The Brandon Collection, Part 1: Postmasters' Provisionals continued...

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VERY FINE. AN IMPORTANT CONFEDERATE PROVISIONAL RARITY. ONLY NINE EXAMPLES OF THE DANVILLE ADHESIVE ARE RECORDED -- OF THESE ONLY THIS AND TWO OTHERS DEFINITELY ORIGINATE ON COVER.

Our records of the rare Danville provisional stamp include nine examples, as follows.

Rectangular-cut margins:

1) On piece dated Oct. 3, ex Ferrary, Caspary

2) Laid paper (Scott 21X2), off-cover with bottom right corner clipped, ex Hind (Siegel Sale 954, lot 3199)

3) Dated Oct. 4, affixed to a cover on which it may not have originated, ex Hessel, Kilbourne, Dr. Agre (Siegel Sale 933, lot 919)

4) Tied on cover, Oct. 9, ex Caspary, Lilly

Octagonal margins or cut to shape:

5) Off cover, dated Oct. 3, ex Caspary

6) Tied on cover, Oct. 29, ex Emerson and Weatherly, the cover offered here

7) Tied on cover, Oct. 30, ex Kimmel

8) Cut to small oval shape, dated Oct. 11, ex Deats (P.F. photo files)

9) Cut to shape, December Danville postmark (Siegel Sale 1002, lot 4111)

Ex Emerson and Weatherly. Illustrated in Crown Survey (p. 89) (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE DANVILLE "SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY PAID 5 CENTS" CIRCULAR HANDSTAMP POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. AN OUTSTANDING RARITY.

Ex Caspary. With 2014 P.F. certificate. Unlisted in Scott, but listed in new C.S.A. Catalog (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE DANVILLE TYPOGRAPHED POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON YELLOW ENTIRE.

The Danville post office issued provisional adhesive and press-printed envelopes in close proximity. William D. Coleman, editor of the Democratic Appeal newspaper, had been Danville's postmaster from September 14, 1860, to March 12, 1861. William B. Payne was appointed by the U.S. Post Office on March 12, 1861, but he served a very short term (Richard L. Calhoun, The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia). Coleman enlisted in the army, but served only a few months before he was asked to replace Payne as Danville's Confederate postmaster. Coleman was officially appointed on August 2, 1861, but his recollection was that he took over in October 1861 (Crown book, pages 85-87).

The press-printed provisional envelopes bear Payne's name, and the adhesive bears Coleman's name. Coleman stated that his stamps were printed at the offices of the Democratic Appeal. Philatelic authors have reported that the envelopes were also printed at the newspaper offices, but no proof of that claim has been offered. Postmaster Payne also sold handstamped envelopes with his initials.

The Danville press-printed envelopes are among the most unusual of all Postmasters' Provisionals. A stock typographic engraving was used with loose type set inside the blank oval. The illustration depicts a shoe fitting for an Antebellum lady. She is seated, while another woman kneels before her with shoe in hand, and a gentleman stands over her, also holding a shoe. It is reported that this engraving was used in advertisements for ladies' shoes and boots. Another unusual feature of this provisional is the use of the slogan "Southern Confederacy" in addition to the post office and postmaster names, and the denomination. The word "Southern" is set in either a nearly straight line or slightly curved line.

The envelopes were printed with two different denominations: the 5c in Black, and the 10c in Red. The 5c envelopes properly used as provisionals are datestamped in July, August and early September. None of the 10c press-printed envelopes has been found properly used in that period. Both the 5c and 10c envelopes are found with later dates, sometimes with General Issue stamps affixed for postage (or removed), but these envelopes were used as stationery and not as provisional postage.

The Calhoun census lists 24 envelopes, but nearly half are not proper provisional uses (either lacking a Danville postmark or used with adhesive postage). While this cover lacks the postmark, the docketing clearly indicates an 1861 use and there is no indication that a General Issue stamp has been removed. The classification of envelope colors, including Buff versus Amber, is also questionable. We think it is quite probable that all of the other genuine July-September envelopes are more or less the same shade of Dark Buff (21XU3). While clearly not Buff, this envelope is closer to Lemon than Amber (which is listed as 21XU2 in Scott, but questioned by the editors in a footnote). We classify it here as Yellow (21XU1 var). It is the same shade as another example we offered, mailed in 1862 with a General Issue stamp applied to pay the postage (Siegel Sale 787, lot 3212).

With 2014 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF FOUR RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE DEMOPOLIS, ALABAMA, POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ENTIRE OF ANY VARIETY. THIS IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE WITH THE "JNO. Y. HALL" SIGNATURE (SCOTT 22XU1).

