Revenue stamps are adhesive labels used to collect taxes, fees, or duties on documents, goods, and services. Unlike postage stamps, which pay for mail delivery, revenue stamps appear on legal contracts, tobacco packaging, liquor bottles, and court filings. Their designs often feature official seals, coats of arms, or government insignia, and they can be beautifully engraved or printed in utilitarian styles depending on their purpose and era.
Collectors of revenue stamps explore the intersection of law, commerce, and bureaucracy. A stamp on a 19th-century marriage license or property deed reveals not only the cost of civic services but also the administrative structure of the time. Some revenue issues are rare due to limited use, regional specificity, or destruction after payment. Others, like proprietary medicine stamps, reflect advertising trends and consumer culture. This niche offers a rich field for thematic collecting and historical research.
Revenue stamps expand the scope of philately beyond mail. They invite collectors to consider how governments used stamps to regulate and fund civic life. These stamps are adhesive labels issued by governments to show that taxes or fees have been paid on goods, services, or legal documents. Examples include stamps for alcohol, tobacco, legal filings, hunting licenses, and more.
Used to pay taxes on legal documents, financial transactions, and official filings.
Mortgage Deed Stamp: USA (Civil War era), Tax on property transfers
Stock Transfer Stamp: USA, UK, Tax on buying/selling shares
Notary Public Stamp: Virginia (SRC #D1), Authentication of legal documents
Court Fee Stamp: India, Pakistan, Filing fees in judicial proceedings
Proprietary Revenue Stamps
Applied to goods like alcohol, tobacco, medicines, and other taxable products.
Liquor Tax Stamp: USA, Canada, Tax on distilled spirits
Tobacco Tax Stamp: USA, Philippines, Cigarette and cigar packaging
Patent Medicine Stamp: USA (late 1800s), Tax on proprietary remedies
Playing Card Stamp: USA, Tax on card decks
Licensing and Permit Revenue Stamps
Used to validate licenses and permits for regulated activities.
Hunting License Stamp: USA (Duck Stamp), Federal wildlife conservation funding
Firearm Permit Stamp: USA, UK, Gun ownership or transfer fees
Fishing License Stamp: State-level USA, Recreational fishing authorization
International and Historic Examples
Ottoman Silk Tax Stamp: Ottoman Empire, 16th-century textile tax
British Embossed Revenues: UK, Used on vellum documents
French Fiscal Stamps: France, Used for notarial and administrative fees
Japanese Revenue Stamps: Japan, Applied to contracts and receipts
Revenue stamps often resemble postage stamps but serve fiscal—not postal—functions.
Some stamps were dual-purpose (postal and revenue), especially in colonial territories.
On-document usage (e.g., affixed to deeds or licenses) adds historical and legal context.
Sources: Wikipedia on U.S. Revenue Stamps, LegalClarity overview, Revenue-Collector.com examples, Linn’s Stamp Insights, WorthPoint guide.