Civil War and Confederate States continued...

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FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE PITTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE PROVISIONAL ON WOVE PAPER. ONLY TEN COPIES IN TOTAL ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING SEVEN COVERS.

James P. Johnson was appointed U.S. postmaster of Pittsylvania Court House (known as Chatham today) by President James Buchanan on January 20, 1859. He was appointed C.S.A. postmaster on July 29, 1861 (Richard L. Calhoun, The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia). During his term as postmaster Johnson issued a 5c Red provisional adhesive stamp bearing his name. The typeset design is nearly identical to the Danville typeset provisional, and Danville's postmaster, William D. Coleman, stated that his stamps were printed at the offices of the Democratic Appeal. For this reason philatelists assume that the same printer produced both postmasters' stamps, substituting one name for the other. The Pittsylvania Court House stamps were printed on wove and laid papers. Dangerous counterfeits on wove paper were made from type and borders that closely resemble the originals, and these are often counted in census work. The count of genuine examples currently (and correctly) stands at 10 on Wove (66X1) and 3 on Laid (66X2).

Our records of the Pittsylvania Court House 66X1 provisional include the following:

CR = cut rectangular; CS = cut to octagonal shape; Ty. I = No space between "T" and "S" of "Cents" Ty. II = Gap between "T' and "S" of "Cents"

1) CR Ty. I, previously uncancelled on a Nov. 11 cover to Mrs. Ruth Hairston, Cascade Va., steamed from cover with original gum intact on stamp, ex Deats (as a cover; photo in P.F. files), Caspary, Lilly

2) CS Ty. II, tied on piece, Nov. 22 circular datestamp, ex Caspary, the example offered here

3) CR Ty. I, cover to Miss Julia Green, Sep. 25, ex Sanford, Duveen, Hind, Clapp, Moody, Hall and D.K. collection (Siegel Sale 1022, lot 1112)

4) CR Ty. I, cover to Abram Fackler, Nov. 5, ex Caspary

5) CR Ty. I, cover to Lt. R. W. Martin, Sep. 27, ex Kilbourne (Siegel Sale 815, lot 135) and Gross

6) CS Ty. I, cover to John Payne, ex Hessel and Dr. Brandon (Siegel Sale 1073 lot 326, realized $14,000 hammer)

7) CS Ty. I, cover to Sue Henry, Jan. 20 (1862), ex Ferrary

8) CS Ty. I, cover to Wm. Hunt, Nov. 4, ex Brooks, Klep

9) CR Ty. I, cover to Clark & Holt, British Library, Tapling collection;

10) CS Ty. II, tied on piece, Nov. 6, Siegel 1985 Rarities sale.

Ex Caspary. With 2006 P.F. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE PLEASANT SHADE VIRGINIA POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

The tiny town of Pleasant Shade had a population of 57 in 1860. Robert E. Davis was appointed U.S. postmaster by President James Buchanan on January 11, 1860. He was appointed C.S.A. postmaster on July 27, 1861, and was replaced by Eugene W. Spratley on July 14, 1863 (Richard L. Calhoun, The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia). Postmaster Davis had his provisional stamps printed at Andrew F. Crutchfield & Company, publisher of the local Petersburg newspaper, The Daily Express. This was the firm that printed the nearly identical Petersburg provisionals. Crutchfield & Co. used five of the settings from the Petersburg form, substituting the names of the post office and postmaster, and printing the Pleasant Shade stamps in blue instead of red.

The Calhoun census published in The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia, which accords with our own, records a total of 22 stamps, including an unused block of six, an unused vertical pair, seven unused singles, a used single off cover, a used single on piece, three singles on covers and one pair on cover.

Ex Kilbourne. Signed on back (just shows thru) (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A RARE PATRIOTIC USAGE OF THE RALEIGH POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. ONLY FIVE ARE CONTAINED IN THE LEVI RECORDS.

Ex Murphy (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RHEATOWN POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL

The 5c provisional stamps issued by Postmaster D. Pence were printed by the same printer who produced the Tellico Plains Tenn. provisional. An affidavit by the Tellico Plains postmaster, M.F. Johnson, dated March 24, 1876, states that his stamps were printed in Knoxville by "Hawes Lea." The June dates recorded for the Rheatown suggest that it came first, and the postmaster's own recollections place the issue in "midsummer 1861" (see Crown book, p. 307). Although dated examples show use into April 1862, a relatively long period of time, the issue is extremely rare.

The same basic type form containing three subjects was used for the Rheatown and Tellico Plains Tenn. provisionals. For the Rheatown, all three were 5c denominations. The inside border at the top of each stamp is made up of seven ornaments; the unique arrangement of the ornaments in each subject enables philatelists to identify the position of any stamp.

Our records contain at least a half-dozen off-cover examples the Rheatown 5c, including an unused pair, the only known multiple. Our previous census included the item offered here as on the upper half of a cover. The six covers we record are as follows (in chronological order, type identified):

1) Jun. 20 (1861), Ty. II, cover to Lt. D. R. Wilson, ex Worthington (his source code on back "11/26/04 Luff BISSS"), Caspary, Antrim, Weatherly, Kilbourne and D.K. collection (Siegel Sale 1022, lot 1115)

2) Jun. 30 (1861), Ty. I, small cover, faint address, Siegel 1984 Rarities Sale

3) Feb. 8 (1862), Ty. III, lady's embossed cover to Eliz. Devault, the only tied example, ex Caspary, Gallagher

4) Feb. 13 (1862), Ty. II, on restored cover, ex Steves, Crown book, the example offered here

5) Feb. 15 (1862), Ty. I, cover to David Cleage, circular datestamp struck twice, ex Caspary

6) Apr. 9 (1862), Ty. II, cover to Mrs. Wm. Brown, ex MacBride, Dr. Graves, Boshwit and Dr. Brandon (Siegel Sale 1073, lot 329, realized $15,000 hammer).

Ex Steves. Illustrated in the Crown book on p. 308. Illustrated in the 1929 edition of Dietz. (Image)

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