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U.S. Revenue stamps - Proprietary, Match, Medicine and Private Die issues Proprietary stamps Early series
Scott RB1a, 1¢, plate number 1C
Scott RB1b, 1¢, used, plate number 1C
Scott RB1P4, 1¢ proof on card, green plate number 1B, black plate number 1B
Scott RB1P5, 1¢ proof on bond, plate number 1B
Scott RB2a, 2¢, black plate number A3
Scott RB2P4, 2¢ proof on card, black plate number A3, green plate number 3A
Scott RB3, 3¢, black plate number 13
Scott RB3P3, 3¢ proof on India paper, black plate number 18
Scott RB3P4, 3 ¢ proof on card, black plate number 18, green plate number 18
Scott RB4a, 4¢, green plate number 7B
Scott RB4P, 4¢ proof, green plate number 7A
Scott RB4P3, 4¢ proof on India paper, green plate number 7B
Scott RB4P4, 4¢ proof on card, black plate number A7, green plate numbers 7A, 7B
Scott RB5P4, 5¢ proof on card, black plate number 14, green plate number 14
Scott RB6a, 6¢, green plate number 12
Scott RB7P4, 10¢ proof on card, green plate number 4 Scott RB8,
50¢ Washington
Scott RB11a, 1¢ green, plate number 4 The 1¢ tax stamp was used on a cake of soap retailing up to 25¢. Only soap with either medicinal or cosmetic qualities was taxed; ordinary cleansing or toilet soap was not taxed. Other soaps produced between 1862 and 1883 were taxed at 5%. (Source: The American Revenuer, First Quarter 2019)
Scott RB11b, 1¢ green, plate number 4
Scott RB11c var, 1¢ black, plate number 3
Scott RB11P var, 1¢ proof in black, reversed plate number 4 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB12b, 2¢ brown, plate number 6
Scott RB11P var, 2¢, proof in black, plate number 5 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB13b, 3¢, plate number 7
Scott RB14b, 4¢, plate number 12
Scott RB16a, 5¢, plate number 11
Scott RB16P3, 5¢ proof on India paper, plate number 11 Scott RB17, 6¢ Washington, violet on blue paper
Scott RB19P var, 10¢, proof in black, reversed plate number 1 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Battleship series (1898)
Scott RB20, 1/8¢, plate number 8135
Scott RB20p, 1/8¢, plate number 11911
Scott RB20r, 1/8¢, rouletted, plate number 8265
Scott RB20P, 1/8¢ proof, plate number 8439 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB21, 1/4¢, plate number 7962
Scott RB21p, 1/4¢, plate number 11199
Scott RB21r, 1/4¢, plate number 7981
Scott RB21P, 1/4¢ proof, plate number 9368 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB22, 3/8¢, plate number 7979
Scott RB22p, 3/8¢, plate number 9414 The plate number is inverted -- the bottom of the plate number should be toward the stamp image as on all other issues.
Scott RB23, 5/8¢, plate number 9357
Scott RB23p, 5/8¢, plate number 11448
Scott RB23, 5/8¢, plate number 8061
Scott RB23P, 5/8¢ proof, plate number 11085 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB24, 1¢ green, plate number 7928
Scott RB24p, 1¢ green, plate number 11594
Scott RB24r, 1¢, plate number 7928
Scott RB24P, 1¢, proof plate number 9837 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB25, 1-1/4¢, plate number 8046
Scott RB25p, 1-1/4¢, plate number 11444
Scott RB25r, 1-1/4¢, plate number 8044
Scott RB26, 1-7/8¢, plate number 8375
Scott RB26p, 1-7/8¢, plate number 8365
Scott RB26P var, 1-7/8¢ proof in dark blue green, plate number 8370 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB27, 2¢, plate number 7945
Scott RB27p, 2¢, plate number 9464
Scott RB27p var, 2¢, plate number 12078 with negative offset (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RB27r, 2¢, plate number 7956
Scott RB27P, 2¢ proof, plate number 8567 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB28, 2-1/2¢, stamp printed in carmine, plate number 8021
Scott RB28p, 2-1/2¢, plate number 9400
Scott RB28r, 2-1/2¢, plate number 8047
Scott RB28P var, 2-1/2¢ proof in lake, plate number 9835 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB28a, 2-1/2¢, imperforate horizontally error, plate number 8021 (Image courtesy of Robert Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc.)
