Last updated April 18, 2021 My Revenue Stamp Collection Newest Additions
These are the newest additions to my collection.
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Scott # R164. Added March 23, 2021
USPS. 2-cent battleship documentary used illegally as postage on an 1899 cover addressed to the Risdon Iron Works in San Francisco, caught and held for postage. It appears that there may have been a postage stamp affixed over the auxiliary markings, but got lost somewhere along the way.
Scott # R25c. Added March 19, 2021
L. Millsner & Co., pawnbroker. Pawn tickets from the Civil War era are incredibly rare, with currently only 14 reported examples. No one saved them, as they were only needed until pawned items were retrieved. Of the 14 known examples, this is the only example not from New York City or Philadelphia. The other 13 examples have loan periods ranging from 4 months to 1 year, whereas the loan period for this pawn was an incredibly short 1-day loan for $300, which was a huge sum at that time.
Scott # 279b. Added February 28, 2021
Maine State Grange. 2-cent Washington used illegally as a revenue stamp on a National Shoe & Leather Bank check, caught, and a 2-cent battleship documentary subsequently affixed to legitimately pay the tax.
Scott # 268. Added February 28, 2021
S. L. Wadsworth.
A check on the Frontier National Bank in Eastport, Maine, dated July 6, 1898, with bisected 3-cent (Scott #268) and 1-cent (Scott #279) bureau issues improperly paying the 2 cent tax (1.5 cents + 0.5 cents = 2 cents). Across the pair of bisects is a manuscript cancel reading 'I.R. SLW & Son 7/6/98'.
S.L. Wadsworth & Son was ship chandlery established in Eastport in 1818 and still exists as a hardware store today.
While the assumption is that this piece is philatelic rather than commercial, arguments can be made as to why it MIGHT be a legitimate improper usage (that might sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but what I mean is an illegal usage done out of expediency or to defraud the government rather than a collector's creation).
- The date July 6, 1898 is very early in the taxation period, which is when the majority of legit illegal/improper usages are found, before ample supply of revenue stamps were delivered to more remote areas.
- Eastport Maine is a very remote location, the easternmost city/town in the United States, consisting entirely of islands.
Scott # R17c. Added February 28, 2021
Giles Bishop. Wonderfully centered 3-cent Playing Cards on a CDV. There appear to be plate scratches across the top. I'm looking for a confirming example with the same scratches, so please contact me if you have seen one.
Scott # R94c. Added February 20, 2021
Top frame line doubled, currently not listed in Scott, but confirming examples exist.
Scott # R35c. Added February 7, 2021
Gorgeous jumbo margins and well centered.
Scott # R70c. Added February 5, 2021
Extremely dry (underinked) plate.
Scott # R76a. Added February 4, 2021
Right frame line doubled.
Scott # R337. Added February 4, 2021
USPS. 2-cent series 1942 red documentary used illegally as postage on a 1944 commercial cover from the Merchants Fire Assurance Corporation of New York to the Collector of Internal Revenue. Mid-20th century nonphilatelic illegal use covers are quite scarce.
Scott # R113. Added January 31, 2021
Double transfer in all 6 stars at top. One of 5 plate positions exhibiting the double transfer, this one is the second most bold. Unlisted in Scott.
Scott # R116. Added January 31, 2021
Foreign entry, design of 70c. Plate position 51.
Scott # R123. Added January 31, 2021
Double transfer in top margin, plate position 42. Not listed in Scott.
Scott # R115. Added January 31, 2021
Horizontal pair with left stamp showing a double transfer at the base of the letters in the top scroll.
Scott # R66a. Added January 31, 2021
Interestingly, in addition to the right frame line doubled, there is also a stray vertical line going up through the lower right numeral.
Scott # R72c. Added January 31, 2021
Dodge & Stevenson. Diagonal plate scratch at bottom. Need confirming example and plate position.
Scott # R27c. Added January 22, 2021
Horizontal strip of 4, each with large margins and choice centering.
Scott # R7a. Added January 22, 2021
Long vertical plate scratch at left.
Scott # R154. Added January 22, 2021
1-cent I.R. provisional overprint block of 15, used on the first day of tax, July 1, 1898.
Scott # R15c. Added January 17, 2021
Vineland Fruit Preserving Co. Wonderful typeset printed cancel on an 1867 bank check.
Scott # RB4a. Added January 17, 2021
N. W. M.
Scott # RB16b. Added January 17, 2021
M.F. Milward.
Scott # RB15c. Added January 17, 2021
?? R & Co. Faked roulettes. You can see the indents of the original perforations down the right side.
