Union and Confederate States Civil War Covers continued...

Galveston, Texas, 98XU2, 10c Black entire, Type I, stunning and nearly-perfect strike of this intricate cancel that is so often blurry and indistinguishable, on amber cover addressed to Louisburg, North Carolina, partial May 31, 1860 double circle date stamp at bottom left (obviously an error), manuscript "Answered July—1861," torn backflap but otherwise Very Fine, an absolutely immaculate strike of this cancel that evidently deteriorated very quickly, certainly one of the finest known examples; pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 436) (Scott $2,000; CSA Handbook GAL-TX-E04, $1,250)

Provenance: William L. Moody III (H.R. Harmer Sale 621, 1950)

A. Murl Kimmel (R.A. Siegel Sale 492, 1976)

Goliad, Texas, 29X6a, 5c Black on gray, Type II, Postmaster "J.A. Clarke" name at left, "GOILAD" variety, in horizontal pair with normal (29X6), the left stamp being the variety, clear to ample margins and just impinging a few of the border ornaments at lower left, light circular cancel, Very Fine and choice, this unique pair and two other used singles (29X6) are the only recorded examples of the 5c Type II on gray paper, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 116) (Scott listed but unpriced; CSA Handbook GOL-TX-A04 B, $25,000)

Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) 29X6]

Halletsville, Texas, 37X1, 10c Black on gray blue, circular issue cut-to-shape (partly in at right) and pen cancelled, affixed on large part of a folded letter datelined "Halletsville Aug 11th. 63" with message concerning payment for a parcel of land, addressed to an official in the Land Office at Austin, full and crisply struck "Hallettsville Tex. Aug 21" postmark at lower left, docketing on back side, Very Fine and choice; the unique example; Philatelic Foundation certificate #6653 does not accompany (Scott $15,000; CSA Handbook HAL-TX-A01, unpriced)

The first reference to the Hallettsville provisional apparently came in 1917, when Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News (December 29) ran the following:

“The Albermarle Stamp Collector states that a Confederate Provisional used at Hallettsville, Texas, August 21, 1863, has been discovered recently on a letter in the Land Office of the State of Texas at Austin. The stamp was used for 10c postage and was made from a handstamped impression of the Hallettsville postmark with “10—Paid” in the middle, instead of a date, on blue paper, cut to shape and used as an adhesive. The stamp is pen cancelled on a folded letter dated August 11, 1863, and addressed to Stephen Crosby, Comp. of Gen’l Land Office, Austin Texas.”

Charles Deaton’s The Great Texas Stamp Collection explains what little is known about the early history of the Hallettsville provisional in great detail. When the stamp was illustrated in August Dietz’s Postal Service of the Confederate States of America in 1929, Dietz admitted that he had never seen the stamp himself and knew nothing of its origin. Outside of a Scott catalogue listing, nothing more was written of this stamp in the philatelic press until it appeared in the sale of Alfred Caspary’s collection in 1956.

While the Hallettsville has rarely been touched upon in philatelic literature, the Victoria Advocate of January 24, 1937 relates that Frank Caldwell, an Austin hardware salesman, told the following story:

“One time, I was over in Hallettsville on some business when a man approached me and showed me a stamp used by that postoffice during the War Between the States. The man said that he had been offered fifty dollars for it and wanted to know if I thought it advisable to sell. He apparently didn’t have any idea as to its value and was just seeking advice. ‘I can get you five hundred dollars for that stamp,’ I told him. The man turned pale as a sheet and finally gulped out, ‘Mr. Caldwell, if you can get me five hundred dollars for this stamp, I’ll five you fifty.’ I couldn’t stay around long enough to collect a commission but I did inform a New York dealer of the stamp and within a few days the Hallettsville man received a check for $500.”

Whether or not this is Hallettsville cover being offered here is impossible to ascertain with positivity, although it would make logical sense as a second example has never turned up.

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 989, 1956)

Rarities of the World (R.A. Siegel Sale 371, 1970)

Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) Collection]

Houston, Texas, 40XU1, 5c Red entire, bold strikes of overlapping red "Houston, Txs. Paid 5" provisional handstamp and black "Houston Tex. Jul 3 1861" circular date stamp on orange cover addressed to Hempstead, Texas, minor repairs at right edge, Very Fine, about as fine an example of this provisional as we've seen, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 145) (Scott $800, CSA Handbook HOU-TX-E01, $750)

Provenance: Harold C. Brooks (Laurence & Stryker Sale 123, 1943)

Judge Robert S. Emerson (Private Transaction)

