Edward Heaton invented and patented a ceral food in 1860. On June 5, 1877 it was given the trademarked name of Imperial Granum. Though it claimed to be "nourishing and strengthening as an ailment in fevers, pulmonary complaints, dyspepsia, prostrations of the system, or general debility" and to have "rare medicinal excellence in all Intestinal Diseases, especially in dysentery, chronic diarrhoea and cholera infantum," the company calimed that it was not subject to taxation as a medicine. In 1881 the Commissioner of Internal Revenue ruled that it must be stamped.

Stamps were first issued in black, on August 30, 1881. The color was judged to be too suggestive of mourning, so the second printing, issued December 16, 1882, was made in brown. There were no other printings. In total, 391,000 were issued on watermarked paper.

A descendant of the Carle family who distributed Imperial Granum recalled that the Commissioner of Internal Revenue reversed his decision sometime after the second delivery of stamps.

Heaton later used a modified version of the proprietary stamps in a seal.