Confederacy, Rutherfordton, N.C., 1861, 5¢ Black, cut-round adhesive prepared by handstamping an undated office postmark on white paper and separately adding "Paid / 5 cts" in manuscript at the center of the postmark, affixed on cover addressed "To George J. Sheppard, Esq, Longmire's Store P.O., Edgefield Dist, So. Ca.", with manuscript "Decr 27th 1861" date in same hand as the rate on adhesive; cover with small corner stain at top left and small piece of backflap missing, Very Fine, ex-Brown, Caspary and Haas; with 2015 C.S.A. certificate. Scott No. 72X1  $35,000. THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE RUTHERFORDTON 5¢ POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL AND ONE OF THE GREAT TREASURES OF CONFEDERATE PHILATELY. This is a unique provisional, one of the classics of Confederate philately and was last offered 30 years ago at auction in a Richard Frajola sale where it sold for $29,700. Listed but priced with a dash in the CSA Catalog, evidence of how infrequently rarities of this magnitude change hands and how difficult they are to value. The Scott Catalog value of $35,000 is based on a thirty-year-old auction realization and the price in italics attests to similar difficulty of valuation in today's market.The addressee, George J. Sheppard, was a merchant in Liberty Hill, South Carolina, after the war. His motto was "A Quick Penny is Better than a Slow Shilling." (Edgefield Advertiser, Edgefield, S.C., September 18, 1867). He was listed as the postmaster of Kirksey's X-Roads, Edgefield District, in 1849. $0 (Image)