Improvements in or relating to Bill and other Stamps.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bill and other Stamps.
I, ARTHUR LECHEVALIER, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
he as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in stamps for documents, bills, and the
like, and consists in providing such stamps with counterfoils enabling their number
and the dates of their issue or use to be checked with accuracy.
No such means of control have hitherto been devised and the revenue stamps
all exactly alike in appearance are not distinguishable one from another.
Now the object of this invention is to establish a method of reliably checking
the order and frequency of the issue or use of bill and other stamps.
Instead of being sold separately one by one as they are at present, the stamps
are pasted or otherwise similarly secured on the front side of the leaves or sheets
of a small book, each leaf or sheet of which being perforated so as to be readily
detachable from its counterfoil on the left.
The back of each leaf or sheet being somewhat larger than the stamp is gummed
so that it may be affixed to bills, deeds and the like.
The leaves or sheets on which the stamps are thus pasted are each provided
with a number, one or more, serial figures or letters, conventional signs, symbols
or devices, and the full date imprinted by means of a perforating or other stamp ;
the identical marks being made on the counterfoils.
It will be understood that instead of purchasing loose stamps and pasting them
in the book the book itself may be presented to the stamp office and each sheet
stamped by them direct.
The method herein suggested affords a most reliable means of checking the issue
or use of stamps which is obviously valuable to all parties concerned in a transaction
necessitating the employment of a revenue or bill stamp as it enables the date of
such transaction to be ascertained beyond doubt and consequently gives additional
authenticity to the paper provided with the stamp.
The counterfoil sheets may besides be different in color or bear written or printed
distinctive marks so that one set of stamps may be specially used, say for "receipts,"
another for "payments" and so forth.
Dated this 29th day of December 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Bill and other Stamps.
I, ARTHUR LECHEVALIER, of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in stamps for documents, bills and the
like and consists in providing such stamps with counterfoils enabling their number
and the dates of their issue to be checked with accuracy.
No such means of control have hitherto been devised and the revenue stamps all
exactly alike in appearance are not distinguishable one from another.
Now the object of this invention is to establish a method of reliably checking
the order and frequency of the issue of bill and other stamps.

page_text: Instead of being sold separately one by one, as they are at present, the stamps
are pasted or otherwise similarly secured on the front side of the leaves or sheets
of a small book each leaf or sheet of which being perforated so as to be readily
detachable from its counterfoil on the left.
The back of each leaf or sheet being somewhat larger than the stamp is gummed
so that it may be affixed to bills, deeds and the like.
The leaves or sheets on which the bills are thus pasted are each provided with
a number, one or more serial figures or letters, conventional signs, symbols or
devices, and the full date imprinted by means of a perforating or other stamp; the
identical marks being made on the counterfoils.
It will be understood that instead of purchasing loose stamps and pasting them
in the book the book itself may be presented to the stamp office and each sheet
stamped by them direct.
The method herein suggested affords a most reliable means of checking the issue
of stamps which is obviously valuable to all parties concerned in a transaction
necessitating the employment of a revenue or bill stamp as it enables the date of
such transaction to be ascertained beyond doubt and consequently gives additional
authenticity to the paper provided with the stamp.
The counterfoil sheets may besides be different in colour or bear written or
printed distinctive marks, so that one set of stamps may be specially used say for
receipts," another for " payments" and so forth."
66
On the back of the counterfoil may be recorded the particulars of the transaction
or other data connected therewith.
The accompanying drawings illustrate two forms of my improved counterfoil
stamp.
In Figure 1 the receipt-stamp is affixed to the removable portion of the leaf,
the whole of which is gummed at the back.
In the other form, Figure 2, a space is provided for the government offices to
stamp it with an embossed stamp.
In both cases the name of the person to whom the receipt is given, the year and
date of payment and the amount paid are entered on the counterfoil.
It will be seen that there may be several horizontal lines on one counterfoil for
a number of entries to be made at the same time where one stamp is to certify
more than one payment made on the same day.
PRECAUTIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF FRAUD.
To avoid fraud special (oil) paper should be employed which will bear no erasing,
with a border different in shade and a name or water-mark as will be more fully
explained further on.
To enable forgery to be detected there may be provided special secret combina-
tions of letters or other devices such as intentional defects in the shapes of the
letters or figures or any signs or marks indicating the time or date of manufacture
or issue.
The counterfoil stamp books may be sewn or bound up with a thread which may
be fastened in a convenient position by means of a seal or wafer of any suitable
shape, size or material, which latter may also bear dates, letters, figures or other
distinctive devices or a combination of such letters figures or devices all imprinted
by the publisher previous to issue.
A special space may be provided for a stamp or seal to be affixed by the user.
MODES OF CONNECTION OF THE IMPROVED COUNTERFOIL STAMPS WITH
REVENUE OR GOVERNMENT STAMPS.
Instead of being integral with the counterfoils i.e. being themselves detachable
stamps, loose government or revenue stamps may be affixed side by side with the
improved counterfoil stamps, which then serve merely for checking purposes.

