California’s “Gold Rush Revenues,” Aristocrats of American Fiscal Philately, a Fiscal History
The purpose of this exhibit is to illustrate California’s stamp taxes of 1857–1872 via surviving stamped documents. Documents are arranged according to the tax schedules of 1857, 1858, 1861, 1862 and 1866.
Just five types of documents were taxed, but amazingly, at 190 different rates, paid by well over 500 face-different stamps! When the Controllers’ security handstamps are factored in, the total of collectible varieties swells to over a thousand. This is a remarkably fertile philatelic field.
1. 1857: Original Rates; Insurance tied to Exchange
1.1 Attorney at Law ($10)
1.2 Exchange I (22 rates)
1.3 Insurance I (22 rates)
1.4 Passenger (1st Class, 2nd Class, Steerage)
1.2 Exchange I (22 rates)
1.3 Insurance I (22 rates)
1.4 Passenger (1st Class, 2nd Class, Steerage)
The Iconic 1857 “Blue Californias”
Effective July 1, 1857, attorneys’ licenses, bills of exchange, insurance policies and passenger tickets were taxed, and Attorney at Law, Exchange, Insurance, and Passenger stamps were created, the first adhesive revenues in the United States, predating by five years the U.S Civil War issues of 1862. They were initially printed in blue, but only briefly; thereafter the color was changed to red. The Insurance tax was half that on exchange.
2. 1858: Bill of Lading replaces Exchange; Insurance now tied to Bill of Lading
2.1 Bill of Lading (to $100, 30¢; otherwise 0.2%)
2.2 Insurance II one year (to $100, 15¢; otherwise 0.1%)
2.3 Insurance II short-term (3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo.)
2.4 Exchange II (exempt
2.3 Insurance II short-term (3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo.)
2.4 Exchange II (exempt
1858: “Bill of Lading Interlude”
In April 1858 the Exchange tax was abruptly replaced by one on bills of lading for shipments of gold or silver, and Bill of Lading stamps were created. The basic Insurance tax was redefined to be half that on bills of lading; new pro-rated short-term rates were also introduced, and new large red Insurance stamps were created.
3. 1861-2: Exchange replaces Bill of Lading; Insurance again tied to Exchange
3.1 Exchange III (22 rates)
3.2 Insurance III (22 rates)
3.3 Insurance IV (3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo., 66 rates!)
3.2 Insurance III (22 rates)
3.3 Insurance IV (3 mo., 6 mo., 9 mo., 66 rates!)
1861: Return to Status Quo Ante
Some three years later, the Bill of Lading tax was declared unconstitutional by no less an authority than the U.S. Supreme Court, and was in turn replaced by the original slate of Exchange taxes. The Insurance tax was once again set at half that on exchange, and small red Insurance stamps were created to pay it.
Some three years later, the Bill of Lading tax was declared unconstitutional by no less an authority than the U.S. Supreme Court, and was in turn replaced by the original slate of Exchange taxes. The Insurance tax was once again set at half that on exchange, and small red Insurance stamps were created to pay it.
In April 1862 pro-rated short-term Insurance rates were re-established. This time, though, no new stamps were created for them.
4. 1866: new Exchange rates accommodate new Rectangular stamps
4.1 Exchange IV (22 rates)
1866: New Exchange Rates Accommodate New Rectangular Stamps
The Act of March 31, 1866, mandated creation of new state revenue stamps (the “Rectangulars”), which would simply state their face value. For exchange in sets of two or more, the rates were reduced to half that specified previously, and it was now stated that the reduced tax applied to each bill of a set.
To illustrate: a First and Second for $50, previously stamped with 8¢ First and 8¢ Second Exchange stamps, were now to be taxed at 4¢ each, a total of 8¢. Until the Rectangulars were delivered (circa September 1866) the old Exchange stamps continued in use just as before.
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