INDIAN RESERVATION STAMP CATALOG

INDIAN RESERVATION STAMP CATALOG

Introduction
The first stamps required to hunt and fish on an Indian Reservation were issued in 1959. Very few collectors knew of their existence nor the stamps that were subsequently issued by a handful of Indian Reservations until the early 1990’s when it was discovered that the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation had issued pictorial stamps.
There have been collectors of fish and game stamps since the first Federal duck stamp was issued in 1934. The Federal duck stamps were relatively easy to obtain as they were available at most major post offices and eventually through the US postal service. In 1937, Kansas issued a quail hunting stamp and became the first state to issue what is now considered a fish and game stamp. Other state and local governments began their own programs and collecting interest in these type of stamps started to grow.
In 1971, California became the first state to issue what is now considered a pictorial duck stamp. Within a few years, with the promotion of duck stamp prints by the publishers, interest in the pictorial duck stamp market soared. Where once a small handful of dealers and in-the-know collectors supplied collectors of fish and game stamps with a nice variety of product, there were dozens of people advertising to buy/sell state duck stamps in the philatelic press and even more at stamp shows. It was unusual to find a vest pocket dealer at a stamp show not dabbling in pictorial state duck stamps.
A large percentage of these new collectors enjoyed collecting and accumulating these pictorial stamps. Much of the fun was writing to each state to get the new issues or subscribing to a new issue service as to not miss any of the current issues. Although a large percentage of the new collectors were not interested in the stamps that “were not pretty,” there were those who realized that these pictorial stamps were just a continuation of the non-pictorial stamps that had been issued for decades before they started to collect. Unlike most pictorial fish and game stamps issued after 1971, quantities of the non-pictorial stamps do not exist. Consequently, each time a new collector entered the non-pictorial marketplace dealer stocks of these types of stamps were spread even thinner. In 1991, David R. Torre discovered that pictorial Indian Reservation stamps had been issued by Crow Creek Sioux Reservation starting in 1989 and all the advanced collectors and even some of the new collectors got excited. These were not just waterfowl stamps, but deer, varmint, upland game and sportsman stamps.
Very little information about fish and game stamps was ever in print. Information about Indian Reservation stamps was almost non-existent. When E.L. Vanderford’s Handbook of Fish and Game Stamps was published by the State Revenue Society in 1973 it had pictures and/or descriptions of every fish and game stamp known at the time. Even though some of the information contained in this handbook has been proven to be incomplete or in error, at the time it was really a revolutionary guide as to what existed. Even today, advanced collectors refer to the handbook quite often when doing research. In addition to a plethora of information, the handbook is the first printed reference to Indian Reservation Stamps. Crow Creek stamps are listed on page 106, Lower Brule stamps on page 107, Rosebud stamps on page 108 and Pine Ridge stamps on page SD9.
The first time any Indian Reservation stamps were mentioned in a sales catalog was by Barry L. Porter. Porter was an early dealer in state revenues including fish and game stamps and issued a bimonthly catalog. In issue 31 (May/June 1985), page 13, he lists that Lower Brule stamps issued between 1962 and 1969 are wanted. In Issue 34 (Nov/Dec 1985) listings with prices debuted for Pine Ridge stamps issued from 1972-1979 as well as the 1973 Leech Lake stamp. Based on how Porter priced his stamps for his customers (from 1.00 to 2.50 each), he didn’t figure them to be any different than general fish and game stamps. The first mention of the Lower Brule overprinted stamps came in Issue 35 (Jan/Feb 1986).
Another dealer in fish and games stamps was David H. Curtis. Like Porter, Curtis issued pricelists bimonthly. The first mention of any Indian Reservation stamp for sale was in his list #35 (April 1987) when he offered a 1973 Lower Brule stamp for sale. Issue #50 (Jan/Feb 1990) still showed only the same Lower Brule stamp listing as the only Indian Reservation stamp he inventoried. Curtis did own one of the early Crow Creek stamps and sold it, but I could find no reference to it in print. On August 2, 1992 about a year after the Crow Creek stamps became available through dealers, Curtis distributed an offering for the new Pine Ridge Oglala Sioux stamp. Unfortunately, he had a lot of misinformation on previous issued Pine Ridge stamps. He reported that stamps were issued in the 1960’s that were actually issued in 1988. This led to confusion by customers who relied on the accuracy of information provided by their dealers.
