1898 Internal Revenue stamp?

ormandh

I have a cancelled check from a bank and it has a Washington 2 cent stamp with I. R. on it. What is it? Thanks. -Dan

dougwtx

The stamp is a type of revenue stamp and considered BOB (back of the book) material. I'm not expert in this area, but the limited info I can provide is that back around during the early 1860s, the govt needed money for the Civil War and began to tax everything including checks. There were tax stamps for all sorts of items.

There are a couple of clubs that specialize in this material, but if you would just like to get a rough idea of what it might sell for; go to the stamp section on eBay and search for "internal revenue" and most likely you will find the stamp you have.

ormandh

Thanks Doug. I will check it out. I am new to the hobby, so I will keep doing research and probably get a reference book very soon. -Dan