1930 2c Jose Rizal, Green, Guam Guard Mail, Red Overprint, "MIAL" Error

Scott #GM7b is a 2-centavo green Philippine Islands José Rizal stamp from the December 1930 Guam Guard Mail issue, overprinted in red with the misspelling "GUAM / GUARD / MIAL" — transposing the final two letters of "MAIL." This error is the companion to GM7a, which misspelled "GUARD" as "GRAUD." Of the 1,000 error stamps produced in this batch, exactly 500 bore the "GRAUD" misspelling and 500 bore this "MIAL" error — meaning only 500 examples of GM7b were ever created. Both errors exist because the typeset for the red overprint was assembled by hand under improvised conditions on the island, without professional quality control.

The original stamp is a 2 centavos green stamp issued by the Philippine Islands (under U.S. administration).  It features a portrait of José Rizal (Filipino nationalist and martyr).

Guam became a U.S. possession in 1898 after the Spanish-American War.  Mail to and from Guam had long relied on infrequent transport via ships from the Philippines or Hawaii. In 1930, Governor Willis W. Bradley created the Guam Guard Mail to provide regular inter-island and U.S.-bound mail service.  The service only lasted a year because the U.S. Post Office Department took over in 1931.