The Civil War, featuring the 'Ambassador' Collection continued...

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Get Market Data for [United States (Confederate States) 65X1]

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF NINE RECORDED COVERS SHOWING CONJUNCTIVE USE OF A CONFEDERATE POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL AND A GENERAL ISSUE. ONLY FOUR OF THESE COVERS HAVE ADHESIVE PROVISIONALS, AND ONLY TWO ARE KNOWN WITH THE PETERSBURG STAMP. WE CONSIDER THIS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING CONFEDERATE COVERS EXTANT.

We record a total of nine covers with a combination of a Confederate provisional (either adhesive, press-printed or handstamped) and a General Issue stamp to prepay postage -- we have excluded from this count a few covers on which the provisional served no postal duty. In our opinion, these combination frankings are significant and quite undervalued -- imagine what price would be paid for a Baltimore provisional handstamped entire with a U.S. 5c 1847 stamp, or a St. Louis "Bear" and 1847 combination.

The following is a list of the nine mixed-franking covers:

1) Columbia S.C. (18XU1) and 5c Green (1), Jan. 4, 1862, Siegel Sale 810, lot 1862

2) Columbia S.C. (18XU1) and 5c Green (1), Jan. 1, 1862, Crown book, p. 80, ex Dr. Brandon, Siegel Sale 1196, lot 991 (C.S.A. certificate states not a conjunctive use)

3) Columbia S.C. (18XU1) and 5c Blue, Local (7), Sep. 1, 1862, Siegel Sale 846, lot 2458

4) Charleston S.C. (16X1, repaired) and 5c Blue, London (6), Aug. 5, 1862

5) Lexington Miss. 5c Black entire (50XU1) and 5c Light Blue, London (6), Oct. 1862, ex Dr. Brandon, Siegel Sale 1073, lot 277

6) Memphis Tenn. 5c Red entire (56XU2) and 5c Green (1), Nov. 20, 1861, ex Dr. Brandon, Siegel Sale 1073, lot 299

7) New Orleans La. 5c Brown on Blue (62X4) and 5c Green (1), Jan. 11, 1862, Siegel 1983 Rarities sale, ex Dr. Skinner, Siegel Sale 958, lot 794

8) Petersburg Va. 5c Red (65X1) and 5c Green (1), Jan. 5, 1862, ex Muzzy

9) Petersburg Va. 5c Red (65X1) and 5c Green (1), Feb. 7, 1862, ex Brown, Brooks, Weatherly, Kilbourne and Kramer, the cover offered here

Illustrated in Stamp Specialist (Emerald Book, 1946, p. 39). Signed Ashbrook. Ex Brown, Brooks, Weatherly, Kilbourne and Kramer. With 1999 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THREE COVERS IN PRIVATE HANDS BEARING A RECTANGULAR-CUT EXAMPLE OF THE PITTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON WOVE PAPER. ONLY TEN COPIES IN TOTAL ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING SEVEN COVERS. THIS IS ALSO THE EARLIEST KNOWN USE.

James P. Johnson was appointed U.S. postmaster of Pittsylvania Court House (known as Chatham today) by President James Buchanan on January 20, 1859. He was appointed C.S.A. postmaster on July 29, 1861 (Richard L. Calhoun, The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia). During his term as postmaster Johnson issued a 5c Red provisional adhesive stamp bearing his name. The typeset design is nearly identical to the Danville typeset provisional, and Danville's postmaster, William D. Coleman, stated that his stamps were printed at the offices of the Democratic Appeal. For this reason philatelists assume that the same printer produced both postmasters' stamps, substituting one name for the other. The Pittsylvania Court House stamps were printed on wove and laid papers. Dangerous counterfeits on wove paper were made from type and borders that closely resemble the originals, and these are often counted in census work. The count of genuine examples currently (and correctly) stands at 10 on Wove (66X1) and 3 on Laid (66X2).