Houston, Texas, 40XU2, 10c Red entire, legible strike of red "Houston Tex. Paid 10" provisional handstamp at lower left, black "Houston Tex. Jan 22 186?" circular date stamp (manuscript docketing on reverse indicates 1864 date), on dark buff "Head Quarters, Bureau of State Troops, Dist. of Texas, New Mexico & Arizona, Official Business" (CSA WD-ZB-15) semi-official envelope, addressed to Governor Pendleton Murrah in Austin, backflap torn and a tiny internal paper break to right of cds but otherwise Extremely Fine, an incredibly rare example of a Confederate provisional used on a semi-official cover and a true exhibit showpiece, 1984 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott $2,000, CSA Handbook HOU-TX-E02, $1,250)

Provenance: John R. Hill, Jr. (Private Transaction)

Independence, Texas, 41X3, 10c Black on buff, Small "10" and Manuscript "Pd," single "cut to shape" with margins all around, uncommonly bold impression and strong manuscript "Pd" make for one of the most attractive examples of this stamp, uncancelled (as always) but tied by ink smear, on neat buff cover addressed to "Capt. T.L. Scott, Terry's Regiment, Shreveport, LA," partial strike of "Independance Tex Nov 24" circular date stamp at right (thought to be an 1864 use based on misspelled town name), cover has been refolded to hide some edge wear (as evidenced by comparing to the Caspary catalogue), small pieces out at upper left have been repaired, light creases away from stamp, Very Fine, almost certainly the most beautiful of the four "Small '10'" Independence covers known, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 148) (Scott $32,500, CSA Handbook IND-TX-A02, $25,000)

Independence, Texas is known to have produced two distinct types of provisional stamps during the Civil War (the Scott catalogue lists a third, which appears to have no factual basis). The "Large '10'" Independence provisional was the first to be discovered in 1899 and soon found its way into the hands of Ferrary. The four known "Small '10'" covers, all of which are from the same correspondence, were discovered around 1919. Three of the covers have stamps that are cut to shape, while the fourth bears a square stamp. The postmaster at the time, John McKnight, used an old postmarking device without a date slug to produce all of the known stamps (a more detailed discussion of McKnight and the history of the stamps can be found in Charles W. Deaton's "The Great Texas Stamp Collection").

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 989, 1956)

A. Earl Weatherly (Private Transaction)

Charles and Lucy Kilbourne (R.A. Siegel Sale 815, 1999)

Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) Collection]

Limestone Springs, South Carolina, 121X1, 5c Black on light blue, two singles cut rectangularly (left slightly larger), each with bold strike of "5" rate handstamp, uncancelled as always on cover elegantly addressed to "Mr. Edwd J. Dean, 'Spartan Rifles,' 5th Regt. So. Car. Volunteers, Col. M. Jenkins Commander, Tudor Hall, Near Manassas Junction, Virginia," additional "Care Capt. Jos. Walker" in corner, left stamp with nick at upper left corner, right stamp with upper right corner repaired, cover has been expertly restored since it last appeared for sale in 1995 to great effect, as it is very nearly unrecognizable in the best possible way, Extremely Fine appearance, one of only two covers with two Limestone Springs stamps on light blue paper, a total of seven stamps known on five covers (plus a sixth cover with two stamps on white paper), a major rarity of Confederate philately (Scott $15,000 for two on cover, CSA Handbook LIM-SC-A03, $20,000 for two singles on cover)

All five covers bearing Limestone Springs stamps on light blue paper were sent by Lizzie E. M. Dean from the Limestone Springs Female High School. The cover offered here is the most recent example to have been discovered, first appearing in a 1995 R.A. Siegel sale which identified the source as a "New Zealand estate." The Dean correspondence, very well known amongst students of Confederate philately, is therefore the only evidence we have that this particular stamp ever existed (and leads one to wonder how many Confederate provisonals are wholly lost to the sands of time).

Additional information on Edward J. Dean and the Dean family correspondence can be found in an article by Daniel M. Gilbert in the Confederate Philatelist.

The South Carolina 5th Infantry Regiment, assembled during March and April, 1861, including Capt Joseph Walker, was ordered to Virginia and saw action at First Manassas. Later it participated in the campaigns from Williamsburg to Fredericksburg, then in Suffolk and North Carolina. Continuously moving, the unit was engaged at Knoxville, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, in the trenches of Petersburg, and around Appomattox. Micah Jenkins formed and became a Brig Gen of the Palmetto Rifles regiment July of 1862 and died in battle (from friendly fire which also wounded Gen Longstreet) in May of 1864 during the Battle of the Wilderness. 

