50c Beer revenue stamp proof single

This image is a proof on card of the 1/2 barrel, 50- cent Beer Stamp of 1871. The 1871 series of Beer stamps was bicolor with engraved colored frames printed by the National Bank Note Company and engraved black vignettes printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. For this stamp, the frame is brown and the vignette features an image of William T. Sherman (1820-1891). If listed in Scott, the number would be REA25P4.

Brewers received the stamps without gum or perforations. They then cut the stamps apart, cancelled them, and pasted them over the bung of the beer barrel so that tapping the barrel destroyed the stamp.

The BEP used five vignette plates for the 50-cent stamp and designated them with letters (A-E), which appear on the left of the vignette (D for the stamp illustrated). Starting at a sheet’s upper left corner, a position number (from 1 to 20) appears on the vignette’s right side. A printed sheet had four rows of five stamps each. Plate letters A, B, C, D are known on stamps with red frames, and all five plates are known with brown frames.

After the 1/4 barrel stamp, this is the most common denomination of the series, and stamps with both frame colors are plentiful. Plate numbers for the frame plates appeared in the side margin next to stamp 10. Plate 33 is known with a brown frame and plates 5 and 10 with red frames.