I've been wondering about whether to bring this up on VA-Southside or not, but since you-all have gotten around to photos, I just must see what ideas you will give me about the following: I've been given some of the old family pictures which included some tintypes in cases. They are in fair condition, but were rather dirty, so I took them apart to wash the glass and found in one of the cases a blue stamp with George Washington's picture and a "3" and revenue on it! Well of course I have been on the web finding out about revenue stamps. What I am confused about is that these stamps were used to bring in revenue for the Federal Government during the War of Northern Aggression <grin> and yet this tintype was certainly MADE in west Tennessee, not at that time a part of the Federal Government! How could this be? I think the tintype is of my great grandfather who was born in 1847, and he did not fight, didn't leave TN ever as far as I know. He did have four brothers who fought and three were killed. WHY would this stamp be here? pat vincent, stuck in TN like my g-grandpa!