1933, -1/4bbl. Green on Blue, Wine or Fermented Fruit Juice (REF10). Unused (no gum), large margins, rich color, light vertical crease at left, small translucency at bottom

VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 1933 QUARTER-BARREL BEER STAMP WITH THE "WINE OR FERMENTED FRUIT JUICE" OVERPRINT. ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING OF ALL REVENUE STAMP RARITIES.

In April 1933, Congress changed the legal definition of intoxicating beverages from .5% alcohol to 3.2%. This allowed the legal sale, before the end of Prohibition, of wine and beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol. Regular wine stamps were still available to pay the Internal Revenue taxes, but new stamps with "Wine or Fermented Fruit Juice" as part of the engraving (REF1-REF9) were put into use in May 1933 for placement on individual bottles. The stamps were taken out of use when Prohibition was repealed starting December 5, 1933.

Examples of the quarter-barrel, half-barrel and one-barrel Beer stamps were also overprinted "WINE OR FERMENTED FRUIT JUICE" at a certain point before the end of June 1933. No examples are known of the half-barrel or one-barrel stamps, and this is the only recorded example of the quarter-barrel.

Ex Joyce and Lesher.

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