Illegal Postage
This is the image of the upper right corner of a cover that has passed through the U.S. mails illegally. The reason for this is the use of a revenue stamp to pay the first class postage for the letter. These stamps were supposed to be placed on legal documents as proof of payment of federal transaction fees. This cover was mailed after the Spanish-American War, during which revenue stamps returned to common use. Scott lists this stamp as number R164.
The cover itself is an ordinary business envelope, and shows
no special markings that might indicate that it
was mailed by a stamp collector, nor does it show
any evidence of being intercepted by the Post Office.
I find these types
of covers to be fascinating, and rarely miss a chance to add
new items to my collection.
Main illegal use page with more examples
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