Introduction

This site is under construction. It currently has about 2,000 stamp images – more are being added. Pages are in various stages of completion, from just started to almost finished. Fingers crossed for the end of the year (2026).

About this Website

This website describes The Revenue Stamps of Great Britain. The site grew from a project to document revenue stamps issued in rolls which involved research into Post Office records, the National Archives, Royal Mint records, and Acts of Parliament. When done, there was considerably more information than needed just for stamps issued in rolls. The objective of this site is to make that information available, not to document all GB Revenues, but just the ones where we can add value, perhaps spilling over into other issues that have caught our interest.

Additional information is included from a variety of sources, see the bibliography. Two references need special acknowledgment: the Chinchen Papers which Barry Chinchen kindly sent a copy, and Mike Bending’s revenue stamp archive at ibredguy.co.uk.

As with other sites in the same series, emphasis has been placed on providing good quality colour images, and as many as possible. The goal is to show all stamps from specific issues.

About the Images

The images on this website are from scans, a handful from my own collection, but most have been supplied by other collectors and dealers, and some are taken from auction archives with permission from the auction houses. Of particular note are the National Insurance stamps, from which Barry Chinchen painstakingly removed all Specimen overprints, and the De Magistris collection sold by Spink in 2015 (the Chancery Court and Foreign Bill pages were re-sold by SG in 2023). All are copyright, see the notice below. Most images have been improved with Photoshop. They have been straightened, cropped, etc, and minor damage has been repaired. In some cases, where the source material is not available or of poor quality, images have been created, especially the later Key Type issues. Such images are identified by the phrase “computer generated image” or “CGI”.

Thanks to the following for allowing use of their images:
Andrew G Lajer
Mike Bending
Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions
Spink & Son
Stanley Gibbons

and to The National Archives and The Royal Mint. None of the images on this site are from these institutions but their documents and records were of great help.

Key Types

In 1872, to simplify production of the large numbers of revenue stamps required, De La Rue made a set of standard stamps that could be overprinted with the revenue type. Pence were the standard stamp size, shillings were taller, and pounds were twice the pence size (sideways). The values were not very legible, particularly the pence values (below are 1d, 2d, 3d, 4d, 6d, 8d), leading to coloured overprints and surcharges.

The final £1 plate, although not registered, was completed on 20 Aug 1900. Six worn out plates (1d, 2d, 3d, 6d, 1/-, 5/-) were destroyed on 19 Jan 1888 after being replaced by new plates between 1886 and 1887; all remaining plates were destroyed between Sept and Dec 1902.

New designs for King Edward VII were issued in 1902. They were significantly more legible. Additional values were added during the reign for 9d, 6/-, 8/-, and £50. The same designs were also used for later reigns with the monarch’s head updated. A 7/6 value was added under KGV, and 14/- and £1.2.6 under QEII.

Key Type Watermarks

Copyright Notice

This website and contents are copyright © 2026, all rights reserved. Any use, redistribution, or reproduction for other than personal non-commercial reasons is prohibited. In addition, images from auction archives are protected by the copyright of the auction houses.