Scott # R87c. Added January 9, 2021
Brady's Bend Iron Co. While at first glance it appears to be a handstamped cancel, it is actually a printed cancel. See my page devoted to the cancels of the Brady's Bend Iron Co.
Scott # R24c. Added January 9, 2021
Brady's Bend Iron Co. While at first glance it appears to be a handstamped cancel, it is actually a printed cancel. See my page devoted to the cancels of the Brady's Bend Iron Co.
Scott # R88c. Added January 9, 2021
Brady's Bend Iron Co.
Scott # RE70. Added January 2, 2021
Taylor Wine Co.
Scott # R164p. Added January 2, 2021
Commercial Milling Co.
Scott # R28c. Added December 31, 2020
William B. Wesson. 5-cent Playing Cards used illegally/improperly as a documentary, along with two 2-cent revenues, paying 9 cents tax on an 1867 land contract: 5 cents on April 24 per agreement, 2 cents on April 24 paying the receipt tax for the payment made at the time the contract was executed, and 2 cents on June 1 paying the receipt tax for the first scheduled payment.
Scott # R1b. Added December 31, 2020
Cochituate Water Board Office. Amazingly scarce item: A legitimate late-date east coast usage of a part perf or imperf. Typically genuine late-date usages are confined to the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) or are not genuine imperfs or part perfs, as supplies had been fully consumed by mid-to-late 1864. An 1868 usage is incredibly late, but this being a vertical pair makes it unquestionably genuine.
Scott # R84d. Added December 30, 2020
Portsmouth National Bank.
Scott # R148. Added December 29, 2020
Perfectly balanced jumbo margins.
Scott # R19a. Added December 27, 2020
Scott # RB13a. Added December 27, 2020
W. H. S. & Co.
Scott # R64c. Added December 27, 2020
Fitchburg Railroad Co. Typeset printed cancel is Tolman #F-1A-2, shown in opposite directions on two examples of the 60-cent Inland Exchange. Incredibly scarce on this denomination.
Scott # R24c. Added December 27, 2020
Extremely well-centered stamp with a blue oval bookseller handstamp cancel.
Scott # R151. Added December 27, 2020
Unusual BD monogram, in a smaller font and format than one frequently seen on larger denomination 3rd issue revenues.
Scott # R14c. Added December 26, 2020
Geneva National Bank. 2-cent Proprietary used illegally/improperly as a documentary on a holographic (hand written) bank check.
Scott # R12c. Added December 26, 2020
Bank of Commerce. 2-cent orange Playing Cards used improperly as a documentary on an 1864 bank check.
Scott # RB30. Added December 26, 2020
USPS. Illegal/improper use of a 4-cent proprietary battleship as postage on a 1905 cover, with a ton of different auxiliary markings as well as the tattered remnants of a post office seal.
Scott # R228. Added December 20, 2020
USPS. 1-cent documentary used illegally as postage on a 1937 cover from an insurance company to a bank.
Scott # 73. Added December 20, 2020
Merchant Savings Loan and Trust Co. 2-cent black Andrew Jackson used illegally as a revenue stamp on an 1865 check, caught, and a 2-cent orange Bank Check revenue (R6c) subsequently affixed.
Scott # R152b. Added December 16, 2020
Very bold example of the Scott-listed double transfer, with doubled elements in TWO and bottom frame line. Considerably more scarce than the catalogue value implies.
Scott # R152b. Added December 16, 2020
Scott-listed double transfer, with doubled elements in TWO and bottom frame line. Considerably more scarce than the catalogue value implies.
Scott # R152a. Added December 16, 2020
Stray horizontal frame line at top right.
Scott # R152b. Added December 16, 2020
Tool gouge in the numeral 2 at bottom as well as possible double transfer elements in NTS of CENTS.
Scott # R152b. Added December 16, 2020
Muddy/mushy areas of print on the left side of the stamp, possibly the result of the paper bumping against the plate?
Scott # R152b. Added December 15, 2020
Doubled frameline at bottom, the result of a double transfer.
Scott # R152b. Added December 14, 2020
Doubled frameline at upper left, the result of a double transfer.
Scott # R152b. Added December 14, 2020
Doubled frameline at upper left, the result of a double transfer.
Scott # R152b. Added December 14, 2020
Doubled frameline at upper right, the result of a double transfer.
Scott # R65a. Added December 13, 2020
M & E Bank. 2012 APEX certificate.
