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

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED COVERS WITH CONJUNCTIVE USE OF A COLUMBIA S.C. PROVISIONAL ENTIRE AND A GENERAL ISSUE STAMP.

Another cover from a different correspondence, dated Jan. 4, 1862, exists with the 5c Green Lithograph used in combination with the provisional oval. While an argument can be made that the adhesive paid the entire postage (accompanying C.S.A. certificate states this is the case) they could also have been uprated for weight, prior to the 1862 rate change. A third combination cover, offered in our Sale 810, shows a combination of the provisional and 5c Richmond Local Print to make the new 10c rate. A fourth cover exists with the 5c Green Lithograph affixed over the provisional handstamp -- more clearly a 5c rate, using an old provisional entire. In addition to the three mentioned above, we record only six other conjunctive uses of a Confederate provisional and adhesive on cover, including two offered in this sale -- the Lexington Miss., 5c Black entire with 5c Blue Local (50XU1, offered in lot 277) and the Memphis, Tenn., 5c Red on Amber entire with 5c Green (56XU2, offered in lot 299).

Illustrated in Crown Survey on p. 80. With 2009 C.S.A. certificate stating the opinion that it is not a conjunctive use (Image)

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VERY FINE AND RARE. ONLY EIGHT EXAMPLES OF THE COLUMBIA S.C. 5-CENT PROVISIONAL ENVELOPE WITH THE OVAL SEAL STRUCK ON FRONT ARE RECORDED.

Harry L. McDowell records eight Columbia provisional entires with the oval seal struck on front and not on the flaps, all dated in August and September 1861 with the pre-war integral-rate datestamp. The oval and "5" were applied to the empty envelope (provisional), and the Columbia circular datestamp and Paid" were applied after mailing.

Ex Hessel (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE COLUMBIA TENNESSEE 5-CENT RED POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ENTIRE.

Ex Brooks and Boshwit. Illustrated in Crown Survey on p. 411. With 1998 C.S.A. certificate (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE FANCY COURTLAND, ALABAMA, POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. ONE OF THE GREAT RARITIES OF CONFEDERATE PHILATELY.

The postmaster of Courtland, Alabama, from 1851 through the Civil War was Alfred D. Simmons. Little is known about his unique handstamped provisional, and in previous years the catalogue listings for it were duplicative and incorrect. An early mention of it appeared in the June 1930 issue of the New Southern Philatelist (p. 405). "Among the remarkable covers that make up Judge Robert S. Emerson's collection of Confederate 'Paids' there is one in particular that attracted my attention on account of its striking design. I have never before seen this Provisional from Courtland Alabama. It is a crude woodcut, mortised for the insertion of a type figure '5' and impressed on the left (sic) upper corner of the cover in red-brown... It is addressed to Mrs. Bettie Dimind, Athens Ala."

The Courtland provisional has appeared at auction only a few times since that 1930 article. It was most likely privately sold from the Emerson collection. It appeared in a Siegel sale in 1958, (Sale 213, lot 1025) and then in a Fox sale in 1961 (Dec. 15, lot 66). In 1975 it was sold as part of the famous Kimmel collection (Siegel Sale 492, lot 579). The 1945 Dietz Catalog first listed the Courtland provisional in Black and the 1959 edition added Red. This confusion at one time extended to the Scott Catalog, which listed it in both colors. However, both the new C.S.A. Catalogue and Scott now correctly list the color as only Red, and state that this is the unique example.

Ex Judge Robert S. Emerson, Dr. Jay Hertz and A. Murl Kimmel (Image)

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