page_text: To avoid loss or theft the loose revenue stamp may be pasted on, either so as
to slightly overlap the counterfoil stamp or in the centre of the same which in this
latter case will form a border round the revenue stamp; or the position may be
reversed.
STAMPS FOR IDENTIFICATION.
The improved counterfoil stamps may as a means of identification or check only,
be affixed side by side with and in addition to, revenue stamps already existing on
bills or documents or placed thereon independently so as exactly to ascertain the
date of payment, for example which in many cases does not precisely coincide with
the date of receipts or bills.
In the case of bills or the like for small amounts requiring no revenue stamps
the counterfoil stamp will still prove valuable as a check.
Where the counterfoil stamp bears the name of the user and a date it may by
being applied to a document, be of service as a record of any transaction or
arrangement other than receiving or paying money; thus it may serve to warrant
the genuineness of special articles of manufacture, distinguishable by trade marks
or other similar devices of which the stamp may bear a representation.
It will be seen from the description given below that the improved counterfoil
stamps are so devised that a bill or invoice cannot be receipted without the
knowledge of the creditor or without there remaining in the hands of the latter a
tangible proof or record of the payment made.
Either on the detachable part (revenue or identification stamp) or upon the
counterfoil, or on both, spaces or borders of a convenient size may be provided
for receiving perforated or printed marks of identification previous to the use of
the stamps.
The first or main border may bear the name, style or office of the person, firm
or official delivering the receipt (for example); or some such distinctive word as
"Omnibus or the like, and second and third borders may be variously numbered.
This combination of borders, when properly filled in before the use of the stamps
will prevent intending defrauders from using other similar stamps not so filled in.
In the case of such common surnames as may lead to confusion the names may
be coupled with other distinctive words, indicating or suggesting the address or
calling of the user, or with letters, figures or other devices. The respective
positions of the said borders or spaces should of course be clearly defined and
never vary, and they should be so filled up as to render impossible any undetected
addition or erasure.
The object of the numbers to be inserted into the second and third borders or
spaces is to check the issue and use of the counterfoil stamps.
These borders should be numbered (from 1 onward) by the firm of publishers
who issue the stamp books and who are thereby enabled to keep an account of all
the stamps they supply so that the consumer cannot under any circumstances deny
having obtained a given number of stamps.
Specially prepared stamps for bearing a name or signature will only be delivered
to the person named or to his or her duly authorized representative or sent by
registered letter. A special checking stamp (which may form the cover of the
counterfoil-book) may have the exact date of delivery or issue stamped upon it;
and a second leaf belonging to the same counterfoil may be provided for the
purchaser of the stamp-book to sign and return to the publishing firm.
This checking stamp or cover which may be of any suitable size or shape may
bear if necessary one or more photographs of the persons to whom the stamp is
issued or of confidential servants or clerks of such persons: in which case the
issuing firm alone will be authorized to mount such photographs on the leaves
provided for the purpose in such a way as to prevent outsiders from substituting
other photographs for those originally affixed.
A stamped sheet or cover may be placed over the photographs so as only to leave
open the centre, and may be capable of being folded back upon the lower cover

page_text: of the book or otherwise folded out of the way when required. The photographs
thus mounted may be provided with a relief or perforated stamp by the publishing
firm, as evidence of the photographs having been affixed by that firm themselves.
Instead of photographs the same identification leaf may bear other devices for
the same purpose.
To prevent any payment being made to unauthorized persons a note may be
inserted in the bill or invoice stating that no receipt will be valid unless a counter-
foil stamp of a given type is affixed.
One or more additional borders or spaces may be provided on each stamp to
meet cases where more than one member of the firm or of its staff are authorized
to give receipts, such supplemental borders being then filled up according to
requirements with a number, a name, a photograph of the authorized representative
or any other device of identification; or they may simply contain such words as
"the bearer" and a date and signature or the amount to be collected may be named
therein.
The photographs instead of being applied to ready-made stamp-books may be
reproduced directly on the ground of the stamp. Where independent photographs
are mounted upon a sheet provided for their reception, the connection between the
two may be indelibly signified by a perforated or relief stamp.
The extra borders or spaces just mentioned are to enable the user of stamps to
keep for himself, and secretly a check of the stamps used, similar to that above
described with reference to the publishing or stamp issuing firm so as to provide
against the loss or wilful misplacement of stamps. Thus in the event of the sudden
disappearance of the collecting clerk a firm will be in a position to warn their
clients and exactly describe the stamps lost so as to prevent their being subsequently
used as valid receipts. Again the various letters, figures or marks inserted in the
said extra spaces or borders may serve to distinguish from each other the different
classes or sets of counterfoil stamps that may be employed by the same firm.
The book covers or bindings in such cases may be so arranged that when all the
stamps of a book are used up their remaining counterfoils may also be bodily
removed and placed on a file or put away for future reference when required; and
a fresh set or book of counterfoil stamps fixed in the same cover.
COUNTERFOILS SIGNED BY THE PAYER.
It frequently happens that the amount to be paid or received is not known
beforehand but discussed and settled by mutual agreement at the moment when a
given transaction is completed. Where this is done by any person other than the
head of the firm, provision should be made for a written statement of the amount
and the signature of the payer so that there may be evidence of the amount actually
collected. The genuineness of such signature may again be certified by an
accompanying stamp of the paying firm.
Where the receipt of an amount is to be acknowledged by correspondence the
signature of the payer may be replaced by a special counterfoil stamp to be sent
to the payee by way of check.
All these counterfoil stamps being as before stated bearing a name and only one
publishing firm being authorized to issue them on condition that they keep an exact
record of all the stamps issued to whomsoever it may be, it will be an utter
impossibility for either the payer or the payee or for their respective representatives
subsequently to conceal or deny the fact of having paid or received certain amounts
on a certain date and under given circumstances.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A check or receipt counterfoil stamp with provision for the signature of the
payer or the payee as the case may be bearing the name of the person or firm, to

page_text: whom it is issued for use or any other characteristic word such as "Omnibus
permitting identification in combination with other words, letters, figures, or other
devices substantially as described.
2. A counterfoil stamp having no provision for signatures but provided with the
whole or part of the devices or means of identification hereinabove described.
3. The substitution for or combination with written signs of identification of
stamps, perforations, designs, photographs or other similar devices substantially as
specified.
Dated this 29th day of September 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.