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Insurance Receipts

A receipt is an acknowledgment of monies received. Receipts can be in manuscript format (handwritten) or in printed format. The printed receipt first appeared due to the levying of taxes with later adoption by charities, universities and other commercial enterprises. Soon security devices were added to the receipts to counteract counterfeiting. Rickards states that the earliest British receipts are those for lighthouse dues papers in use in the 17th century and later port dues in use in the 18th century. The 19th century started a proliferation of receipts in all manner of life. Some of the most coveted American receipts includes those involved in whaling and slavery. It is also among the most commonly encountered ephemera. One thing to note about receipts is the utilitarian form. Receipts are not highly decorated, nor do they tend to carry stylized printing. The receipt was a means of putting in writing what one received.

One area of receipt collecting to consider is that of insurance premium receipts. One can find some very early examples and some may be decorative (although the companies tended to save their creativeness for the actual insurance policies).

Also, check out the website for the Museum of History for more examples of receipts and other insurance ephemera.


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