Some Favorite Match & Medicines?

Southpaw, super neat collateral item to go with your Russell & Morgan!

And mine aren't new acquisitions. It's been years since I bought any M&Ms.

If you will look at the back of the stamp you will see a red number in gorgeous script indicating the number of this essay. I see them listed for $150-$190 on ebay I paid $65.00 each a couple years ago for different shades-note: some of the shades are difficult to distinguish between. The blue shade was the only stamp printed in two issues.

$65 each is VERY reasonable, those essays have been in the $125-$175 range (depending on the color) for quite a few years now.

A new acquisition, RS273d; Dr. Sage's Catarrh Remedy, Golden Medical Discovery, World's Dispensary Medical Assocn.

If you notice this stamp has "US Certificate of Genuineness" on it. When Brandrith had this on his stamps (RS32-RS33) he was forced to remove it, and was not even allowed to put "Guaranteed Genuine" on them. However R. V. Pierce (RS189-RS190, RS272, RS273) was also a member of congress from March 4, 1879, to September 18, 1880, so somehow the government never got around to making him remove it.

Interesting tidbit. Thanks, rev.

Here is an example of the "Guaranteed Genuine" essay.



From the Butler & Carpenter letter book, what happened was that in 1863 Brandreth had the small size stamp prepared with the "Certificate of Genuineness" wording. Eleven years later, in 1874, he wanted a larger size stamp prepared and requested the "Guaranteed Genuine" wording. The Commissioner of Internal Revenue rejected the die and also refused to allow "Certificate of Genuineness" to be used on the large stamp die. Brandreth then changed to wording to "Allcock's Porous Plaster" Brandreth then requested that the small stamp be changed to match the large stamp. It isn't clear that the Treasury would have gone after Brandreth if he left the small stamp alone.

Fascinating! Thanks, rev.

RS49d - Cannon & Company, New York, Dr. Cheeseman's Female Regulating Pills:

RS240d - George Tallcot, New York, Magic Cure, The Little Red Book, Medicine:

RS28a, Barry's Tricopherous, New York

Thanks, wt1. Another interesting backstory. As a hair-challenged man, I hopefully could have avoided the temptation...

People with a serious interest in this type of backstory about m&m's need to get Patent Medicine Tax Stamps by Henry W. Holcombe. Essential, if somewhat pricey.

Thanks for the fascinating info, wt1!

RS305 - Warner's Safe Cure Co., Safe Remedies, Rochester New York, three and one eighth cents:

I wonder what this guy is harvesting.