Both of the 1897 Victorian Hospital Fund Charity stamps were overprinted Specimen in italic serif font - 12 mm wide (type 22). The 1d (1/-) stamp was overprinted in red while the 2½d (2/6) was overprinted in black. This overprint was only used on the Victorian Charity stamps intended for distribution to members of the newly created U.P.U.
The nature of the target group ensured that examples are now scarce - especially in multiples. The largest multiples are:
- one block of four of each denomination;
- two strips of three of each denomination.
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| The only recorded blocks of 4 overprinted SPECIMEN. MNH. Rod Perry June 1990 Lot 528; |
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| Strips of three of each denomination overprinted Specimen MNH.
Rod Perry September 1993 Lot 1031. |
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| Strips of three of each denomination overprinted Specimen MNH. The locations of SPECIMEN are different from the previous strips and the lower margins are not as wide. Millennium, June 2011 Lot 449 as did a pair of singles (lot 448). Images courtesy of Ken Pearson, Victoria. |
The only recorded variety of the overprint is recorded on the 2½d. It is a double overprint of which one is an albino overprint. Only one Specimen is visible from the front but on the reverse side the double printing can be seen clearly.
(Rodney Perry April 1998 Lot 1035 and Prestige Philately January 2004 Lot 614).