The first scan shows an 1870s check, printed for the Woodworth Mill account at a Nevada Agency of the Bank of California. It bears a two cent revenue imprint listed in the industry standard Scott Catalogue as RN-D1. Type D designs feature a portrait of Benjamin Franklin, facing left. Nine different varieties were printed in four colors. The D1 sub-type is the basic imprint in orange. Thirty years ago, unused samples of the Woodworth Mill check cost about $1.50. Today, you pay about $20. That's an improvement of 1233%.

The next check carries a Type B stamp, featuring an eagle inside an oval frame. Specialists recognize a total of 24 sub-types, in nine colors. The RN-B13 variety in the scan was printed in violet for the National Spring account at New York's Manhattan Company. It's an unusual mono-color example of a check and stamp that were printed together, in one pass. Over the past 30 years, unused copies have gone from $10 to $125. That's up 1150%.

Type E stamps feature a portrait of Franklin in a rectangular frame. There were seven sub-types, generally printed in orange. The Cayuga County National Bank check illustrated carries an unusual variety (RN-E7). The basic Type E design has been altered by addition of the instruction "Good Only For Bank Check". Similar restrictive clauses were occasionally applied to several of the general stamp designs, to remind users that the two cent tax was only sufficient when the instrument was used for certain purposes. Unused specimens of the Cayuga check show a 30-year gain of 2400% ($5 to $125).

Type L stamps were compact impressions, featuring a portrait of George Washington. They came in nine different colors, with no instructive clauses. The P.H. Williams specimen pictured above is an elegant two-tone check, carrying the blue RN-L1 imprint. Interestingly, all known RN-L1 stamps are on unused checks and drafts. No samples have ever been found on used documents. The Williams check is another solid 30-year gainer, having risen from $15 to $200 (+1233%).

Type F stamps feature the Franklin portrait again, this time in a rounded frame with numerals at the sides. They were only printed in orange and none of the surviving pieces carry instructive clauses. The scan shows a common RN-F1 imprint, on a check printed for the Stokem Fish Association account at New York's Chatham National Bank. Note that the Association recognized the advertising potential of its paper. Readers were presented with a declaration of capital holdings, a graphical representation of the product and a precise description of sales locations. The 30-year gain on this check has been 2233% ($1.50 to $35).

It should be noted that sensible investment in revenue stamped checks requires familiarity with the characteristics that give them value to collectors. Prices and long-term gains associated with used samples, for example, are usually lower than levels associated with unused examples. Rarity can be an important pricing factor, too, but it may not be a particularly good indicator of upside potential. The check pictured just above features a beautiful blue Type B imprint. It's actually a cancelled specimen check that a sales representative of the printer carried about to show to potential clients. Such checks are relatively rare and they are not cheap, but price gains have been variable. Thirty years ago, the sample in the scan cost about $75. Today, it'll run you about $250. That's a relatively modest improvement of 233%.

It's also important to realize that the value of a given piece derives from the desirability of both the check and the stamp. Very nice examples of unused checks with RN-F1 imprints can be had for $10 and under. The Stokem Fish Association sample discussed earlier runs rather more, because of the interesting check design. For the blue Preston, Kean & Company (Chicago) sample pictured above, on the other hand, it's the stamp that makes the difference. The check bears an extremely rare Type O imprint, featuring a female depiction of Liberty and likenesses of the obverse and reverse of an 1870s two cent coin. Just over a dozen unused Type O examples are known to exist. The check is rather a plain one and you could probably own an unused sample with a common stamp imprint for under $50. With the Type O imprint, however, a Preston Kean will cost you $1,750.

Larry Schutts has invested in high grade collectibles for over twenty years and recently opened an online Collectible Investment Store.