Quote:
I got back into the philatelic proofs this afternoon. Came across proof sheets for the original series tobacco taxpaids. I think these plates were also used for the 1871 series. This is such a pretty set I thought I'd post them all...
And I'm glad you did!
The 10 – 60 lb. stamps you pictured were first issued in 1869, Springer T22–28. The previous (and first-ever) issue of taxpaid tobacco stamps was produced by Continental under contract with the Treasury Dep't in 1868. That series consisted of 23 engraved stamps denominated in ounces and pounds, and 6 engraved cigar & cigarette stamps denominated in quantities of those items (e.g., 100 cigars).
In late 1869, the Treasury Dep't assumed production of the
pound-denominated tobacco stamps while Continental continued to produce
ounce-denominated stamps, and cigar & cigarette stamps.
The 1869 tobacco stamps were overprinted with either a network pattern or bands of lightly-colored lines, presumably in a fugitive ink. These same designs were issued again in 1870 and 1871, both issues having been similarly overprinted. With regard to the 1871 issue, Springer noted that "Many stamps exist without the lines, but since the colors are subject to fading it is possible that they are merely no longer visible."
Posted 10/12/2021 01:50 am
