PAYMASTER GENERAL'S SERVICE

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In 1890 some of the QV Foreign Bill stamps were overprinted "PAYMASTER GENERAL'S SERVICE". It has been suggested that these were supplied to the Postmaster General who previously had to purchase Foreign Bill stamps as required. They are apparently also very rare, R.G Booths catalogue sugesting that maybe only 40 examples were overprinted thus.

The above two examples, judging by the stamp's centering plus the perforations down the middle were almost certainly once a joined pair. The relative positioning of the letters of both overprints appear identical, but are they forgeries ?