Our records of the Pittsylvania Court House 66X1 provisional include the following:

CR = cut rectangular; CS = cut to octagonal shape; Ty. I = No space between "T" and "S" of "Cents" Ty. II = Gap between "T' and "S" of "Cents"

1) CR Ty. I, previously uncancelled on a Nov. 11 cover to Mrs. Ruth Hairston, Cascade Va., steamed from cover with original gum intact on stamp, ex Deats (as a cover; photo in P.F. files), Caspary, Lilly

2) CS Ty. II, tied on piece, Nov. 22 circular datestamp, ex Caspary, Siegel Sale 1104, lot 2270

3) CR Ty. I, cover to Miss Julia Green, Sep. 25, ex Sanford, Duveen, Hind, Clapp, Moody, Hall and "D.K." collection, the cover offered here

4) CR Ty. I, cover to Abram Fackler, Nov. 5, ex Caspary, Boker and Haub

5) CR Ty. I, cover to Lt. R. W. Martin, Sep. 27, ex Kilbourne (Siegel Sale 815, lot 135) and Gross

6) CS Ty. I, cover to John Payne, ex Hessel and Dr. Brandon (Siegel Sale 1073 lot 326)

7) CS Ty. I, cover to Sue Henry, Jan. 20 (1862), ex Ferrary

8) CS Ty. I, cover to Wm. Hunt, Nov. 4, ex Brooks, Klep

9) CR Ty. I, cover to Clark & Holt, British Library, Tapling collection;

10) CS Ty. II, tied on piece, Nov. 6, Siegel 1985 Rarities sale and Sale 1132, lot 3197

Ex Sanford (mentioned in a Feb. 5, 1893, New York Times article about the sale), Duveen, Hind, Clapp, Moody, Hall and "D.K." collection. With 2002 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE APPROXIMATELY TWENTY KNOWN COVERS BEARING THE SPARTANBURG POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

Spartanburg S.C. takes its name from the "Spartan Rifles," a group of militia soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The name was adopted by Confederate soldiers from Spartanburg during the Civil War. John A. Lee was a prominent merchant who served as postmaster of Spartanburg from 1850 through the end of the war. Residents of Spartanburg remembered him as the "Wartime Postmaster" (John B. O. Landrum, History of Spartanburg County, available at Google Books -- thanks to Vince King for this citation).

Postmaster Lee created his provisional stamps by applying the "5" numeral rate marking inside the "Spartanburg S.C." double-circle datestamp on a sheet of paper. The stamps are known cut square and cut to shape. As one might imagine, the stamps come on a variety of papers. Two types of "5" markings were used, and one example is known with the denomination omitted. Most of the paper and numeral varieties are listed separately in the C.S.A. and Scott catalogues.

Ex Ferrary, Hind, Hall and Gross. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE APPROXIMATELY TWENTY KNOWN COVERS BEARING THE SPARTANBURG POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

Spartanburg S.C. takes its name from the "Spartan Rifles," a group of militia soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The name was adopted by Confederate soldiers from Spartanburg during the Civil War. John A. Lee was a prominent merchant who served as postmaster of Spartanburg from 1850 through the end of the war. Residents of Spartanburg remembered him as the "Wartime Postmaster" (John B. O. Landrum, History of Spartanburg County, available at Google Books -- thanks to Vince King for this citation).

Postmaster Lee created his provisional stamps by applying the "5" numeral rate marking inside the "Spartanburg S.C." double-circle datestamp on a sheet of paper. The stamps are known cut square and cut to shape. As one might imagine, the stamps come on a variety of papers. Two types of "5" markings were used, and one example is known with the denomination omitted. Most of the paper and numeral varieties are listed separately in the C.S.A. and Scott catalogues.

Corporal Edward J. Dean and the Dean correspondence were the subjects of an article by the late Daniel M. Gilbert, published in the Confederate Philatelist. Joseph Walker was enrolled as captain of the Spartan Rifles on April 13, 1861. Micah Jenkins, a resident of Yorkville, South Carolina, was mustered into service as colonel of the 5th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment in June 1861. He was elected colonel of the Palmetto Sharpshooters Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, on April 13, 1862, and promoted to brigadier general in July 1862.