Macon, Georgia, 53X4, 5c Black on yellow, well-margined single tied by indistinct Macon cancel on small envelope addressed to Clinton, Georgia, stamp with some light internal creases, envelope roughly opened and missing most of backflap, tiny edge break at top well away from the stamp, Very Fine; the Crown survey records 14 covers franked with 53X4, two of them with pairs including one in the Tapling collection; signed "Genuine Macon/ WP Brown/ 9/10/(18)92" (Scott $7,500; CSA Handbook MAC-GA-A02 B, $5,000)

W.P. (William P.) Brown was a pioneer stamp dealer in New York City, starting in 1870, and conducted the first specialized auction sale of solely United States stamps in 1878. Brown helped finance J.W. Scott in the business and was the discoverer of the New Haven postmaster provisional.

Provenance: Sidney A. Hessel (H.R. Harmer Sale 2291, 1975)

Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) 18]

Marion, Virginia, 55X2, 10c Black, single on bluish paper with margins all around, tied by black "Marion Va. Nov 18" circular date stamp, addressed to Scottsburg, Virginia (additional docketing removed at left), stamp lightly stained and scuffed at top, cover heavily repaired particularly under stamp which has been lifted and replaced (additional paper has been added where corner was torn away under stamp), large tear at top center, backflap missing, still Very Fine and extremely rare, only seven covers known with the Marion 10c stamp, and of those only three with sound stamps; additionally, this appears to be the only 10c Marion on bluish, which should almost certainly be listed in the Scott Catalogue alongside the 5c on bluish (55X3), "W.H.C." (Warren H. Coulson) handstamp at bottom right, 1976 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott $35,000 for 10c on white paper, CSA Handbook MAR-VA-A02, $15,000 for 10c on white paper)

It is interesting that J.H. Francis, postmaster of Marion who issued these stamps with the assistance of his brother (W.P. Francis, local newspaperman), lived long enough to correspond with philatelists such as August Dietz. Francis claimed to have never printed stamps on blue paper, although his assertion that he also printed 15c and 20c stamps leads a modern researcher to take his words with a grain of salt. The 5c Black on bluish is known both used and unused, and this cover proves that both denominations were printed on colored paper. After Francis's death John Walter Scott was able to acquire the original die used to produce these stamps, and produced forgeries ranging from 2c to 20c.

Provenance: Sidney A. Hessel (H.R. Harmer Sale 2291, 1975)

New Orleans, Louisiana, 62X4, 1861 5c Red brown on bluish, vertical block of six each stamp cancelled by a "PAID" handstamp, wide side margins, full margin at top including part imprint, clear to full margins at bottom, pressed vertical crease in right stamps, Very Fine appearance and the largest recorded multiple; "R.H.W. Co." handstamp on back (unlisted as a block of six in Scott or the CSA Handbook though Scott catalogs a horizontal strip of six at $3,500)

Provenance: Weill Brothers (Christies NY, 1989)

New Orleans, Louisiana, 62X5, 1861 5c Yellow brown on off-white, bottom margin horizontal strip of four with part imprint (pos 37-40) paying quadruple-rate tied on envelope by "New Orleans La. 10 Dec" (1861) postmarks, addressed to the Secretary of the "Lodge No 135 F. & A.M." (Free and Accepted Masons) in East Baton Rouge, stamps well margined and marred only by a small nick in the bottom margin and some light aging in the right stamp, embossed seal of the "Grand Secretary/ Grand Lodge F. & A.M./ New Orleans, La." on backflap, envelope reduced at left, edge wrinkling and some vertical bends not affecting stamps and sealed breaks top and bottom, Fine use and, according to notation on back, the "Only Known Strip of 4 - 3rd Printing", also signed "Genuine/ John A Fox" (unpriced in Scott or CSA Handbook)

The Plains Masonic Lodge 135 is still active in Zachary, Louisiana, a town in East Baton Rouge Parish north of Baton Rouge.

Pleasant Shade, Virginia, 67X1, 5c Blue, position 3 single tied by near-perfect strike of blue "Pleasant Shade Va May 21 [1862]" circular date stamp, margins ample at left but otherwise touching or just cut in, stamp with barely-perceptible pre-affixing horizontal crease, addressed to "Miss Ella B. Smith, Christiansville P.O., Mecklenburg County, Virginia," cover left edge reduced sometime between 1956 and 1967 to "improve" appearance (right edge slightly reduced as well), small bit of mounting residue on reverse, still Extremely Fine and rare, referred to in the Caspary catalogue as "one of the outstanding Confederate covers in existence", Ferrary's purple trefoil at lower left, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 301) (Scott $40,000, CSA Handbook PLE-VA-A01, $30,000)

The Pleasant Shade, Virginia provisional stamp is much rarer in used condition than it is unused. Richard L. Calhoun's The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia lists only 22 examples total, including three singles on cover and one pair on cover. Of the three singles on cover, one (a December 22, 1861 use to Staunton, Virginia) is in the Tapling Collection of the British Library and will never be made available publicly. Therefore, outside of the unique pair on cover, this is one of two single-rate Pleasant Shade covers available to collectors.

