20c Eagle Man stamp with Specimen Earhart overprint

Mexico honored Amelia Earhart by overprinting one of its airmail stamps with “Amelia Earhart Vuelo de Buena Voluntad Mexico 1935” (Amelia Earhart Flight of Good Will Mexico 1935) to commemorate her 1935 Mexico City visit. Immediately after printing, the plates were destroyed. Four hundred eighty of the 780 stamps had the additional overprint “Muestra” (Specimen) and were sent to the Universal Postal Union for distribution to postal administrations worldwide. This action defined the Earhart overprint as a legitimate stamp despite the outcries of some philatelists who claimed that it was not created for postal purposes.

Scott Catalogue Mexico: C74S

Museum ID: 2007.2004.90