Michael Jaffe’s 1992 edition (issued 3/1/92) of Ducks, Ducks and more Ducks pricelist was the first to picture every pictorial state duck stamp. Page 48 depicts the six different waterfowl stamps issued in 1989 and 1990 by the Crow Creek Sioux. Subsequent pricelists had expanded listings for Indian Reservation Stamps.
Sam Houston Philatelics began offering some Indian Reservation Stamps to their customers in 1993 and some began showing up in their auctions shortly thereafter. The best selection of early Indian Reservation stamps ever offered in a public auction was in the 9/6/97 Sam Houston sale featuring the material of E. L. Vanderford.
Collectors have been wanting a reference that showed all of the different Indian Reservation stamps probably since the pictorial Crow Creek stamps made their debut. Prior to this catalog being issued, the only place collectors and interested parties could find information was from dealer pricelists and dealer websites. Each of these formats has its own inherent problems. Pricelists generally contain only what that dealer had for sale and websites have similar problems. Although the aforementioned can be helpful, it is difficult for a consumer to do research on s possible purchase when only depending on an incomplete source.
This catalog has been over a decade in the making. Each time that I though it was ready for publication, new or additional information would be forthcoming. I finally made a decision that as of a certain date, it would be published. Any new or additional information will have to be included in future editions.
What Has Been Included
The idea of the Indian Reservation catalog was to list and picture every known hunting and fishing stamp issued by an Indian Reservation. Although this sounds straight forward, it is not so easy. When E.L. Vanderford put his Handbook together, he used the following criteria: (1) The stamps must be issued by a governmental entity, i.e. state, county, etc. All of the Indian Reservation stamps required for hunting and fishing on the Reservation’s were issued by the Tribes or Reservations themselves. Some were printed by State offices, others by outside contractors and still others on printers located within the fish and game offices of the Reservation. (2) Purchase of the stamp must be required to hunt or fish. Although this seems like a straightforward definition, I don’t think that Vanderford foresaw Tribal entities issuing stamps for tribal members that did not have to pay for the stamps but were required to have them attached to their licenses nevertheless. This one sentence has sparked countless hours of debate of what should or should not be included in a catalog. I finally had to make a decision and used the following criteria: If a stamp was issued for members, residents and non-residents, it would be included whether or not a fee was charged to members. Sometimes seniors or disabled would be given a complimentary license. This is similar to many of the States that give complimentary fishing licenses to seniors, vets, or disabled. The complimentary licenses are just one class as everyone else does pay for their license. Residents and Non-Residents often pay different amounts for their licenses and stamps. There are many Tribes and Treaty areas that require their members to have validation stickers attached to their Tribal ID in order to fish on the Reservation. Members do not pay for these validation stickers and they are not attached to any type of hunting or fishing license. If a non-tribal member wants to fish on the tribal lake and is permitted, they may have to purchase a license or pay a fee, but do not receive this validation sticker. So, by definition these stickers should not be included. However, I have made a decision to include them in a section labeled Validation Permits. There may be other Tribes or Reservations that issue these validation stickers that do not disseminate current or older stickers. Validation stickers that are required for watercraft (many of which are used for fishing) have not been included in this catalog. Reservations that require you to purchase a licenses to hunt or fish on tribal land, but do not issue any type of stamp are not included.
If a Reservation is believed to have issued more stamps than are pictured, a note explaining that not enough information has been gathered to include complete listings at this time.
How has the catalog been organized?
1. By Reservation, Alphabetically
2. By Series, Chronologically
3. By Year, Alphabetically
4. Member, Resident, Non-Member, Non-Resident
Previous catalog makers that include State issues as well have chosen to list by State. Since Indian Reservations often cross State borders and this catalog is exclusively Reservation stamps, I have chosen to list by Reservation in alphabetical order.
How are the stamps numbered?
This has been one of the most difficult areas of editing a catalog. The only catalogs currently listing Indian Reservation stamps only list selected issues (ie: waterfowl) so there is no definitive precedence. The most logical way according to other catalog makers was to number the stamps in the order they were issued. When several stamps were issued at one time, they are ordered alphabetically. Each tribe has been given a two letter abbreviation prior to the number.
