail thereafter was transported free of charge which begets the question what prompted the postal authority to produce these overprints to begin with ten years later in 1968.

Here is a mint block of four of the genuine larger two line overprint on Michel Nr. D36

Detailed scan of the original overprint. Please note that because the overprint was applied by hand most of them are partially incomplete impressions.

Large original piece of 20 mint stamps.

Forged overprints abound and are mass produced to this date. They are easily identifiable by the size difference of the overprint hand stamp. Here is a single stamp with a forged overprint that measures 2.65 cmx 1.75 cm.

The most common forgery however is an even larger hand stamp that measures 3.65 cm x1.65 cm. Here is mint block of Michel Nr. D37 (which was not even overprinted with the genuine hand stamp) that carries the forged overprint spanning across two stamps each.

Detailed scan of the forged overprint.

The forged overprint has also been seen on other NVN stamps such as Michel Nr. D33-36.

Here is a mint pair of Michel Nr. 522 with the genuine smaller single line overprint.

The smaller type overprint has been seen on the 3 xu stamp on which the large overprint was typically applied. The hand stamp has the same measurements as the original overprint (2.30cm x 0.75 cm) but because the impressions are generally poor it is difficult to compare both hand stamps point for point. Therefore it is not possible to confirm that this overprint is in fact genuine on this stamp. Here is a single mint copy.

What prompts some concern is the fact that the small overprint has also shown up upside down. Clearly genuine upside down overprints exist on other stamp issues so there is no reason as to why such an error could not occur here but upside-down overprints are also favorites for forgers, so caution is advised. Here is a single mint copy with an inverted overprint.