• Login (enter your user name) and Password
    Please Login. You are NOT Logged in.

    Quick Search:

  • To see new sales and other StampAuctionNetwork® news in your Facebook newsfeed then Like us on Facebook!

Login to Use StampAuctionNetwork®.
New Member? Click "Register".

StampAuctionNetwork® Extended Features
 
You are not logged in. Please Login so that we can determine your registration status with this firm. If you have never registered, please register by pressing the [Quick Signup (New to StampAuctionNetwork)] button. Then Login. Listen to Live Audio!
 
 
Quick Navigation by Category  United States Postal History (117)   | 
 

logo

Cherrystone Auctions Sale - 0126

United States Postal History

Pre-1861 Stamps & Postal History
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
1   imagePrinted circular signed in print by A. N. Zevely, Third Assistant Postmaster General, instructing local postmasters on the mandatory exchange of stamps following the demonetization of the 1851-61 Issue. This notice outlines procedures for replacing the stamps with the newly issued 1861 designs and establishes a six-day exchange window, except in more remote areas, with strict guidelines on rejecting stamps suspected of originating from “disloyal States.” The circular also provides instructions on securely returning old stamp stocks and recording office names to ensure proper credit.


A historic and highly desirable official communication marking the transition from the 1851-61 Issue to the 1861 Issue stamps, very fine.



Transcript:


Post Office Department,


Finance Office, 1861.


Postmaster,


Sir: You will receive herewith a supply of postage stamps which you will observe are of a new style, differing both in design and color, from those hitherto used, and having the letters U.S. in the lower corners of each stamp, and its respective denomination indicated by figures as well as letters.

You will immediately give public notice through the newspapers and otherwise, that you are prepared to exchange stamps of the new style for an equivalent amount of the old issue, during a period of six days from the date of the notice, and that the latter will not thereafter be received in payment of postage on letters sent from your office.


You will satisfy yourself by personal inspection that stamps offered in exchange have not been used through the mails or otherwise; and if in any case you have good grounds for suspecting that stamps presented to you for exchange, were sent from any of the disloyal states, you will not receive them without due investigation.


Immediately after the expiration of the above period of six days, you will return to the Third Assistant Postmaster General all stamps of the old style in your possession, including such as you may obtain by exchange, placing them in a secure package, which must be carefully registered in the manner prescribed by Chapter 39, of the Regulations of this Department.


Be careful also to write legibly the name of your office, as well as that of your county and state.

A strict compliance with the foregoing instructions is absolutely necessary, that you may not fail to obtain credit for the amount of stamps returned.


Instead of sending stamps to the Department you can if convenient, exchange them for new ones at some city post office, where large supplies are to be found.

It being impossible to supply all offices with new stamps at once, you will deliver letters received from Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania, prepayed by stamps of the old issue, until November 1st; those from other loyal states east of the Rocky Mountains until the 1st of December, and those from the states of California and Oregon and from the Territories of New Mexico, Utah, and Washington, until the 1st January, 1862.


I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,


A. N. ZEVELY,



Third Assistant P. M. General.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$400.00
Will close during Public Auction
2 c   image(26) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III tied by partial black "Pittsburgh, Pa Aug 21 1861" cds on hotel advertising cover sent to Newport, Delaware. A remarkable contemporary manuscript notation by the sender on the cover's backflap (hinged to front for display) reads: “I see by an advertisement that the Government have issued a new set of postage stamps & redeeming the old (ones for a) certain number of days after which (they are) worthless, so if you have any, had better (sure use them).” This extraordinary content reflects public awareness of the federal demonetization of 1857-61 Issue stamps, with this cover used during the six-day exchange window, fine and interesting.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction
3 c   image(26) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III tied by superb strike of the scarce “OLD STAMPS / NOT RECOGNIZED” two-line handstamp on cover from Philadelphia to Princeton, New Jersey, with matching “Philadelphia Pa. Sep 4, 1861” cds and bold “DUE 3” straightline handstamp at center. Sent shortly after the expiration of the six-day exchange period (August 19–24, 1861), this example shows the full demonetization treatment without penalty fee applied. Barely noticeable light vertical bend at right passing through the stamp and faint toned spot at top center not affecting any markings. A very fine and eye-appealing usage of this famous 1861 demonetization marking - especially desirable as the handstamp both ties the stamp and is particularly well struck.