Scott # 267. Added December 4, 2020
National Black River Bank. Pair of drafts from the National Black River Bank in Proctorsville, Vermont, each with a 2-cent postage stamp used illegally as a revenue stamp, tied with handstamp cancel. One went through uncaught, whereas the other one was caught at the bank where submitted, the National Exchange Bank in Boston, where a revenue stamp was subsequently affixed and hammered by a bold boxed handstamp cancel. The added bonus being that both documents are dated July 1, 1898, the first day of the tax.
Scott # R69a. Added November 26, 2020
???. Listed in Tolman/Shellabear as type P-3, but the company name is not actually listed in the table of contents.
Scott # R15c. Added November 26, 2020
Fuchs Brothers. Vendor of wine, liquors, cigars.
Scott # R113. Added November 25, 2020
Brady's Bend Iron Co. While at first glance it appears to be a handstamped cancel, it is actually a printed cancel. See my page devoted to the cancels of the Brady's Bend Iron Co.
Scott # R33c. Added November 24, 2020
Bold manuscript cancel with great visual contrast.
Scott # R182. Added November 24, 2020
Cambria Steel Co.
Scott # R188. Added November 24, 2020
Mengel Box Co.
Scott # R55c. Added November 24, 2020
3 huge jumbo margins.
Scott # R201. Added November 21, 2020
Unusual and ornate fancy shield cancel.
Scott # R10c. Added November 9, 2020
Mortgage with two $2 Conveyance paying the tax, but what is more interesting is the use of a quadrisected 2-cent Express (R10c) as sigillums (seals for the signature). Very unusual usage, the first example I have seen of a revenue stamp used in this manner.
Scott # R3c. Added November 8, 2020
National Mechanics and Traders Bank. Horizontal pair of 1-cent Proprietary revenues used illegally as documentaries on an 1867 bank check.
Scott # 146. Added November 8, 2020
National Union Bank. Two-cent Andrew Jackson used illegally as a revenue stamp on an 1873 check with an eagle vignette.
Scott # R167. Added November 8, 2020
Reading Mining and Development Co. Very ornately engraved stock certificate.
Scott # R33c. Added November 8, 2020
Continental Insurance Co. Ornately engraved 1869 certificate of profits. Cancel is Tolman C-52c.
Scott # R65c. Added November 8, 2020
This is by far the biggest jumbo of R65c I have ever seen. If not for the pinholes, this would be a candidate for PSE or PF grading.
Scott # 63. Added November 7, 2020
Quincy Mining Co. Very interesting piece. A 1-cent Franklin postage stamp used illegally as revenue, along with a horizontal pair of 10-cent Power of Attorney part perforates on a February 1863 voting proxy (early matching usage) from the Quincy mining company. A similar document (sans illegal usage) is shown in Mike Mahler's book U.S. Revenue-Stamped Documents of the Civil War Era. The proxy was for 3 related family members, hence what should have been 30 cents tax. Either the clerk grabbed the wrong blue stamp in their haste, or they ran out of 10-cent revenue stamps and grabbed something that looked close. Either way, the document is doubly illegal: (1) postage stamp used as revenue, and (2) short payment of the tax.
Scott # R154. Added October 26, 2020
USPS. Mangled 1-cent and 2-cent provisional revenue overprints used illegally as postage long out of period.
Scott # R24c. Added October 25, 2020
Portsmouth, Great Falls and Conway Railroad. 1st issue 5c Certificate used illegally as postage on a railroad cover. Sadly opened roughly at right, tearing off part of the stamp. Otherwise it would be a $250+ item. Was found along with a 1956 letter from Hugh Shellabear, a renowned revenue collector and author, to the cover's owner describing the cover and its attributes.
Scott # R34c. Added October 25, 2020
USPS. 1st issue 10-cent Contract used illegally as postage, out of period, on an 1895 envelope fragment.
Scott # R135. Added October 24, 2020
USPS. 3rd issue documentary used illegally as postage LONG out of period, on a 1938 cover, caught and 2 cents postage due assessed.
Scott # R164p. Added October 24, 2020
USPS. 2-cent battleship documentary used illegally as postage on a 1927 cover, used out of period.
Scott # R229. Added October 24, 2020
USPS. 2-cent documentary used illegally as postage on a 1921 advertising cover.
Scott # R164. Added October 24, 2020
USPS. 2-cent battleship documentary used illegally as postage on a 1900 cover, caught and held for 10 days until correct postage was affixed.
Scott # R196. Added October 24, 2020
USPS. Horizontal pair of 1-cent documentaries used illegally as postage on a 1915 cover with a preprinted address.
Scott # 65. Added October 24, 2020
3-cent Washington used illegally as a documentary revenue on an 1865 promissory note.
Scott # R13c. Added October 24, 2020
Tioga Railroad Co. 2c Proprietary used illegally as a documentary on an 1865 dividend receipt.
