Is There Renewed Interest In Revenue Stamps?

I was speaking with an on-line stamp shop and he tells me lately he has been selling one Scott's revenue album per week, which is much in contrast to the past. Have y'all noticed an uptick? Perhaps, as with other homebound hobbies, it is due to COVID. I know in the past revenues were almost giveaways, but things changed awhile ago on that front.

just back into it-- and I am collecting BOB now

Revenues have not been "almost giveaways" for about 40 years by anyone who knows anything at all about them.

I never set 40 years as the time frame. The question is why and when did things change please, and have things changed even more in the past few years? I am paraphrasing my statement from the preface of the book by Friedberg.

I feel seen. I bought a Scott revenue album 2 days ago.

Oh no! More competition!!!!!

I'm a comparative latecomer to collecting U.S. revenues, only collecting them since about 2002. I missed the era when you could buy revenues by the pound or metric ton because nobody wanted them. There has been considerable increase in both interest and catalog values in U.S. revenues over the last 20 years, especially online.

While interest and membership in formal revenue organizations/clubs/collector groups has been on the wane, overall the interest from collectors is on the increase. As an ebay seller, there is plenty of interest, and as both an ebay buyer and at traditional auction, the competition has been quite fierce, even before the COVID price boosts.

As to what to attribute this to, who knows?

1. Collectors filling up their front-of-book collections as far as they can (whether by choice or finances), naturally then migrate to back of book sections.

2. Increased discretionary income in certain countries fosters hobbies and interests, hence more people in "developing" countries being interested in revenue stamps, not only in their own stamps, but in U.S. and other coutnries' material as well.

3. The Internet has exposed people to just how freaking cool revenue stamps and documents are, both aesthetically and technically (rates, usages, etc.)

I've been into revenues for 40 plus years and I've seen dealers move from bulk sales to a much more informed approach. I plate the first 3 issues and consume vast quantities for study and lately it's been an uphill battle. Scarce items are recognized for what they are and prices reflect that. Inasmuch as my specialty is plate varieties, I am pleased to see auctions where the variety is not mentioned go off the rails. This indicates to me that collectors are realizing the true scope of revenues in general and revenue varieties in particular. Gone are the days when I could pick up a scarce plate variety on ebay as the only ,bidder for pennies on the dollar. Collectors like revenuecollector and Ralph Trimble making identification of revenue plate varieties available online have been a real boon to the hobby.

It seems to me that revenues mostly relate to things that non-stamp collectors might be researching on the internet.

For example, beer, wines, and hunting permits are things that non-stamp
collectors would be likely be browsing on the internet.

With algorithms picking up disparate sites that contain these "subjects" the revenue stamps might be included with any words related to the subject of the searches.

Given the nostalgia and value associated with stamps, they would capture non-stamp collectors' attention.

The same might be said for topics on postage stamps.

For sure there was a significant increase in attention to non Scott listed revenues because of ebay over the years. A much increased awareness of their existence, and the fact that many are very attractive brought that about.

Perhaps SCF member and long time revenue dealer Eric Jackson will chime in.

However, some revenue collector interest was sparked when some government stock of obsolete revenues were decided to be sold off in 2005. See NY Times article for non-philatelic specialist article: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/12/...xpayers.html

The interest was long before that. Eric and Richard Friedberg were also a part of it, of course.

Yes the interest was there as early as the 1850s and 1860s but the tea really hit the fan with the revenue stamps in Boston in 1773, 249 years ago next Friday. Some of those taxing documents with stamps have been shown at major shows; of course those were not stamps the US government issued.

Parcelpostguy - What revenue stamps were in use in 1763 by England? The Stamp Act of 1765 was eliminated in 1766.

I assume you are referring to the Boston Tea Party in 1763. If there were import duties on tea in 1763, I have never seen such a document, nor have I seen any literature referring or illustrating such. Please show us such a document.

The 1850's? The first revenue stamps in the 1850's were the California "gold rush" revenues. The first adhesive federal revenue stamps as we think of them come beginning October 1, 1862, the Civil War adhesive revenues.

Yes, there were embossed revenues in 1794, RM400 in the Scott Specialized, the first US revenue with a monetary denomination. Then the 1798 documentary revenues. All ended by Jefferson. They came back in 1814 to pay for the Second War for Independence. Import duties were paid with documents and if the duty was on tea, distilled spirits, or wine, there is an embossed seal to authenticate the documents.

However, I know of no such tax or import documents between the Stamp Act and 1789 when the Constitution was adopted.

This is what I found
https://www.si.edu/object/stamp-sta...since%201694.

Ybt - I tried your link and get a 404 error message!