For sale is an original 1881 HARRISON NATIONAL BANK of Cadiz, Ohio HANDWRITTEN CHECK. This check is made out in the sum of $9.45 and is dated January 1, 1881. The check includes a two cent US Internal Revenue Stamp which were printed from 1875 until 1878 on blue silk paper. A great ephemera collectible.
The Revenue Act of 1862 established new taxes on many everyday items and called for specific stamps for each taxable item. Butler and Carpenter of Philadelphia was awarded the printing contract scarcely two months before the law was to go into effect. Each First Issue Revenue stamp features the same portrait of George Washington, which is based on a work by Gilbert Stuart. Between 1862 and 1869, Butler and Carpenter printed Revenue stamps on “old paper.” A catch-all phrase, “old paper” is actually a number of different papers that share certain characteristics: they’re grayish-white, thin, unwatermarked, and brittle. These traits were intentionally chosen as they allowed the paper to hold ink well. “Old paper” was in use until 1869. To combat the fraud, a Second Issue was ordered with new designs and ink colors. The stamps were printed on a patented “chameleon” paper containing silk fibers.
