Changes made to Scott listings for U.S. customs fee stamps

From the Scott Editors by Jay Bigalke

A new, unlisted variety and new information discovered on a listed variety resulted in changes to the listings for United States customs fee stamps in the 2024 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers published in October 2023.

A thank-you goes out to collector Gregg Greenwald of Wisconsin for the research that resulted in the updates.

For background, an article in the March 1976 issue of the American Revenuer titled “The Customs Fee Stamps” listed the fiscal years of deliveries for the customs fee stamps.

The focus here is on deliveries of the 20¢ stamp made in the fiscal years 1903, 1914 and 1916.

A short study by Greenwald of 20¢ stamps with cancels on or after the dates of deliveries has found stamps with the following characteristics:

For 1903, the stamps are dull red in color, rouletted 7 on unwatermarked paper (was unlisted).

For 1914, stamps are red in color, rouletted 7 on double line watermarked “USIR” paper (was listed as Scott RL1c).

For 1916, stamps are red in color, perforated 10 on unwatermarked paper (was listed as Scott RL1a).

The new listings will include the following changes:

The current Scott RL1c was changed to RL9 with the heading: “1914, Engr., Wmk. 191R, Rouletted 7” with a value in italics of $500.

The new variety is Scott RL1c “20c dull red, rouletted 7 (1903)” with a dashed value.

The image nearby shows the new Scott RL1c at left and the RL9 at right.

To purchase the 2024 Scott catalogs, both print or digital editions, call Amos Media at 800-572-6885 or visit Amos Advantage online.

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