Ex Hessel. Signed E. Stern. With 2016 P.F. certificate (Image)

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THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT SPARTANBURG PROVISIONAL ON BLUISH PAPER, ON OR OFF COVER.

Spartanburg S.C. takes its name from the "Spartan Rifles," a group of militia soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The name was adopted by Confederate soldiers from Spartanburg during the Civil War. John A. Lee was a prominent merchant who served as postmaster of Spartanburg from 1850 through the end of the war. Residents of Spartanburg remembered him as the "Wartime Postmaster" (John B. O. Landrum, History of Spartanburg County, available at Google Books -- thanks to Vince King for this citation).

Postmaster Lee created his provisional stamps by applying the "5" numeral rate marking inside the "Spartanburg S.C." double-circle datestamp on a sheet of paper. The stamps are known cut square and cut to shape. As one might imagine, the stamps come on a variety of papers. Two types of "5" markings were used, and one example is known with the denomination omitted. Most of the paper and numeral varieties are listed separately in the C.S.A. and Scott catalogues.

This 5c Spartanburg provisional (Type C as listed in C.S.A. Catalog) has a smaller and thicker "5" handstamped inside the undated town double-circle postmark. It is known on blue paper with horizontal ruled lines (offered here) and on brown wove paper. Our records contain only one example of each, both ex Caspary.

Corporal Edward J. Dean and the Dean correspondence were the subjects of an article by the late Daniel M. Gilbert, published in the Confederate Philatelist. Joseph Walker was enrolled as captain of the Spartan Rifles on April 13, 1861. Micah Jenkins, a resident of Yorkville, South Carolina, was mustered into service as colonel of the 5th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment in June 1861. He was elected colonel of the Palmetto Sharpshooters Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, on April 13, 1862, and promoted to brigadier general in July 1862.

Ex Emerson and Caspary. (Image)

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VERY FINE STAMP AND THE ONLY RECORDED COVER WITH THE TELLICO PLAINS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. AN OUTSTANDING WORLD-CLASS RARITY.

The Rheatown and Tellico Plains provisionals were printed by the same printer, using a typeset form of three subjects. For the Tellico Plains provisional, which probably followed the Rheatown, the post office and postmaster's names were changed, and the third subject at right was reset with a 10c denomination. Only two used examples are recorded, both December 1861 dates -- the unique cover offered here and an off-cover 5c, illustrated in the Crown book (p. 337). It, too, bears a manuscript cancel, dated December 12th. In our opinion the cancel and address are from the same hand and pen; the court address indicates possible official usage of the adhesive.

Ex Ferrary, Hind, Emerson, Brooks, Everett, Kilbourne and Gross (Image)

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THE CELEBRATED AND UNIQUE PANE OF THE UNIONTOWN 2-CENT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL, DISCOVERED BY THE WEILLS OF NEW ORLEANS IN 1938. NO OTHER EXAMPLES OF THIS PRINTING ON WHITE PAPER ARE KNOWN, AND ONLY TWO OTHER UNIONTOWN 2-CENT STAMPS ARE RECORDED (EACH ON COVER). AN EXTRAORDINARY SURVIVAL OF ONE OF THE RAREST STAMPS IN THE WORLD.

Uniontown's postmaster at the start of the C.S.A. postal system was Parham N. Booker. Parham, one of eleven children, was the namesake son of a U.S. internal revenue officer. The senior Booker represented Madison County in the legislature in 1836 and moved to Uniontown sometime later. He became a planter and hotel keeper, and he also served as postmaster and mayor of the town. Booker Senior died in 1861, and we are not certain if both father and son ran the post office. Because of a permanent physical disability, Booker Junior did not serve in the Confederate Army, but served the government in a civil department.

