Internal Revenue Department

Matchbox label as 1cent Internal Revenue Department ‘stamp’

Internal Revenue Department stamps were provided by the Internal Revenue Department and were attached to taxable items to show that the tax had been paid. See the sample below:

Internal Revenue Department stamp on timber yard bill
Close-up of stamp

Private companies were allowed to produce their own stamps if they were approved by the Internal Revenue Department. This letter is from a match manufacturer who was referred to Crane by the Internal Revenue Department to find distinctive paper for their ‘stamp’. The letter came with two samples.

Letter from Byam Carlton & Co. looking for ‘distinctive’ paper
‘Stamp’ sample
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