Often times, there is more than one printing for a particular issue. If the differences are minor such as a paper difference, a small letter (beginning with an “a”) following the same number of that particular issue. The same small letter will also be sued for a serial number variety including hand numbering or missing serial numbers. A small “v” will be used to designate an error. Since every stamp is pictured, the catalog number can be found either under or next to the picture.
Condition and values
In general, the values stated in this catalog are for sound stamps with fine-very fine centering. However, it is important to understand that with Indian Reservation stamps, condition is not so directly related to the value as it is for Federal ducks and pictorial state duck stamps. This is due to the fact that the quantities printed and issued are generally quite low. Many of the early and scarcer items are difficult to acquire in any condition and small faults or poor centering usually have little effect on their value.
There are generally three-four columns for values in this catalog depending on the Reservation. Values in the first column are for “Mint” unused stamps with at least 90% of their gum (pictorial stamps should have 100% of their gum). If the stamp is self-adhesive, the original backing should still be adhered to the stamp. Hinging on stamps issued prior to 1980 should be expected and has very little if any difference on the value.
Some Reservation stamps have a category called “Unsigned.” Prices for stamps in this column will have little or no gum. These can be used stamps that have no signatures nor have been defaced. The category titled “Used” are for stamps that have signatures or have been defaced by having a license number filled in or other markings that were not on the stamp when issued.
In the case where fewer than ten examples of a stamp are recorded, the quantity of recorded stamps is listed. Values are not usually stated when the item infrequently is traded. If there is no price listed, then no examples of that item have been recorded. A price in italics indicates that the item is scarce and seldom traded. A dash indicates that the stamp has been recorded. Prices listed in bold are used when no examples have been recorded but are likely to exist.
A category for the stamps on license is included if the stamps have been recorded on license or are likely to exist (even if none have been recorded for that issue). The demand for stamps on original licenses have continued to increase over the years. As more collectors exhibit, this trend is expected to continue. The reason being that licenses are an essential component of fish and game stamp exhibits as they demonstrate usage. In this regard, Indian Reservation stamps on licenses are analogous to postage stamps “on cover.” In most cases, stamps on license change hands far less frequently than mint examples. Values are for licenses that are in fine-very fine condition, with no pieces missing, no large tears, objectionable stains, etc. The license may have been neatly folded once or twice. If the affixed stamps are scarce-rare, they may have been lightly creased. Values for the more common stamps on license are for uncreased examples. Combination licenses, bearing more than one stamp may sell for a substantial premium over the listed values. In general, the more stamps legitimately affixed to a license - the greater the value.
Please understand that this is not a retail price list for the editor or any other stamp dealer. Collectors and dealers may choose to adopt the values stated herein. However, some will no doubt feel that they are too high or too low. The values given are solely intended to serve as a helpful guide in buying and selling.
Paper color Mint Used on license
WB A1 1997 Combination 1st printing black on white (Fewer than five examples on license)
WB A2 1997 Deer 1st printing brown on white (Fewer than five examples on license)

INDIAN RESERVATION STAMP CATALOG

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Pages
Cheyenne River Pages
Colville Page
Crow Pages
Crow Creek Pages
Flathead Pages
Fort Belknap Pages
Fort Berthold (Three Tribes) Pages
Jicarella Pages
Lake Traverse (Sisseton Wahpeton) Pages
Leech Lake Pages
Lower Brule Pages
Navajo Pages
Pine Ridge Pages
Rosebud Pages
San Carlos Pages
Spirit Lake Pages
Standing Rock Pages
Wind River (need to do) Pages
Winnebago Pages
Zuni Pages
Validation stickers
Grand Ronde Page
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commision
Makah Pages
Medicine Creek Pages
Point Elliot Pages
Point No Point Pages
Quinault Pages
Tulalip Page
Siletz Pages
The following individuals helped with information, provided copies or helped with facts:
James Kloetzel, George Miskey, Charles Souder, David Torre

2011
INDIAN RESERVATION STAMP CATALOG
Edited, Compiled and Produced by
Michael Jaffe
First Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Michael Jaffe
PO Box 61484
Vancouver WA 98666 USA