Private Overprints

For about the first ten weeks of the existence of Czechoslovakia, a number of private overprints were prepared and applied to Austrian stamps. Since Austrian postal regulations, which forbid private overprinting of stamps, continued to be in force until new Czechoslovak ones were introduced, this practice was technically illegal. However, since a number of the private overprints were allowed to pass through the mails, we must conclude that postal authorities tolerated the practice. These overprinted stamps were prepared at the post office in Kralovicích u Plzně by the District Secretary Fontana. This letter was canceled in Rakovník on November 15, 1918.