RS62b Charles N. Crittenton Proprietary Revenue Medicine Stamp, New York

Charles N. Crittenton was an accountant in 1857, who in association with his brother, William M. Crittenton, entered the patent medicine business in 1860. At first Crittenton did no manufacturing, but acted as wholesaler and agent for a number of proprietaries. About 1876 Charles Crittenton (his brother having dropped out of the firm) entered into an agreement with John F. Henry (see monograph on John F. Henry) to be manufacturer of a number of patent medicines. These products included Pike’s Toothache Drops, Hale’s Honey of Horehound and Tar, Hill’s Instantaneous Hair and Whisker Dye, Japanese Corn File, Glenn’s Sulphur Soap, Dean’s Rheumatic Pills, German Corn Remover, and Dr. Eli Osborn’s Golden Liniment. Charles N. Crittenton Company was incorporated in 1892, and their catalogue for 1904-1905 indicates that while they were still producing their own proprietary articles, they were largely specializing as wholesalers handling all patent medicines.
(Holcombe, Henry W., Weekly Philatelic Gossip, 33: 375 – 37 6 , December 13, 1941; see also Catalogue of the Charles N. Crittenton Company, 1904- 1905 , New York) (Holcombe,  Henry W., Weekly Philatelic Gossip, 27: 313-314 Dec 3, 1938)