Scott RB29, 3-3/4¢, plate mumber 8363
Scott RB29p, 3-3/4¢, hyphen-hole perf 7, plate number 8357
Scott RB29r, 3-3/4¢, plate number 8357
Scott RB29P, 3-3/4¢ proof on card, plate number 8357 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB30, 4¢, plate number 7944
Scott RB30p, 4¢, plate number 9441
Scott RB30r, 4¢, plate number 7949
Scott RB30P, 4¢ proof on card, plate number 9440 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RB31, 5¢, plate number 8014
Scott RB31p, 5¢, plate number 9439
Scott RB31P, 5¢ proof on card, proof plate number 8014 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Brown Numerals (1911)
Scott RB32, 1/8¢, hand-entered plate number 267
Scott RB34, 3/8¢, hand-entered plate number 266 (without "PL")
Scott RB35, 5/8¢, plate number 388
Scott RB36, 1-1/4¢, pair with hand-entered plate number 269 Scott RB42, 4-3/8¢ Series of 1914
Scott RB44, 1/8¢, hand-entered plate number 267
Scott RB45, 1/4¢, hand-entered straddle plate number 260
Scott RB48, 5/8¢, plate number 268
Scott RB50, 1-1/4¢, hand-entered straddle plate number 269
Scott RB51, 1-1/2¢, hand-entered straddle plate number 256
Scott RB54, 2-1/2¢, hand-entered straddle plate number 270
Blue Numerals
Scott RB65, 1¢, straddle plate number 3623
Scott RB66, 2¢, plate number 9783
Scott RB67, 3¢, plate number 4786
Scott RB68, 4¢, plate number 3720
Scott RB69, 5¢, plate number 4007
Scott RB71, 10¢, plate number 3926
Scott RB73, 40¢, pair with straddle plate number 3770
Scott RB74EP, proof of the unissued 80¢ value, plate number 9991 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Semi-Private Proprietary stamps The law requiring the use of the "battleship" proprietary stamps took effect July 1, 1898. The stamps had not yet arrived at the Binghamton, NY, revenue office, home of one of the largest mailers of proprietary medicines, Dr. Kilmer & Co., by the deadline for their use. The Kilmer company was unable to persuade local revenue agents to allow them to ship their goods and pay the taxes by sworn statement and a lump sum, and no other source for the required revenue stamps was available. Faced with huge losses if their goods could not be shipped, or huge penalties if they shipped the goods without the required tax stamps, Kilmer improvised by overprinting the 1¢, 2¢ and 3¢ regular postage issues of the day with one of two types of private overprints -- in effect, creating "semi-private" proprietary stamps. The overprints are on the 1¢ green Franklin, Scott 279; 2¢ carmine Washington, Scott 267a; 2¢ red Washington, Scott 279Be; and 3¢ Jefferson, Scott 268. Eight types of stamps, Scott RS307 through RS315, are known canceled with dates ranging from July 5 to July 15, 1898, after which presumably the required Battleship stamps arrived in Binghamton and were used going forward. Single examples of these overprinted proprietary stamps are rare enough in themselves; plate number material has not been seen by this writer. If you know of examples of plate number singles or blocks of these overprinted issues, please submit them to our web site so we can illustrate them for all collectors.
