# 658-68 - 1929 Kansas Overprint, Collection of 11 Stamps
Own a Complete Set of 11 1929 Kansas Overprints
Today, a complete set of 1929 Kansas Overprints is difficult to locate. Adding these stamps to your collection is an accomplishment you can be proud of. They (along with Nebraska Overprints) are the only US stamps of their kind, issued as part of an experiment to stop theft and resale. Produced in limited quantities over 95 years ago, they were also the last US stamps to receive overprints. Let's travel back in time and discover why the Kansas-Nebraska Overprints were produced...
What do stamps and gangsters have in common?
The Midwestern states were home to a lot of crime during the Great Depression. Bank robbers like "Pretty Boy" Floyd made national headlines, but post office hold-ups were also common in Kansas and Nebraska. Thieves stole the stamps and usually took them to other states to sell. In Kansas alone, losses in a single year totaled over $200,000, or the equivalent of over $3 million today.
To disourage theft, the Post Office Department decided to experiment with overprints. Kansas and Nebraska were selected to test the idea. Kansas received supplies of Series of 1926-28 stamps overprinted with the abbreviation "Kans." Nebraska was given a supply with the overprint "Nebr." Officials hoped that if the stamps had overprints, it would be difficult to steal them in one state to resell in another. If the plan worked, the practice would be expanded across the nation.
Unfortunately, even postal clerks were confused by the abbreviations printed on the stamps and often refused to accept them. Shortly after the stamps were issued, officials declared the plan a failure and quickly stopped producing the overprints – so the number that reached the public was extremely low.
Complete Sets Are Hard to Find
Although the experiment was unsuccessful, collectors throughout the country were eager to get these scarce stamps immediately after they were issued. Ninety-five years later, the Kansas Overprints are even more difficult to find – especially in complete sets. Mystic has only a small number of complete sets available. Act now to be sure you're one of the lucky few collects to get one.
Own a Complete Set of 11 1929 Kansas Overprints
Today, a complete set of 1929 Kansas Overprints is difficult to locate. Adding these stamps to your collection is an accomplishment you can be proud of. They (along with Nebraska Overprints) are the only US stamps of their kind, issued as part of an experiment to stop theft and resale. Produced in limited quantities over 95 years ago, they were also the last US stamps to receive overprints. Let's travel back in time and discover why the Kansas-Nebraska Overprints were produced...
What do stamps and gangsters have in common?
The Midwestern states were home to a lot of crime during the Great Depression. Bank robbers like "Pretty Boy" Floyd made national headlines, but post office hold-ups were also common in Kansas and Nebraska. Thieves stole the stamps and usually took them to other states to sell. In Kansas alone, losses in a single year totaled over $200,000, or the equivalent of over $3 million today.
To disourage theft, the Post Office Department decided to experiment with overprints. Kansas and Nebraska were selected to test the idea. Kansas received supplies of Series of 1926-28 stamps overprinted with the abbreviation "Kans." Nebraska was given a supply with the overprint "Nebr." Officials hoped that if the stamps had overprints, it would be difficult to steal them in one state to resell in another. If the plan worked, the practice would be expanded across the nation.
Unfortunately, even postal clerks were confused by the abbreviations printed on the stamps and often refused to accept them. Shortly after the stamps were issued, officials declared the plan a failure and quickly stopped producing the overprints – so the number that reached the public was extremely low.
Complete Sets Are Hard to Find
Although the experiment was unsuccessful, collectors throughout the country were eager to get these scarce stamps immediately after they were issued. Ninety-five years later, the Kansas Overprints are even more difficult to find – especially in complete sets. Mystic has only a small number of complete sets available. Act now to be sure you're one of the lucky few collects to get one.