The complete story of the discovery of the three Demopolis entires is told in the Crown book (p. 94). Three entires were discovered in 1899 by Robert S. Nelson among Dr. Whitfield's papers. Two have the handstamped "5" marking and the postmaster's signature "J. Y. Hall" (Scott 22XU2). One is ex Ferrary, Knapp and Hall (Siegel Sale 823, lot 403, Hall purchased from Knapp in 1925). The other is ex Ferrary, Knapp, Hall and Dr. Agre (Siegel Sale 850, lot 5692). The third has the "Jno. Y. Hall" spelling and is the example offered here. A fourth entire was later discovered (pictured in Crown, p. 665) and listed in Scott as 22XU3; it is a third variety with "5 cts" in manuscript and signed "J. Y. Hall".

Ex Walcott. Pictured in Crown on p. 95 (Image)

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FINE AND RARE. A REMARKABLE PROVISIONAL STAMP MADE FROM THE SELVAGE OF UNITED STATES POSTAGE. ONLY NINE EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED -- EACH ON COVER -- OF WHICH ONLY THREE HAVE THE NUMERAL OVER "PAID".

Thanks to research by Richard L. Calhoun, the unusual Emory provisional stamp made from the selvage of United States 1c 1857 sheets can be properly attributed to Professor Edmund Longley, rather than his successor, Isaac C. Fowler (Richard L. Calhoun, "Emory, Virginia, Postmasters and Provisionals," Confederate Philatelist, October-December 2011, and The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia).

Longley, a professor at Emory & Henry College, served as U.S. postmaster of Emory (appointed January 12, 1847) and as C.S.A. postmaster from July 27 to August 30, 1861, when Fowler was appointed to replace Longley. The Emory provisional adhesives were issued during Longley's term.

Postmaster Longley created his provisional issue by stamping the office "Paid" and "5" rate markings on the blank selvage of United States 1c 1857 Issue sheets. This method is unique among Confederate provisionals and, in all of philately, there are only a few issues created from the sheet selvage of other stamps. The Philadelphia carrier stamps made from the selvage of imperforate 1c 1851 sheets are similar in concept to the Emory provisionals.

The Calhoun census and our own records are in accord with nine covers bearing the Emory provisional (we know of no off-cover stamps), ranging in dates from June 24, 1861, to February 11, 1862. There are three known stamp formats: Paid over 5; Paid under 5; and 5 with Paid at top and side (narrow selvage). Two of the nine recorded covers have manuscript town postmarks, and four have stamps left uncancelled.

Signed Dietz. Ex Weatherly (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE EMORY, VIRGINIA, 5-CENT PROVISIONAL ENTIRE.

A recent article by Peter W. W. Powell in the Confederate Philatelist (Apr.-June 2013, pp. 24-27) sheds new light on the 5c Emory Provisionals created by Postmaster Isaac C. Fowler. In August 1861, Fowler replaced Professor Edmund Longley, who was the creator of the iconic 5c Provisionals printed on the selvage of the U.S. 1c 1857 Issue (Scott, 24X1, see prior lot). In a 1901 letter, Fowler discusses his creation of adhesives and entires for the Emory post office, without mention of the earlier Longley adhesives. Fowler describes his adhesive as printed on pale blue unruled paper and reading "Paid 5 Emory". Powell illustrates two covers in his article that he believes bear examples of this adhesive, which is unlisted in Scott and the C.S.A. Catalog. Longley's letter goes on to state that after using these adhesives for some months he went on to carve a better style along the same general lines and similar in size, but with the tail of the figure "5" turned down and in a "parallelogram" format. This describes the handstamp provisional offered here, Scott 24XU1.

Ex Weatherly. (Image)

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VERY FINE. THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE EMORY, VIRGINIA, 10-CENT PROVISIONAL ENTIRE. A REMARKABLE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN CONFEDERATE BROTHERS -- ONE A PRISONER OF WAR AT JOHNSON'S ISLAND AND THE OTHER ATTEMPTING TO SEND A LETTER IN THE MIDST OF POST-WAR TURMOIL.

Blue Spring Grove, Kentucky, where this cover entered the mails, is located in Barren County northwest of Knoxville and south of Louisville, near the turnpike and Louisville & Nashville Railroad line.

The Davis correspondence yielded this cover as well as four covers with the Emory adhesive provisional (used in 1861). This provisional envelope did not pay any postage, but it is definite proof that the markings were applied by the post office prior to sale. No other example is known.

Ex Ferrary, Gallagher and Dr. Agre. Illustrated in Crown book on p. 101. With 1998 C.S.A. certificate (Image)

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