1947 William H. Crawford Revenue Stamp

In 1940, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued a series of "revenue stamps" for use by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. These were not intended for use as postage but rather were applied by I.R.S. agents to legal and financial documents that were subject to federal taxation.

The stamps were all engraved, carmine in color, and portrayed former U.S. Secretaries of the Treasury. The 10-cent denomination shown above featured Georgian William H. Crawford, who Pres. James Madison appointed as U.S. Treasury Secretary in 1815. [For more information on Crawford, see the Sept. 15 entry of "This Day in Georgia History".] Another Georgian and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury -- Howell Cobb -- was featured on the $60 denomination in this set of stamps.

To prevent reuse, the revenue stamps were reissued each year with an overprint indicating the year. The smaller denominations (1 cent through $20) were issued annually from 1940 to 1954, with the above example part of the 1947 series.

(c) Carl Vinson Institute of Government, The University of Georgia

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