Private printing firms produced all the stamps of the Classics
Period. The engravers who created the images appearing on the
stamps also worked on projects for private banks, companies, and
other countries. The portraits and other images engraved for
such clients often resembled those engraved for stamps.
'Printer's Collateral' is material designed for private clients
that resembles one or more United States stamps produced by the
same printing firm. The majority of objects falling into the
'Printer's Collateral' category are bank notes that bear
portraits of American presidents or public officials, the images
having been drawn from the large inventory of dies held by the
printing firm. The printing firm used the prepared engravings to
produce the images for postage stamps or vice versa. Other
materials included here relate to the company's history or
everyday operations.