Reader’s question: Why are local 1930s revenue stamps never offered “used on document”?

Since first seeing a South Korean revenue stamp in 2010 (when I needed one for a visa document while already in Korea) I have been collecting information about Korean revenue stamps. What is noticeable in my database of 6000+ notes on Korean revenue stamps that some stamps are very easy to collect “used on document” […]

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Revenue stamped document: Masan middle school graduation certificate

From the collection of Joe Ross, well-known amongst revenue stamp collectors as someone with one of the largest revenue stamp collections in the world and author of several revenue stamp catalogues, comes this revenue stamped document from the city of Masan (마산), now part of Changwon (창원시). Unlike with postal documents, revenue documents are usually […]

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Revenue stamps published 30 years apart used on the same day

Recently seen on Ebay (and purchased by the well-known revenue stamp collector Joe Ross): two South Korean documents with tax stamps. In itself, both stamps and the type of document are not particularly special: both stamps were easily available at the counter in South Korea until at least 2014, and unlike many types of documents […]

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The Revenue Stamps of Seoul City (part 3 of 3)

(Part 3 of 3) Like most countries which at one time used revenue stamps, South Korea has a long history of using local revenue stamps. Until the 1970s these local revenue stamps were produced locally, each with a unique design per province or municipality. From 1976 onwards local revenue stamps were produced nationally (with standardized […]

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The Revenue Stamps of Seoul City (part 2 of 3)

(Part 2 of 3) Like most countries which at one time used revenue stamps, South Korea has a long history of using local revenue stamps. Until the 1970s these local revenue stamps were produced locally, each with a unique design per province or municipality. From 1976 onwards local revenue stamps were produced nationally (with standardized […]

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The Revenue Stamps of Seoul City (part 1 of 3)

Like most countries which at one time used revenue stamps, South Korea has a long history of using local revenue stamps. Until the 1970s these local revenue stamps were produced locally, each with a unique design per province or municipality. From 1976 onwards local revenue stamps were produced nationally (with standardized designs) by the national […]

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Examples from the National Archives of Korea (NAK) online database

After learning about the existence of the online database of the National Archives of Korea (NAK) I quickly discovered a treasure trove of documents related to Korean philately. Thousands of documents with listings of stamp values, revenue stamps issues (including local revenue stamps) and meter marks, often even shown with (simple) drawings. And that’s just the […]

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Revenue stamps used on cover (Kobay)

For philatelists interested in Korean philatelic items the best source of information is probably Kobay. Unfortunately Kobay is available in Korean only and ordering can due to the constraints effectively only be done by Korean nationals. However, seller “jsm654” recently listed several interesting covers which we would like to show to non-Korean speaking philatelists. 

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Korean revenue stamp multiples: to separate or not?

The KSS has a long tradition of answering reader questions. Members (and also non-members) have in the past asked about unknown stamps, variations, perforations, dates of publication, etc. Examples of such questions can be found on the KSS website as well. Here is a question from Al Sedita regarding Korean revenue stamps. 

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Korean Passport Stamps in U.S. Dollars in Passport

Hasegawa’s new revenue catalogue does not include those stamps issued in the U.S. in U.S. dollars. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two such stamps, denominated $10, and contained in my own passport that has now expired and has been cancelled. The stamps were used to verify payment of visa fees. One has a serial number, […]

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South Korean Revenue Stamps Issued Under U.S. Military Rule: On Document

I have found the collecting of Korean revenue stamps to be very challenging. Revenue stamps have not been much valued in South Korea, itself, and, until the publication of Stephen Hasegawa’s The Standard Catalogue of Korean Revenue Stamps in 2005, there was not a good resource for identifying Korean revenue stamps. (Hasegawa’s catalogue will be […]

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Last Series Of Korean National Revenue Stamps (2005-2017)

The last series of Korean revenue stamps to be issued for the whole of Korea was this series of 10 revenue stamps. They were printed by KOMSCO, the official government printing company which also prints Korean banknotes and postal stamps. The series was according to the official KOMSCO website put into circulation in 2005. They […]

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