Mystery Label/Stamp/Indicium Showing Liberty?

This label was in a collection donated Yesterday to our local stamp show. The question is, What Is it?


The margins on the actual label are larger than shown in the image, so it is probably not a trimmed "stamp". A note with it says "ESSASY?". The image is about 0.75" wide and 0.91" high.

Our first thought, since it does not include a country name, was that it was from a toy post office set. Alternatively, it may cut from an envelope which had the country name printed separately from the inducium. I have searched through the old Ascher catalog without finding a match.

Hi

On old nineteenth century U. S. personal and business checks there was almost always a reserved space for the revenue stamp.

Sometimes this space was simply a plain boxed area, and other times there was a brief note that a 2 cent stamp was to be applied here, or words to that effect.

Of course, you won't see what is behind the revenue stamp until you soak it off.

It looks to me that what you have is a trimmed portion of a check, with a nicely done facsimile of a revenue stamp vignette. The design was done by the printer of the check.

Jim

Thanks, an interesting possibility.