Confederacy, 1862, 2¢ Green, horizontal strip of three, mostly four margins, used along with 1862, 5¢ blue single, nearly four margins, all tied by two strikes of partial "Orange C.H., Va. Dec" cds with ms. "9" dating in left, on turned cover addressed to Miss. Bradford, Care of Stephen J. Nathan Esq., Treasury Department at Richmond Va., inside use bearing 1862, 5¢ blue #6, vertical pair, uncancelled and no postal markings to Mrs. Slaughter, care Dr. Slaughter at Orange C.H., Va., most likely ended up being handcarried outside the postal service; small stamp flaws, backflap missing, other three flaps reattached, Very Fine appearing; with 2007 C.S.A. certificate with no opinion on origin of inside #6 pair. Scott No. 3 + 7  Estimate $5,000 - 7,500. A REMARKABLE COMBINATION FRANKING, THIS BEING THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF A 1862 2¢ STRIP OF THREE AND 1862 5¢ SINGLE PREPAYING THE 10¢ RATE. There is one other example of a 1862 2¢ and 5¢ combination franking prepaying the 10¢ rate, but it has all singles. This is the only known strip in combination. $0 (Image)

Confederacy, 1862, 2¢ Green, horizontal strip of five, clear margins to in at sides and bottom right, tied by three strikes of "Greensborough, Ga., May 9" cds on cover with military address to Capt. J. B. Fulton at Athens, Ga., endorsed "Important"; cover slightly reduced at top, F.-V.F., F.-V.F., a rare strip used on cover, this not listed in the Warren census; with 2005 C.S.A. certificate. Scott No. 3  $13,500. The Confederate Congressional Act of February 23, 1861, prescribed a 2¢ special rate for "letters placed in any post office, not for transmission but for delivery only" (drop letters) and "for newspapers, unsealed circulars, handbills, engravings, pamphlets, periodicals and magazines, not exceeding three ounces in weight." The first stamp issued to satisfy the 2¢ special rate was the Hoyer & Ludwig 2¢ green lithograph, which has the portrait of Andrew Jackson. Approximately 2,000,000 of these stamps were issued; the earliest known date of usage is March 21, 1862. When the general postage rate for a regular letter was increased from 5¢ to 10¢ on July 1, 1862, some Confederate postal customers used a strip of five 2¢ stamps to prepay the new 10¢ rate. Such usage is extremely rare.J.B. Fulton is not listed as a regimental officer so he must have held state rank and/or a staff position. $0 (Image)