This One Hits Close To Home

I was pleasantly surprised to find this Private Die Prop. stamp in a lot I bought the other day. I did not even notice it, after closer inspection it was wait, Bangor Maine, I have been there before. I have lived in Bangor for 30+ years. I did not even know this stamp existed, sure enough its right in Scotts Specialized. Its kind of neat to think about the history that is right around you. I have never heard of Johnson's before, its probably long gone but the spot it occupied is probably a place I have been numerous times.

The answer's 30 seconds away:

Google the phrase, "I. S. Johnson," and require the words Bangor and Maine. You'll find a book, and other references.

Here's an ad one of I.S. Johnson & Co.'s so-called quackery cures from 1870:



He was originally located in Bangor, Maine, later moving to Boston, Mass., according to several websites.

Cool to find something local, and that it's an old quack medicine company is even cooler. (In my mind, anyway!)

Pretty common medicine stamp, you should be able to find a nice one inexpensively.

I like these stamps, this won't be the last one I will get. I was looking at the catalog for these, so many different styles.

The I.S. Johnson Company Scott RS 150
by Eric Beal
There is more than just putting a stamp in an album, it is interesting to find out what the stamp
were for or who or what is commemorates. Take the revenues tax stamps; they paid the taxes on docu-
ments, matches, medicines and other things to fund the Civil War at first but continued long after. One
medicine tax stamp was from the I.S. Johnson Company from Bangor Maine. The I.S. Johnson stamp
was printed and used from 1872
-
1883 but before that they used the first issued federal tax stamps.
The company was stated by Dr. Abner Johnson of Waterford, Maine. In 1810 he made what he
called Johnson’s American Anodyne Liniment which was found out to contain morphine acetate, extract
of hyoscyamus, alcohol plus other unidentified ingredients. Dr. Abner Johnson passed away in 1847 but
his son Isaac Samuel Johnson took over the business and moved it to Main Street Bangor Maine and
named it I.S. Johnson Company. In 1881 Samuel moved to Boston but the firm continued into the early
20th century.

from a philatelic newsletter published in 2010

http://www.maxlynds.com/POSTAL/MPS%...r%202010.pdf

There is a lot more known about Johnson and written up in Patent Medicine Tax Stamps which is a history of the various medicine firms by Henry Holcombe. It it one of the most important works on the subject.