I Found This Revenue Stamp In A Recent Tobacco Advert Cover.

No, I didn't mean nowadays but rather was referring to the time period when that was speculated. That's probably how they deduced it because everybody smoked and bought cigarettes daily and not as much postage so that rationale would seemingly have made sense. I agree that there was billions of a lot of different Washington's and Franklins and all the others mentioned.

Yes, your correct I had also asked about this over there too I believe and also put some of the pertinent details about the stamp because no one could find it in their reference material.

I've always been curious about the numbers used in the Scott Specialized Catalog that shows quantities issued.

Assuming this information came from reliable sources (such as the Postal Bulletin) it seems to me the numbers do not account for unsold stamps that were eventually returned to the USPS for destruction after an acceptable time of active stamp sales had passed.

On the other hand, haven't there been occasions when extremely popular stamps have been reprinted in which case the "quantities printed" numbers have changed?

It is my contention that no one (except USPS officials who don't usually release the information to the general public) really knows exactly how many of any given stamp are really put into circulation.

Even those numbers are suspect, due to the trainloads of (mint) discount postage still shuttling around this country, and, abroad. There seems to be a never-ending supply, available at 70% to 80% of face value.

I don't know if anyone actually knows how many definitives (if any) were destroyed, especially since they were often valid for several years, and many of the Washington image stamps were definitives. It should also be remembered that people were writing FAR more letters from 1847-1980 and especially anytime before WWll so many more stamps were needed by % of the population at the time.
Also it should be remembered that most of the Washington-Franklin's were issued in fairly large to very large quantities, even many of the really scarce ones. It's just that collectors were not aware of the existence of most of the varieties until years later so no one saved them. With over 200 different postage stamps, over 200 different revenue stamps, perhaps 75-100 or more different envelopes and postal cards, plus assorted postmaster's provisionals, officials, locals, Confederates, etc........

I may have mentioned this but I found a few more of these hiding in the recesses of my little collection. Thought I'd scan. I think one of the revenue guru's here gave them to me or they came in a collection I may have purchased at one time? I'm unsure but here they are.