1871 50c U.S. Internal Revenue Stamp, Blue & Black, Inverted Center

This is a remarkable stamp - the 50c US Internal Revenue "Inverted Center" stamp, from America's early revenue issues.

The black portrait of George Washington is printed upside down — an inverted center error, one of the most striking and prized errors in philately. It occurred when sheets were fed into the press the wrong way for the second pass of color printing.

• Inverts on revenue stamps are scarcer than postage stamp inverts.

• #R115a is a genuine error — it was caused by a misstep in the bi-color printing process.

The pen cancel adds authenticity. Revenue stamps were frequently canceled with ink pen signatures or dates written by clerks.

While the Inverted Jenny gets most of the attention, inverted centers on US revenue stamps are often even harder to find — and frequently more affordable by comparison, though still rare and sought after.

Revenue Stamps – Complete Your Back-of-the-Book Section Today!

Revenue stamps, also called fiscal stamps, have been issued around the world since the 17th century to verify the payment of taxes or fees on everything from alcohol and tobacco to playing cards and hunting licenses. Not used for postage, these stamps often feature detailed, engraved designs, and some even contain anti-counterfeiting devices.

Revenue stamps can generally be divided into two broad categories: documentary and proprietary.

Documentary stamps pay taxes on transactions involving paper such as the issuing of licenses, banking transactions, stock transfers, taxes on sales transactions and legal documents.

Proprietary stamps are used to pay taxes on goods. They are often applied directly to the taxed item. They can be difficult to collect because they are often affixed to the product in such a way that opening or using the product destroys (cancels) the stamp thereby preventing reuse.

These historic pieces will make a great addition to your collection- order yours today.