2017-06-19 Mon

The Canal Zone fell on both sides of the Panama Canal and was under the administration of the US. The Canal Zone Postal Service began on 24th June 1904 and ended on 30th September 1979. A set of eight Official stamps were issued on 31st March 1941. They were overprinted using the text “Official Panama Canal” on 1928-40 series definitive stamps. One type of these stamps has the overprint in three lines and the other type has the word “Official” on the top line and “Panama Canal” on the second line.

The 50¢ Joseph Clay Styles Blackburn Official stamp was produced lilac and rose-lilac colours. The shorter 9-millimeter overprint was on the rose lilac coloured stamp while the 10mm overprint was on the lilac coloured stamp. Only 1,000 of the rose-lilac stamps were issued. This stamp has a market value of $550 in used condition. Experts believe that most of them went to collectors due which their survival rates must be high.