The Tax Man

So it's tax day in the States today and I'm feeling a bit like a squeezed lemon. I wish the IRS could at least have a heart to send me some nice revenue stamps like these just for the occasion. 

The first cigar revenue tax stamp was issued in 1863 and continued to be issued until 1956 when the law changed to allow cigar makers to pay their taxes by making returns directly to the IRS. This lovely engraved IRS stamp above was issued in 1878 as proof of tax paid on cigars. It is designed to wrap entirely around a cigar box, and measures 1.5 x 16 inches long. I photographed it in sections in order to show the stunning detail of the engraver's artwork.
     The Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor revenue stamp below was seen on eBay last August from this dealer. I suspect the IRS saw no irony in extracting this painful tax from the pain extractor. 

Medicine tax stamp for the J.C. Ayer & Co. Undated. Found here. The old cigar revenue stamps below are from Vintage Me O My, where you can see even more of them. Wouldn't it be nice if IRS stood for Interesting Revenue Stamp rather than the Internal Revenue Service?

This revenue stamp was likely issued during the Civil War. Due to the high cost of financing the war effort, Congress passed a law to tax photographers at that time.

And DO NOT, under any circumstances remove this bedding tag from here under penalty of law or you will have to answer to the State of South Carolina who issued this bedding tax stamp.