Scott # R32a. Added October 18, 2020
Simon de Visser. Vertical pair showing bold strikes of contrasting red SdeV handstamp cancels.
Scott # R6c. Added October 18, 2020
Not a T5 major double transfer, but about the closest thing to it with respect to the doubling of letters in the bottom scroll.
Scott # R7b. Added October 15, 2020
Listed as a fake because R7b doesn't exist. Likely created from an an imperforate R7a, but the question is why? It doesn't make sense as a philatelic forgery. The perfs are jagged and nonstandard. I posit that it may have been privately done for the sake of expediency and functionality, similar to the private sewing machine perforations. Interesting regardless.
Scott # R155. Added October 15, 2020
Connecticut Fire Insurance Co. First day of tax usage, July 1, 1898.
Scott # R155. Added October 15, 2020
The Watertown National Bank. First day of tax usage, July 1, 1898.
Scott # R155. Added October 15, 2020
The Dime Savings Bank. First day of tax usage, July 1, 1898.
Scott # 68. Added September 22, 2020
10-cent Washington used illegally as revenue on an 1865 document, written entirely in German. Very unusual.
Scott # R162. Added September 21, 2020
Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad et al. Very scarce solo use of half-cent battleship documentary on an 1899 2-day traveler's accidental death and injury policy from The Travelers Insurance Company. The full name of the railroad in the cancel is Lake Superior & Mississipi and Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad.
Scott # R155. Added September 20, 2020
Numerous. U.S. revenue documents with both U.S. and non-U.S. revenue stamps affixed, paying multiple taxes throughout a chain of transactions are quite scarce. This example was taxed in England and then doubly taxed in the U.S. There is an extensive 2-page writeup of the document here and here.
Scott # RB24. Added September 18, 2020
New Jersey Plate Glass Insurance Co. 1-cent proprietary battleship revenue stamp used illegally as a documentary, along with an R155 2-cent provisional overprint, paying 3 cents tax on an attractive 1898 insurance policy premium receipt.
Scott # R152a. Added September 16, 2020
Wiard & Hough, Wiard Plow Works. Very attractive check with plow vignette and stylized lettering.
Scott # RE30. Added September 16, 2020
Very scarce plate number 413 single. The catalog value listed is from Durland. Undervalued in my opinion.
Scott # R164. Added September 16, 2020
USPS. 2-cent battleship documentary used illegally as postage, caught by the USPS and valid postage subsequently affixed.
Scott # R32a. Added September 11, 2020
Excellent example of the 'West Coast late date imperfs', 5 singles of R32a on a piece of a court document used in the state of Oregon. Normally, a usage date of November 1865 would be late enough to raise alarm bells as to whether the stamps were contrived (trimmed).
Scott # 250. Added September 9, 2020
This looks like a nondescript illegal usage, a bit beat up, likely a $10-15 item at retail. But the timing is curious. It's dated February 21, 1891... but that stamp wasn't issued until 1894. Unless it's a contrived item, the only thing I can think of is that it was retroactively taxed at the time the check was submitted for payment, some 3+ years later. The reverse shows nothing except for the endorsement of the payee, presumably a family member.
Scott # 146. Added September 8, 2020
Farmers' National Bank. 2-cent Andrew Jackson used illegally as a revenue stamp on an 1872 bank check.
Scott # R154. Added September 7, 2020
USPS. Horizontal pair of 1c Franklins with provisional IR overprints, used illegally as postage on an 1898 cover.
Scott # 114. Added September 7, 2020
3-cent Locomotive used illegaly as a revenue stamp on an 1870 Lousiville receipt, overpaying the 2-cent receipt tax due.
Scott # R163. Added September 4, 2020
Adams Express Co. 1c battleship documentary block of 10 with partial margin imprint at the bottom, on a document fragment, with interesting patriotic 'Remember the Maine' sentiment written across the block.
Scott # R13d. Added September 4, 2020
2c Proprietary silk paper horizontal strip of 3. Severely thinned but a very scarce silk paper multiple. Per the Curtis Census, this is tied with one other strip of 3 for the second largest multiple, with only a single block of 4 larger.
Scott # R1b. Added August 22, 2020
1983 APEX certificate. Very scarce short transfer (bottom of upper stamp). Interestingly, the 1866 usage is very late for a part perf.
Scott # R116. Added August 22, 2020
Webb, Turner & Co. Cheese merchant.
Scott # R51d. Added August 22, 2020
Scott # R164. Added July 25, 2020
USPS. A little beat up, but great aesthetics. Oversized cover with 3 2-cent battleship documentary revenue stamps used illegally as postage, caught, and 5-cent and 1-cent postage stamps subsequently affixed over top of the revenue stamps and canceled.
