Bennett Pieters & Company

From the looks of the Bennett Pieters stamps it is not difficult to guess that they were used on a liquor-type medicine. The company was listed in the 1864-5 Chicago City Directory as dealing in wholesale liquors. Two years later it was marketing a "medicine," Celebrated Red Jacket Stomach Bitters.

A four-cent private die proprietary stamp was designed first, but never issued. The six-cent stamp was delivered from August of 1864 until January 30, 1866. 293,331 were issued on old paper.


In 1865 the company reduced the price of Red Jacket Stomach Bitters to $1, and needed four-cent stamps after all. These were issued from February of 1866 until July of 1872. 436,750 were printed on old paper and 7,187 were delivered on pink paper. Those not delivered were destroyed by Carpenter in 1875.

The copy shown is on old paper.


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