1913 First International Philatelic Exhibition Poster Stamp,Mystic's Choice of Color

To promote the First International Philatelic Exposition, the Hamilton Bank Note Company created special steel-engraved poster stamps. Just before the show, a US attorney raised concerns that the stamps looked too much like actual postage stamps and could be misused. Although these poster stamps were much larger than regular stamps, the issue caused a stir. After lengthy discussions, a compromise was reached. Each stamp was overprinted with the exhibition dates, “Open October 27 to November 1,” to prevent confusion.

Since the stamps were released so close to the event, they likely didn’t do much to promote it. Today, these overprinted stamps are a fascinating reminder of philatelic exhibition history and the care involved in stamp design and promotion.