Petroleum-related revenue stamps:

Revenue stamps are officially produced stamps that are not valid for postal
use but that serve a variety of revenue-collection (taxation) purposes. These
purposes can include taxes on receipts, passports, or other documents; excise
taxes on crude oil, gasoline, kerosene or other substances; taxes levied
to raise money for disaster relief; and many other types of governmental
needs. An illustrated checklist of petroleum-related revenue stamps is available
at this site, but a few illustrations are also provided here. Such stamps can
be collected off-paper, on documents, or in the form of proofs or essays.

An example of the use of the intact stamp and "talon" portions of a number of
Mexico's 1940 revenue stamps (most overprinted "Recibos") on the back of a
sales receipt — all depict an oil derrick and gusher. The stamp at the top of the page
is a high-denomination Mexican tax stamp on petroleum production.

An Ontario (Canada) law stamp
overprinted and revalued for use
as a gasoline tax stamp in 1928.




Revenue stamps can be quite large (this one is about
100x50mm in real life) and is a kerosene (coal oil) tax
stamp from Missouri (U.S.A.). Similar oil tax stamps
from North Carolina reach a size of 222x98mm.

In some cases, a revenue stamp (white background) can have a
design nearly identical to a postage stamp (orange background),
although it lacks the "postage" inscription.
These Iraqi examples are from 1972.


© Peter A. Scholle, 2000

---

Petroleum Revenue Stamp Checklist —— Scholle personal —— Scholle home page —— NM Bureau staff page —— NM Bureau main page