![1960 Eisenhower Souvenir Sheet](http://www.phil-philately.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1960-Eisenhower-Souvenir-Sheet.png)
Eisenhower Visit – Scarce Souvenir Sheet
Here’s an interesting souvenir sheet that I added to my collection. The problem is I’ve not been able to find any substantial information on it as yet; but rest assured I will continue to research it. I have only seen these offered for sale a small handful of times on eBay and on other sites. I did once see it buried in a bulk lot of Philippines stamps and covers that sold on eBay, it was a real diamond in the rough.
![](http://www.muircorporation.com.au/phil-philately/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Eisenhower_visit_private_souvenir_sheet.png)
Within the bulk lot that I mentioned above this souvenir sheet was was affixed to a sheet of paper with the following text from an old impact-style typewriter:
“Mr. Francisco had 5,000 of these sheets privately overprinted to commemorate the visit of President Eisenhower, as a Manila newspaper reported the Bureau of Posts did not have sufficient funds available at the time for printing.
After the Postmaster General was informed about the overprinted sheets, he ordered the remaining stock of the original souvenir sheets cut in two strips……….”.
Unfortunately, the eBay photo cutoff the rest of the text from the page. Since this was not a government issue I cannot find much information to help with my research.
For me the information above raises more questions than it answers:
- Is this information even accurate?
- Who is Mr. Francisco?
- Where was the overprint done (the Philippines or elsewhere)?
- How and where were these souvenir sheets sold/distributed?
- Most private overprints from philatelic clubs include details like the club name/chapter, an exhibition/meeting date, location, etc.. It is therefore my assumption that these were not issued by a philatelic club.
- I also assume the original 1949 souvenir sheet would have been acquired and then overprinted sometime early in 1960 to be ready for the June 14-16 visit. Is this a fair assumption?
If you have any additional information on this souvenir sheet then please reach out to me, I’d love to hear from you.