Ex Grunin & Erivan, with 1975 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$7,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
4 c   image(26) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III affixed but uncancelled on cover to Henderson, Sibley County, Minnesota, with exceptional strike of black duplex "Philadelphia Pa. Oct 31, 1863" with 10-bar grid cancel at right, two strikes of the scarce "OLD STAMPS / NOT RECOGNIZED" handstamp at left, large "DUE 6" straightline handstamp denoting double deficiency, and "Germantown Pa. Oct 31" cds on reverse. An extremely fine and striking demonetization cover, showcasing an unusual late usage more than two years after the official 1861 demonetization deadline.

Ex Haas & Erivan, with 1977 and 1999 Philatelic Foundation certificates.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$5,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
5 c   image(26) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III tied by nice strike of black straightline “ILLEGAL STAMP” handstamp on circa 1866 cover from Vera Cruz, Mexico to New York City, addressed to Rutson Maury, with additional “New Orleans La. Dec. 28” cds tying stamp and second New Orleans CDS on reverse (top backflap); manuscript “Ship 6” and directive “Politeness of Col. Geo. H. Sweet,” the word “Mexico” appears on back, and docketing at left reads “Mrs. Genl. Stevens, Vera Cruz 15 Decr. Recd. 16 Jany.”

According to the docketing, this was mailed by the wife of former Confederate General Walter H. Stevens, then residing in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Stevens, a graduate of West Point (Class of 1848), was the last chief engineer of the Army of Northern Virginia and present with Lee at Appomattox before a brief imprisonment after the war. He later served as superintendent and chief engineer of the Mexican Imperial Railroad under Emperor Maximilian until his death from yellow fever in 1867. The referenced escort, Col. George Henry Sweet, was a former editor of the San Antonio Herald and Confederate commander of Camp Ford, the largest Confederate prisoner of war camp west of the Mississippi River. After the war, he traveled extensively in Mexico and maintained ties with the ex-Confederate community in exile.

The addressee, Rutson Maury, was a member of a distinguished family with deep transatlantic and early American roots. His grandfather, the Reverend James Maury, was the schoolmaster of a classical school attended by Thomas Jefferson, and his father, James Maury, was a lifelong friend of Jefferson’s and one of the first U.S. consuls appointed overseas - serving an extraordinary 39-year tenure as American consul in Liverpool from 1790 to 1829. Rutson himself inherited the family's commercial and international orientation but drew federal scrutiny during the Civil War for aiding the Confederacy by attempting to smuggle foreign correspondence through Union lines. In November 1861, federal authorities intercepted two trunks belonging to Rutson and his brother, F. Maury, and discovered nearly 300 letters - many from France, England, and South America - hidden in false compartments and addressed to Confederate recipients across the South. The exposure of this clandestine mail route was widely reported in the press.


The cover is opened for display with top flap reattached but overall a rare and visually dramatic use of the straightline “ILLEGAL STAMP” marking - applied in New Orleans to a long-demonetized 1857-61 Issue stamp on an inbound ship letter from Mexico with interesting Civil War-period figures connected on all sides of its journey.

Ex Haas & Brandon, with 1971 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$5,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
6 c   image(35) 1857-61 10c green Washington Type V tied by manuscript pen cancel with "Ripon Wis. Dec 17 1862" CDS at left on cover to Dunham, Canada East, manuscript "due 10" and "Old Style Stamp", the latter also tying the stamp. Windson transit and Montreal receiving backstamps. The stamp is defective, showing signs of having potentially been reused from an earlier cover and sent well after the August 1861 demonetization of the issue. A fine and scarce late attempted use of a 10c demonetized stamp across the U.S.-Canada border.

Ex Wagshal, with 1985 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$300.00
Will close during Public Auction
7 c   image(U9,65) 3c red on white Washington entire used by black "Elmira, N.Y. Feb 19" cds with manuscript "Old Stamped Envelopes" over embossed stamp at right and additional "Held for Postage" at center, repeated "Elmira, N.Y. Feb 19" cds on reverse. After postage received, the 1861 3c stamp was applied at left with "Elmira, N.Y. Feb 27" cds allowing its journey to Preston City, Connecticut. Edge faults at left from original envelope opening do not detract from this rare example of demonetization procedures applied to stationery entire envelopes.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$750.00
Will close during Public Auction
8 c   image(26,65) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III affixed to cover addressed to Rockford, Illinois but uncancelled with manuscript "old stamp not recognized" next to stamp, "La Salle, Ill Sep 19" (1861) cds at left alongside black boxed "Held for Postage" handstamp, partially drawn in due to cover repair at top left. The cover finally entered the mails with an 1861 3c Washington tied by black circle of spokes cancel and matching “La Salle, Ill Oct 8" (1861) cds. 1857-61 3c with tiny fault at top, partial backflap missing and repair at top left, still very fine appearance overall. A scarce and dramatic example of demonetization in practice.

