1758 Newspaper with French & Indian War Revenue Stamp

THE NEW-YORK MERCURY. New York, Monday, January 9, 1758. Numb. 282. Tabloid [40 by 26 cm], 4 pages. Red typographed halfpenny revenue stamp (Scott RM9) impressed on first page. Spine fold weak, but holding. Removed from previous binding. Minor spotting. Very good. A rare early American newspaper, all the more desirable as it was published during the French and Indian War (the Seven Years’ War) at a time when New York was levying a halfpenny (per sheet) revenue tax on newspapers. The halfpenny stamp on the front page of this paper is a rare revenue stamp. Even without the stamp, this would remain a very early American newspaper and of considerable interest on its own. Content includes an item of numismatic interest: page 2 speaks of a man who was jailed “for making and uttering counterfeit Dollars and what are commonly called Cobs, which, it’s said are so like the true ones, that People may easily be deceived...”