In 1962, postcards from the King George VI era were unearthed and overprinted to celebrate Peasants' Day and Workers' Day of 1964. The overprint was done on the writing space of the divided card, while the other side featured a printed poem. On 1st May 1964, the Workers' Day overprinted cards were issued to commemorate the celebration in Chauk. However, there were three variations of the Workers' Day overprint that were discovered.
Type I, with shadow, with black box |
The first variation appears to have been overprinted twice. The initial printing included an image with soldiers and students, along with the text "La Min Publishing House, 30,000 PCs" located below their feet. For some reason, the text was later covered with a black block. Upon close inspection, it's possible to see that the people in the image have shadows, suggesting that this was from the first batch of cards printed.
Type II, without shadow, with black box |
The second variation is without shadows, but interestingly, it does not have any text. However, the black block is still printed, creating consistency across the card. It's unclear whether the 30,000 pcs printed on the first variation refers only to the first batch or to all the cards produced.
Type III, with shadow, without black box |
The third variation is the most unusual, as it lacks the black block but retains the shadows. These raises questions about how many batches were printed and in what quantity.
In conclusion, the three variations of the Workers' Day overprint highlight the intricacies and uncertainties of historical printing processes and raise fascinating questions about the production and distribution of these postcards.