Ex Chase & West.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction
1861-68 3c Issue
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
9 c   image(24,65) 1857-61 1c blue Franklin Type V and 1861 3c rose Washington, each tied by "New-York Apr 16, 1862" duplex cancel on cover to Col. Edmund Schriver at Maj. Gen. McDowell's Headquarters, Army of Virginia, Washington, D.C. The 1c stamp prepaid the carrier fee, while the 3c covered the standard first class rate. Presumably the clerk in New York missed the use of the demonetized 1857-61 Issue stamp on the cover during processing or was noticed but allowed to prepay the carrier fee. Tiny flaws on both stamps from edge placements and backflap tears, otherwise a fine and scarce Civil War-era use combining demonetized and replacement issues.

The addressee, Colonel Schriver, served as Inspector General and Chief of Staff for General McDowell at this time, overseeing the Department of the Rappahannock’s troop preparations and field logistics. A significant military addressee at a critical phase of early Union army organization.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$300.00
Will close during Public Auction
10 c   image(26,63,65) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III covered over by 1861 3c rose Washington used by black cancel alongside 1c blue Franklin paying the carrier fee with matching "Philadelphia PA Sep 5, 1861" cds at center on cover to Washington, DC. An intriguing use of the 1861 Issue stamps from Philadelphia covering over the recently demonetized 3c stamp.

With 1983 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$300.00
Will close during Public Auction
Pre-1861 Stamps & Postal History
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
11 O   image(26) 1857-61 3c dull red Washington Type III cancelled by "Mobile, Ala. May 31, 1861" double circle cds, marking the final official day of U.S. postal operations in the seceded Southern states. Postmaster General Montgomery Blair mandated that all U.S. post offices in rebellious states be closed as of May 31, 1861, effectively terminating the validity of U.S. postage stamps in the Confederacy. A few small perf faults, but still a fine example of an 1857-61 Issue stamp used on the final day of use under U.S. government control.


(Image)



Current Opening Price...$100.00
Will close during Public Auction
1861-68 3c Issue
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
12 c   image(64) 1861 3c pink Washington tied by blue rimless "Baltimore Md Sep 1" cds on Civil War patriotic cover addressed to Dowagiac, Michigan, part of backflap missing with repair and small tear at top, still overall a fine example of an 1861 3c pink used on a patriotic cover.


With 1979 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $1,250.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$300.00
Will close during Public Auction
13 c   image(64a) 3c pigeon blood pink Washington, two singles tied by black grid cancels with matching black "West Chester, PA Sep 11 1861" cds at center on clean cover addressed to Uriah H. Painter, Telegraph Office, Washington, DC. 


The addressee, then just 24-years old, was on his way to becoming one of the country's most influential Civil War correspondents. While serving as Washington bureau chief for the Philadelphia Inquirer, just six weeks before this cover was sent, Painter famously broke the news of the Union defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861 - scooping competing papers by a full day - and later reported on the Confederacy’s impending invasion of the North in 1862, triggering the Battle of Antietam. Coupling his journalism with business savvy, Painter was one of the earliest investors in Thomas Edison’s phonograph and Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, helping bring these inventions into public awareness. He was also active for decades in Washington’s power corridors as a correspondent and lobbyist.


The right stamp with a rounded corner at top left and the left stamp with short perforations, but neither detracts from the overall visual appeal of this double-weight cover sent to a true mover and shaker of the era, franked by two scarce 3c pigeon blood shade stamps.


With 2012 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $9,500

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$2,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
14 c   image(64a) 1861 3c pigeon blood pink Washington tied by blue "Louisville KY. Nov 17 1861" cds with duplex grid at right on wonderful Civil War shield patriotic cover to Fostoria, Ohio, with inscription below - "Fear not ABRAM, for I am thy SHIELD, and exceeding great reward. Gen. XV, 1." The stamp has a small toned spot at bottom right and the cover with toned spots at bottom right, still very fine appearing and rare example of an 1861 3c pigeon blood shade used on a Civil War patriotic cover.

With 2000 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $7,000.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
15 c   image(64a) 1861 3c pigeon blood pink Washington tied by black strike of "G.B.D. Nov. 6" two-line datestamp on elaborate Lincoln and His Cabinet design patriotic cover to Johnson’s Creek, New York. The stamp shows small faults, and the cover has minor edge wear and cosmetic flaws, but remains visually striking.


The G.B.D. marking—short for General Banks Division—was applied during General Nathaniel P. Banks’ early Civil War command. The lack of any specific geographic location in the handstamp was a deliberate security precaution to avoid disclosing troop positions or mail origin during wartime operations.


