The match company owned by Benoni and Henry D. Howard began operation around 1852 and ended it abruptly in 1869 when Benoni was indicted for counterfeiting his blue stamp. The genuine stamps were issued in red from October of 1864 until November of that year, when the blue stamps were first printed. They were last issued in October of 1869. 2,096,630 of the red stamps and 37,511,940 of the blue ones were issued on old paper. Very few examples of the couterfeits are known.

The New York Match Company acquired the company in 1869, and had the stamp revised to note the change in name and printed in vermilion. The revised stamps were printed from October of 1869 until June of 1872. 9,531,750 were issued on old paper and 123,500 on silk paper. The example above is printed on old paper.