The Uniontown 2c provisional is one of six 2c provisional stamps issued by Confederate post offices -- Baton Rouge, Macon, Memphis, Mobile and New Orleans are the others. The Uniontown and Macon provisionals are the rarest of this group. Of the Macon 2c, just four stamps are known, including three on covers. The Uniontown 2c is represented by this sheet on white paper (the only examples recorded on this paper) and two covers with the 2c on Gray Blue paper, both drop-rate uses, one with a Position 1 top left corner copy (ex Ferrary, Caspary, Lilly, Boker and Haub) and the other with a Position 2 top right corner copy (ex Hessel and Haub). We know of no other examples, nor does the Crown book on the Uniontown Provisionals list any others.

In an account by telephone, Raymond H. Weill recollected that in 1938 the 2c sheet was brought to the Weills in New Orleans by a woman who had family correspondence from Uniontown. Enclosed with one of the letters inside a cover was the 2c sheet, and the letter commented that these stamps were being used in Uniontown. Regrettably, the letter has long since vanished. The Weills sent the sheet to Alfred H. Caspary, asking for his opinion of genuineness (because the 2c stamp was not listed on white paper), and offering him the sheet. Caspary declared it genuine, but declined the offer, explaining that he was concentrating on covers.

Later in 1938, John Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company visited the Weills and bought the sheet, presumably hoping to sell it to Caspary and unaware that the offer had already been made. The sheet remained in Nassau's inventory until the stock was sold in a 1953 H. R. Harmer auction, at which sale the sheet was bought by a Birmingham Ala. collector named J. Hubert Scruggs. It was subsequently donated to Father Flanagan's Boys Town and sold for their benefit in 1991 at an auction by Superior in Los Angeles. Charles Kilbourne acquired the sheet at the Boys Town auction. When the Siegel firm sold the majority of the Kilbourne Confederate Provisionals in 1999, William H. Gross was the winning bidder for the 2c Uniontown sheet (Sale 815, lot 152). Charles F. Shreve sold the Gross Confederate collection in 2009 (Spink-Shreves sale, Nov. 19, 2009, lot 41) and at that sale the sheet was acquired by Ambassador Middendorf.

This 2c sheet perfectly illustrates the relative positions of the four different subjects, which are distinctive in the style and arrangement of the corner ornaments and hyphens after the letters "CSA". The solid oval-shaped ornaments (Losenge) are found in the four corners of Positions 1, 3 and 4. Only Position 2 (upper right) has the Lobe corner ornaments at the top and the Loop ornaments at the bottom corners, as well as the Loops beneath "Paid", making it easily distinguishable from the other positions. Only Position 3 (lower left) has the Losenge corner ornaments at right turned in the wrong direction and the Lobe ornament used instead of the Loop at top (third from the left). Positions 1 and 4 are configured similarly to each other, with Losenge ornaments in the same directions in all four corners; they differ in the "CSA" type arrangement -- Position 1 has no hyphen after "A", while Position 4 has a hyphen.

Illustrated on front cover of Francis J. Crown's Uniontown, Alabama, Postmaster's Provisionals. Ex Scruggs, Father Flanagan's Boys Town, Kilbourne and Gross. With 1987 A.P.S. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE STAMP ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY 13 COVERS WITH THE UNIONTOWN 5-CENT ON GRAY BLUE PAPER ARE RECORDED IN THE CROWN CENSUS.

Ex Caspary. With Raymond H. Weill backstamp. Scott value $15,000.00 (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY THIRTEEN COVERS BEARING THE UNIONTOWN 5-CENT ON WHITE PAPER ARE RECORDED IN THE CROWN CENSUS.

The Cobb correspondence was found by R. S. Nelson of Birmingham, Alabama. According to reports at the time of the discovery, Mrs. Cobb had been ill in a Montgomery hospital, and her husband wrote to her from Uniontown daily, and sometimes twice a day, for some three weeks” (Crown book, page 344).

Ex Caspary, Antrim and Gross. With clear 1997 C.S.A. certificate. Scott value $15,000.00 (Image)

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