Private Die Match stamps
Scott RO47d, Aetna Watch Manufactory / F. Mansfield & Co., St. Louis, plate number 7
Scott RO69P, G.W.H. Davis Iron City Percussion Matches, plate number 6 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RO92P, William Gates' Sons Matches, plate number 254 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RO114P var, D. F. Hutchinson Jr., plate number 256. The eventual stamp was printed in red brown. (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RO130c, plate number 7 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RO135d, F. P. Newton successor to The Clark Match Co, plate number 52 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RO143P3, plate number 105
Scott RO161P, William Roeber Matches, proof plate number 2 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RO168P, E. R. Smith Matches, proof plate number 11 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RO176d, Trenton Match Co., reversed plate number 238 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Private Die Medicine stamps
Scott RS1P3, 1¢ Anglo American Drug Company, proof on India paper, plate number 126
Scott RS14d, $1 Barham's Infallible Pill Cure, with lozenges watermark, plate number 79
Scott RS14P3, proof on India paper, plate number 79 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott RS121P3, 3¢ J. E. Hetherington, proof on India paper, plate number 115
Scott RS180P3, proof on India paper, plate number 106 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RS184, plate number 54 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RS212P var, 1¢ Schenck's Mandrake Pills, proof in black, plate number 153. The eventual stamp was printed in green (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS214P, 4¢ J. H. Schenck & Sons, proof on card, plate number 82
Scott RS216P3, 1¢ Seabury & Johnson, proof on India paper, plate number 107
Scott RS223b, 1¢ M. A. Simmons, unknown partial plate number at upper left, not listed in Durland (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Scott RS229P var, 2¢ H. R. Stevens, proof in black, plate number 95. The eventual stamp was printed in chocolate (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS254P, 1¢ H.H.W. [Warner] & Co., proof plate number 373 in reverse image, plate prepared in 1882 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS264d, 1¢ West India Manufacturing Company, plate number 38 (Image courtesy of Eric Jackson)
Emerson Drug Company, 2-1/2¢ Scott RS283 plate number 11203; 5/8¢ Scott RS281 plate number 11084; Scott RS280P var, 1/4¢ proof in brown, plate number 11038 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS284r, 1-1/4¢ Chas. H. Fletcher, rouletted, plate number 8807 (Image courtesy of eBay / harvard-mba)
Scott RS286p, 5/8¢ Johnson & Johnson, hyphen-hole perf, plate number 8827
Scott RS286r, 5/8¢ Johnson & Johnson, rouletted, plate number 8827
J. Ellwood Lee Co., complete private die medicine set from 1900. 1/8¢ Scott RS290 plate number 11003; 5/8¢ Scott RS291 plate number 10977 in red as issued; 1-1/4¢ Scott RS292 plate number 10991; 2-1/2¢ Scott RS293 plate number 11000; and 5¢ Scott RS294 plate number 11006 (Images courtesy of eBay / ckstamps)
Scott RS291P, proof on card in blue, plate number 10977. The final color for the 5/8¢ value was red. (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS295P, 1-1/4¢ Charles Marchand, proof on card, plate number 8949 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS303p, 5/8¢ Piso Company, hyphen-hole perf, plate number 8794 (Image courtesy of eBay / harvard-mba)
Scott RS303r, 5/8¢ Piso Company, rouletted, plate number 8794 (Image courtesy of eBay / harvard-mba)
Scott RS303P, 5/8¢ Piso Company proof, plate number 8794 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS305p, 3-1/8¢ Wagner's Safe Cure Co., hyphen-hole perf, plate number 8839 Scott RS305P, 3-1/8¢ proof plate number 8839 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott RS306P, 1-1/4¢ Dr. Williams, proof plate number 9832 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Private Die Perfumery stamps
Scott RT2P3, 1¢ proof on India, plate number 100 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott RT13TC3, 2¢ trial color proof on India, plate number 128 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs) These stamps were originally printed by American Bank Note Company. When BEP took over the printing, they erased the ABNCo imprints but retained the original plate numbers even though they did not fit in the BEP plate numbering scheme.
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