Scott # R228. Added July 25, 2020
USPS. Very scarce illegal usage, a 1-cent documentary used, not as postage, but instead as a postage due stamp.
Scott # R28c. Added July 25, 2020
5-cent Playing Cards used illegally as a documentary on an 1865 promissory note.
Scott # R162. Added July 25, 2020
Fred W. Peters, Insurance Agent. Very scarce solo use of 1/2-cent battleship documentary on a 1900 insurance policy renewal receipt from The Standard Life and Accident Insurance Co. of Detroit, Michigan.
Scott # 286. Added July 23, 2020
Citizens National Bank. 2-cent Trans-Mississippi used illegally as a revenue stamp on a July 1898 check, caught, a 2-cent battleship documentary subsequently affixed and both stamps tied by a boxed bank handstamp.
Scott # 73. Added July 16, 2020
Union Bank of Watertown. 2-cent 'Black Jack' used used illegally as a revenue stamp on an 1864 check, tied with black oval handstamp cancel.
Scott # R196. Added July 15, 2020
USPS, Mexican Post. Unusual 1914 illegal use cover, with a horizontal pair of 1-cent documentaries used as postage. It appears that the postal clerk misread 'Miss' in the address as 'Mex', and the cover was sent to Mexico where it ended up in a dead letter office. The affixed Mexican postal seal and the violet handstamps match. Violet handtamp reads 'Received in the Dead Letter Department without the corresponding stamp.'
Scott # 279b. Added July 4, 2020
H. Van de Bogart, Deputy Register in Chancery. A horizontal strip of 5 2-cent Washington postage stamps (Scott #279b) illegally paying 10 cents tax on an 1898 divorce decree.
Scott # R29c. Added July 4, 2020
George Wolton, Prothonotary. 5-cetn proprietary illegally used as a documentary on en election certification document.
Scott # R27c. Added June 21, 2020
American Lloyd's. Just a beautiful document! An 1871 certificate of classification for the schooner W.H. Green, from American Lloyd's Insurance Co. In addition to the large green underprint of the company logo, it has the corresponding green embossed seal, an attractive maritime vignette at top center, and a boldly struck example of a 'JOHN DEVEREUX SURVEYOR FOR AMMERICAN LLOYDS' handstamp cancel typing R27c to the document. Very rare.
Scott # R41c. Added June 21, 2020
Very scarce major double transfer with doubling along the entire left side and the bottom. Only a handful of examples are known.
Scott # R165p. Added June 21, 2020
Mint original gum margin block of 24, with 16 of the 24 stamps never hinged. Very scarce multiple, the hyphen-hole perforated documentaries are considerably more scarce as multiples than the rouletted versions, or their proprietary counterparts. The top and third from top stamps in the far right column contain double transfers.
Scott # 286. Added May 31, 2020
McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. 2-cent Trans-Mississippi used illegally as a revenue stamp on an August 1898 promissory note.
Scott # R10c. Added May 31, 2020
R. N. Ham. Only the second reported example of this cancel that features the camera image. However, unlike previously attributions to the photographer C. Becker based upon the imprint on the front of CDVs, this cancel shows the photographer as 'R.N. Ham' at the same address.
Scott # R3c. Added May 22, 2020
Orange National Bank. Two 1c Proprietary stamps on an 1869 bank check. Nominally illegal in two different aspects: First, proprietary stamps were not permitted to be used as documentaries, and secondly, the stamps are overlapping, with the bottom stamp almost completely obscured, which was also not permitted.
Scott # R196. Added May 17, 2020
USPS. Two 1-cent documentaries used illegaly as postage on a 1917 cover, caught by the USPS and held for postage, with a coil pair of 1-cent Washington stamps (Scott #490) affixed to pay the postage. Nice 'THIS IS THE MAIL FOR WHICH YOU SENT POSTAGE' block letter marking at left. Mousies had some chompies at lower right.
Scott # R44a. Added May 16, 2020
B of B Co. Lovely meticulous manuscript cancel.
Scott # R58b. Added May 16, 2020
A reference piece. The 50-cent Life Insurance part perf is not listed in Scott as being found imperforate vertically. Also, the 1867 date is far too late to be a genuine part perf.
Scott # R195. Added May 4, 2020
S. R. Benjamin & Co. 1/2-cent, 1-cent, 10-cent, and 25-cent documentaries overpaying 37 & 1/2 cents tax (should have been 32 & 1/2 cents) on a policy from the Westchester Fire Insurance Company of New York.