With 2003 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $7,500.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$1,500.00
Will close during Public Auction
16 c   image(64a) 1861 3c pigeon blood pink Washington tied by black "Gallipolis, Ohio, Nov 22" cds on red, white, and blue patriotic cover bearing Flag on Pole with Liberty Cap and Clouds design addressed to Ford, Geauga County, Ohio. The stamp is slightly oxidized but retains the character of the pigeon blood shade. Another cover from the same correspondence was in the William H. Gross collection bearing a 3c pigeon blood pink stamp on the same patriotic cover design, posted from Miamiville, Ohio on November 9. A fine and rare example of a 3c pigeon blood pink stamp used on a Civil War patriotic cover. 


With 1981 Philatelic Foundation certificate, cat. value $7,500.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$1,000.00
Will close during Public Auction
17 c   image(65) 1861 3c rose Washington tied by bold target cancel and matching "Washington, D.C. Nov 29, '62" cds on full-color illustrated patriotic cover depicting the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, addressed to Otsego, New York with intriguing shorthand characters at right. This richly illustrated cover features the U.S. Capitol dome still under construction, a powerful wartime symbol of the Union’s endurance and democratic ideals, very fine.


Ex Baron du Plessis, with 1980 Philatelic Foundation certificate. 

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction
18 c   image(63,65) 1861 1c blue Franklin and 3c rose Washington tied by black “Philadelphia Pa. Jun 3, 1863” cds on all-over illustrated patriotic cover showing the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon and Hospital in Philadelphia, sent to Wilmington, Delaware with manuscript directive “Care of Rev. Wm. Bissell”. The 1c stamp pays the carrier service to the post office in Philadelphia, top right corner of 3c stamp added, though still fine appearing overall.


The Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, established in May 1861, was the first organized institution of its kind in the United States, offering food, medical care, and comfort to Union troops passing through Philadelphia. This striking all-over design shows the hospital and saloon buildings in full architectural detail and serves as a tribute to the volunteerism that defined the city’s wartime relief efforts. An exceptional and visually dramatic patriotic cover from the home front, supporting soldier welfare during the Civil War.


With 1973 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$300.00
Will close during Public Auction
19 c   image(63,64b,20L18) 1861 1c blue Franklin, 3c rose pink Washington, three singles, and Boyd’s City Express Post 1c black on blue gray, all tied by indistinct New York cds and grid cancels on cover to San Francisco, California. Boyd stamp with slight fault, otherwise a very fine appearing transcontinental usage at the 10c prepaid rate in effect until July 1, 1863.


Ex Erivan, with 1982 Sorani certificate.

(Image)



Current Opening Price...$500.00
Will close during Public Auction
Stampless Covers
LotNo. Symbol CatNo. Lot Description
20 c   image1861 stampless Civil War patriotic cover featuring magnificent red and blue Flag and Eagle patriotic design with “THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAWS” slogan at base, mailed without postage and addressed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Manuscript endorsement at upper right which was not recognized, then struck with boxed “HELD FOR / POSTAGE” handstamp and matching “DUE 3” in circle marking.

Initially rejected in Georgetown, D.C. and routed to the Dead Letter Office (DLO), where it received a full strike of the scarce fancy oval “SOLDIER’S LETTER” and large double-circle “DEAD LETTER OFFICE / POSTAGE NOT PAID / PO. DPT” and "Georgetown, D.C. Oct 8 1861" datestamps on reverse. Upon further inspection, DLO officials confirmed the sender was a soldier, allowing the item to be released and sent without postage due under the provisions of the 1861 postal law, which permitted unpaid soldier mail to be delivered free of charge. The ornate oval “SOLDIER’S LETTER” was applied by the DLO to indicate its qualified status. Slightly reduced at right, but still an exceptional use - combining a patriotic design, DLO markings, and soldier’s mail privilege. 


With 1990 Philatelic Foundation certificate.

(Image) (Image 2) (All Images)

image



Current Opening Price...$400.00
Will close during Public Auction

Next Page or Return to Table of Contents

StampAuctionNetwork® is a registered trademark of Droege Computing Services, Inc
StampAuctionCentral and StampAuctionNetwork® are
Copyright © 1994-2025 Droege Computing Services, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Mailing Address: 20 West Colony Place
Suite 120, Durham NC 27705

If you want to Talk to Someone, call 919-403-9459 and ask for Tom Droege, or email support@stampauctionnetwork.com
Sign up for a paid or free membership | Lost your Links? Return to StampAuctionNetwork®
Instructional Videos - Master StampAuctionNetwork® | Need Help Selling your Collection?
Sign up for our Newsletter | Terms and Conditions.