TJ Husband Facsimile Label Specimen 1883

Calcined magnesia was first produced in England. It had the benefits of being more pleasant to take and being easier on the stomach than the raw product, but was rather high-priced. In 1844 Thomas J. Husband of Philadelphia produced Husband’s Genuine Calcined Magnesia, an effective imitation of the English product.

The importance of the stamps in the process of brand identification was especially apparent after the repeal of the tax in March, 1883. Reluctant to give up the private stamps, several manufacturers altered the dies to eliminate the required phrase Internal Revenue or the amount of the tax” so that the manufacturers would continue to seal their nostrums with the well known stamps or labels” (Griffenhagen 1969, pp. 70- 77). Many of the manufacturers put a promissory note on their labels to discourage counterfeiting;  counterfeiters could be prosecuted for forging the promissory note (Trettin 1981; Griffenhagen 1969, p. 70). At least 26 companies issued facsimiles, including Weeks and Potter, whose Cuticura Soaps produced five different stamps (Springer 1974; Holcombe 1979, pp. 549 – 554).