1899 3c on 3c Andrew Jackson, Purple, Cuba Overprint

Cuba #CU224
Overprinted 1895 3¢ Jackson

This 1899 Cuba stamp has the 3¢ overprint on U.S. #268.  Few of these scarce Cuba Overprint stamps still exist. 

After the U.S. took control of Cuba from Spain in 1898, there was a need to issue stamps quickly for local use.  Instead of designing entirely new stamps immediately, the U.S. overpr...  more

Cuba #CU224
Overprinted 1895 3¢ Jackson

This 1899 Cuba stamp has the 3¢ overprint on U.S. #268.  Few of these scarce Cuba Overprint stamps still exist. 

After the U.S. took control of Cuba from Spain in 1898, there was a need to issue stamps quickly for local use.  Instead of designing entirely new stamps immediately, the U.S. overprinted existing U.S. stamps with “CUBA” and the value in centavos/pesos.  This allowed the postal service to continue functioning while new Cuban designs were prepared (which would debut in 1902 when Cuba became officially independent).

The original design is a 3¢ definitive from the 1894–1898 Bureau of Engraving and Printing issue, featuring Andrew Jackson in profile facing left.

Few U.S. Cuba Overprint Stamps Survive!

When the U.S. Battleship Maine mysteriously exploded after being sent to Cuba to protect Americans caught in Cuba’s war for independence, Spain was blamed.  Soon after, war was declared and America took administrative control of Cuba as well as Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.  The United States established a military government to run Cuba from 1898 until 1902, when the nation’s first president was elected.

Although many native Cubans were angered by U.S. policies, social conditions improved a great deal during the American occupation.  Most important was the effort led by Dr. Walter Reed to combat the deadly “yellow fever.”