The Pleasant Shade stamps are identical to the provisional stamps of Petersburg, Virginia, as they were both produced by the firm Andrew F. Crutchfield & Company. Only the color and the order of the setting were changed between the two cities.

Provenance: Count Philipp von Ferrary (Gilbert Sale 4, 1922)

Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 991, 1956)

H. Gray Muzzy (H.R. Harmer Sale 1764, 1967)

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Pleasant Shade, Virginia, 67X1, 5c Blue, position 4 single with margins huge to just touching several ornament tips at top right, tied by complete blue "Pleasant Shade Va April 23" circular date stamp to small piece, barest trace of toning, Very Fine, an exceptionally attractive example of this very rare provisional, one of only two known used off-cover stamps, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 300) (Scott $20,000; CSA Handbook PLE-VA-01, $10,000)

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 901, 1956)

A. Earl Weatherley (R.A. Siegel Sale 420, 1972)

Plum Creek, Tex., 141X1, 10c Black on blue, rhomboid blue paper adhesive with manuscript "10", bearing in one handwriting "Plum Creek, July 16,/64" and "Paid 10 cts" (the latter tying the stamp), on small homemade wallpaper cover that remarkably contains a stunning depiction of a Victorian woman (imprint "34 Ann St., N.Y."), addressed to Gonzales, Texas in a different hand, light overall aging but still Very Fine, long believed to be unique (and therefore doubted by many until a second example emerged in the 1960s), this is one of the great rarities of both Confederate and Texas philately and has only been offered a few times publicly, pictured in Crown's Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals (Quarterman edition, Page 525), Molesworth notations on backflap, 1981 Philatelic Foundation certificate (Scott listed but unpriced; CSA Handbook PLU-TX-02, listed but unpriced)

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 991, 1956)

Alexander S. Kirkman (H.R. Harmer Sale 1423, 1962)

Rarities of the World (R.A. Siegel Sale 645, 1985)

Raleigh, North Carolina, 68XU1, 5c Red entire, red provisional marking and blue "Raleigh N.C." double circle date stamp (date indistinguishable) on 3c Nesbitt entire, addressed to Liberty, Virginia, docketing at left dated "15th Oct 61", cover with light staining, opened and slightly reduced at right, small repair bottom right corner, still wonderfully fresh and Fine, probably unique on US stamped envelope as pencil notation on reverse reads "This provisional is very rare, used on U.S. envelope - only example I have seen. E.S. Knapp 1923," "Still only example seen" in the hand of Larry L. Shenfield, "Earl Antrim, Nampa, Idaho" and "R.H.W. Co." (Raymond H. Weill) handstamps on back, pictured in Crown "Surveys of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals" (Quarterman edition, page 305) (Scott $400 for normal entire; CSA Handbook RAL-NC-E02, $500)

Provenance: Charles F. Meroni (John A. Fox Sale 258-59, 1961)

Rheatown, Tennessee, 69X1, 5c Red, position "A" single with margins all around, pen cancelled but not tied on orange cover addressed to Athens, Tennessee, two strikes of red "Rheatown Ten Feb 15" circular date stamp, cover with horizontal crease not affecting stamp, contemporaneous ink stains on reverse, Very Fine, certainly one of the most attractive of the six covers known bearing the Rheatown provisional stamp, a true gem (Scott $20,000, CSA Handbook RHE-TN-A01, $35,000 for stamp tied by postmark)

The provisional stamps of Rheatown and Tellico Plains, Tennessee were both produced by the same printer, with just the names of the postmaster and town replaced. While Tellico Plains produced two 5c stamps and a 10c stamp in the setting of three, Rheatown only had 5c stamps printed (three distinct positions). A letter from Postmaster D. Pence describing the creation of these stamps was first printed in the American Journal of Philately in August of 1870 and later reproduced in the Phillips Survey of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals. In it he explains, "The inconvenience of country people sending money by servants and children to pay postage, and the remarkable scarcity of small change at that time, were the principle objects for procuring this stamp."

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 991, 1956)