# CZ1-3 - 1904 2c-10c Canal Zone, Blue Overprint, 3 Stamps

Own the First Three Stamps Issued in the Panama Canal Zone

The First Issue of Panama stamps were released on June 24, 1904, shortly after the Canal Zone Postal Service was created. Three values were issued and were in use for just 24 days. It’s difficult to get these stamps, but now you can have all three.
The first stamps issued by the new Canal Zone Postal Service were Panama stamps over printed with “CANAL ZONE.” These stamps were from stocks of Colombia stamps left over from the time that country owned the strip of land. The Colombia stamps had been overprinted with “PANAMA” running vertically along each side, with a red bar on top covering “Colombia.” They were in use until a sufficient number of overprinted US stamps arrived in Panama.

The stamps included in this offer and issue quantity:
CZ1 - 1904 2c rose (2,600)
CZ2 -1904 5c violet-blue (7,800)
CZ3 - 1904 10 yellow (4,946)

Canal Zone Stamps Chronicle America’s Rise as a World Power
With military assistance from the United States, Panama declared its independence from Columbia on November 3, 1903. The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was negotiated, then ratified in Panama on December 2, 1903. The United States followed suit on February 23, 1904, clearing the way for a long-anticipated canal project across the Panama isthmus.
Almost immediately, administrators began preparations for the tremendous influx of people who would eventually assemble to work on the project. Faced with the knowledge that most of the work force would be imported to the region from America and Caribbean countries, authorities quickly established a postal service to serve their needs as well as those of the Canal Commission.
On June 24, 1904, postal service was established as part of the US Department of Revenue under the supervision of the Treasurer of the Canal Zone, Paymaster E.C. Tobey. On this day, post offices were opened in Ancon, Cristóbal, Gatun, Culebra, and Balboa. Railroad station agents operated as postmasters.
A small supply of 2¢, 5¢, and 10¢ Panama stamps were overprinted “Canal Zone.” Only ordinary mail was handled by the Canal Zone postal system. Mail destined for Central and South America and the West Indies was turned over to the Panama postal service to be forwarded, while mail sent to the United States and its territories and possessions were sent to the US aboard vessels departing for New York.
Overprinted Panama stamps were in use for less than a month. On July 18, 1904, they were replaced by US postage stamps overprinted “Canal Zone.”
In December of 1904, Secretary of War William Taft ordered the overprinted US stamps to be withdrawn, and replaced them with overprinted Panama stamps. Taft’s executive order was reversed in 1924, when overprinted US stamps were placed in use again.
On October 1, 1928, the first permanent issue Canal Zone stamp was issued. The 2¢ stamp featured Lt. Col. George W. Goethal, the Canal project’s chief engineer and first Canal Zone governor. In 1929, the first Canal Zone Airmail stamp was issued and in 1941, a series of Officials were produced. On October 25, 1978, the last Canal Zone stamp was issued.