R166 With Additional Numbers

Here is an R166 with additional numbers added after printing "0014".

Does anyone have specific knowledge what these numbers were used for, and can you give me information for the background of same.

I've also seen similar added numbers to the Proprietary 1898 Series.

Stampmaster

Hi all, I recently noticed on ebay there are similar examples on wine stamps!

Stampmaster

What is the cause of the missing background of the two bottom stamps of the above arrow block of R166?

The added numbers in black and pencil notations in the selvedge are thought to have been applied in Internal Revenue offices as part of an inventorying process.

Hi, revenuermd, is there any thing in any book that addresses the "thought" by the Internal Revenue offices or officers as an inventory process. If this was an official regulation then it should be written down in some regulation. Please provide if you know where it is.

When I worked for the Federal Government, at a Federal Building, my friend worked in the Internal Revenue Office, he told me that they have regulations going way back.

If used as an inventorying process sort of makes sense to me, but do not know the specifics on how it would work???

Stampmaster

no, I do not have a regulation to cite. But inventories were needed to decide how many stamps to order from Washington and that in turn informed the annual printing requests to BEP.

Hi, guess that makes sense. So then would the number be for each pane, or do you think it would be for the sheet number, or how many stamps sold or unsold?

Stampmaster

Hi all,

I did some checking, seems like these so called inventory numbers were not used by the Internal Revenue office, in stead they must have been used by each collector in the various districts. The Internal Revenue office would issue stamps in either sheet or pane form depending on the collectors request. At the end of each reporting period, each collector had to account for stamps sold and remaining stocks on hand.

This information obtained from 30 June 1899 end of the fiscal year report to congress from the Internal Revenue office.

Revenuermd, thanks so much for your information and input, you are a great resource, hope to learn more from you about other issues!

Stampmaster

I don't know this for sure, but weren't the collectors Internal Revenue employees or agents? If so, their locations could be referred to as Internal Revenue "offices," and revenuermd's statement would be correct.

rusty, I guess you are correct.

Stampmaster