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Post by paul1 on May 25, 2022 10:31:17 GMT
I expect most people here are aware of this overprint but it's a new one on me - I've seen many of the various U.K. stamps with 'tax' and other official overprints, and assume this one is an official overprint. I've had a quick look in the SG catalogue but eyes not working too well this morning and haven't seen this example. I think this format of the 1.1/2d. lasted from some time in 1912 until around 1922, so it's possible there is some connection with WW I, but that's a guess - I'll have a stab and suggest the shade is 'chestnut'. Probably being dim, but not sure of the meaning of the overprint - assume the stamp was available for postage - anyone have an idea of exactly what is meant? thanks.  |
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,654 
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on May 25, 2022 11:10:14 GMT
Hi again, Paul ( paul1 ), and thanks for your post. It's a very interesting stamp, and one that I have never seen before. Nice one! I will tag some others who know more about GB than I do, but as the overprint states "DUTY", that indicates that it should be a revenue/fiscal stamp, not postal. In addition, it does state "NOT AVAILABLE FOR POSTAGE" right on it, so that seems pretty clear. Let's make a few tags and see who responds: vikingeck daniel drblade khj Londonbus1 |
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Post by jaysee on May 25, 2022 11:36:10 GMT
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vikingeck
Member 
Posts: 3,264
What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on May 25, 2022 12:07:34 GMT
Governments will tax anything they can get away with, and will often produce or modify a stamp as a receipt for tax paid.
Until WW2 there was a tax on medicines.
In the 19th century there were separate postage stamps and revenue stamps , but in late Victorian times the same stamps inscribed “postage and Revenue” replaced the revenue stamp. Until 1960s bank cheques were taxed and any receipt required a 2d postage stamp cancelled in ink as a tax.
What else was taxed? Newspapers, playing cards, alcohol, tobacco, dog licence , car licence, tv , health insurance , all at some time had special stamps or labels for receipt..
Legal documents such as land sales,contracts, indentures, court fees, stocks and shares,
Other odd taxes were 1/2d on letters in Scotland for upkeep of the roads, a tax on the number of windows to pay for Napoleonic wars, so why not tax medicines?
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drblade
Member
Posts: 726
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on May 25, 2022 12:37:13 GMT
I've seen these before but don't collect them as I consider the overprints to be "used". The medicine tax on the chestnut was a wartime measure I believe with various amounts of tax being charged on medicines, which would have probably been in shorter supply & also no doubt to aid the war effort. Just a different mention about the other labels (the long medicine bottle type) used along with the stamp. It was illegal to collect forged copies of these and carried the death penalty.
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Post by paul1 on May 25, 2022 13:15:37 GMT
thanks for the interesting replies, and especially to jaysee for the relevant link. We've forgotten what it was like prior to the NHS (in the U.K.), when so much that we take for granted as free now, then carried a charge. The signed 2d. brown Wilding, to legalize a receipt, was once a common sight, and one of the highest rates of tax is still with us in the form of duty on transport fuel. Have to say I couldn't stop collecting overprints - IMHO they're one of the most interesting side lines of stamp collecting and I always look for them in any new bunch of stamps. The window tax of the late C18 and early C19 sounds the most cruel - instigated, apparently by Wm. IV, because he said the coffers were suffering because of clipping of coinage. Haven't we had some of the most spendthrift monarchs over the years - the present incumbent excepted of course, the only person officially allowed to walk 'abroad' without any money ................. it's all tied up 'at home' in the form of collections - and they do have a v.g. philatelic coll.;-)
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Post by mudgie on May 25, 2022 16:32:14 GMT
paul1: "The signed 2d. brown Wilding, to legalize a receipt, was once a common sight" - It was indeed and I've got a few of them on bills that never got thrown out. Only this month though I've found a 6d purple Wilding similarly used on a foreign Holiday Insurance policy with Sun Alliance. The stamp appropriately has a "SA" perfin, was used and cancelled at their Wolverhampton office and the policy was for a family of four for 31 days from 26th July 1966. The premium paid was £6 so maybe the tax was a penny in the pound.
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Post by mudgie on May 25, 2022 16:40:42 GMT
Newspapers, playing cards, alcohol, tobacco, dog licence , car licence, tv , health insurance , all at some time had special stamps or labels for receipt.. I don't doubt that but presume you're memory is better than mine. I only remember TV Licenses having a stamp like label that was affixed and datestamped. And I only remember Dog License forms ( 7s 6d then 37½p then 37p then abolished ) and Road Tax discs ( to October 2014 ) being datestamped as a receipt of payment. |
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drblade
Member
Posts: 726
What I collect: GB Unmounted mint & Machin definitives Q.E.II Used commemoratives
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Post by drblade on May 25, 2022 17:37:36 GMT
Anyone remember the "match tax stamps" which never got issued. I believe the idea was cancelled by Parliament as it would have impacted the low paid workers many of who sold matches back in the day. I thought these stamps were quite nice items to collect.
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Post by daniel on May 25, 2022 17:56:25 GMT
Anyone remember the "match tax stamps" which never got issued. I believe the idea was cancelled by Parliament as it would have impacted the low paid workers many of who sold matches back in the day. I thought these stamps were quite nice items to collect. See my post here
Daniel |
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Post by paul1 on May 25, 2022 18:33:39 GMT
not personally - I'm far too young, and regret I've not seen any on my travels, but they look attractive. I have some of the U.K. tv license duty stamps issued in recent decades - they're colourful and appealing. The only thing of importance about the cigarette match situation - in the U.K. (and with a similar situation in the U.S.) - is the health hazard known as phossy jaw/mouth that the factory girls experienced after some years handling white phosphorus. The stuff was apparently eventually banned by law.
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