Cuba Puerto Prince Overprints - Scarce 1898 Mint NH Strip of 5

Following their defeat in the 1898 Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Cuba to the U.S. When post offices in the Puerto Principe region were caught short of several needed denominations, provisional overprints were authorized by the U.S. Governor General.

Printed in small quantities for the local post office, the 1-centavo King Alfonso stamp from the Spanish colonial rule was surcharged in red with the required 10-cent denomination. The local newspaper printed the surcharged stamps on a small press in strips of 5, and each stamp features unique characteristics that can be easily identified, including the broken 1 variety on the 4th stamp.

There were only 200 strips of 5 printed!

Very few collectors can say they have even one of the Cuba U.S. Provisional overprints, to say nothing about an original intact strip of 5 as it was printed. Despite minor imperfections due to primitive wartime conditions this rare mint strip of 5 is mounted in an attractive portfolio, including the fascinating story behind these U.S. sanctioned provisional overprints and an illustrated identifier showing the unique features in each of the 5 overprinted stamps. (Cuba #200 strip of 5)