| 1114 |
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 Pleasant Shade Va., 5c Blue (67X1). Position 1, top left corner sheet margins and large margins all around, faint gum toning, tied by clearly-struck greenish-blue
"Pleasant Shade Va. Apr. 14" (1862) circular datestamp on grayish-manila homemade cover to Petersburg Va., from the Donnan correspondence (from which the unique pair on cover originates), neat receipt docketing, cover slightly torn upon opening at
upper right corner, but the stamp is unaffectedEXTREMELY FINE STAMP AND ATTRACTIVELY TIED ON COVER. ONE OF THE FINEST RECORDED USED EXAMPLES OF THE PLEASANT SHADE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL AND ONE OF THREE COVERS AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS (TWO
WITH SINGLES). The tiny town of Pleasant Shade had a population of 57 in 1860. Robert E. Davis was appointed U.S. postmaster by President James Buchanan on January 11, 1860. He was appointed C.S.A. postmaster on July 27, 1861, and was replaced
by Eugene W. Spratley on July 14, 1863 (Richard L. Calhoun, The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia). Postmaster Davis had his provisional stamps printed at Andrew F. Crutchfield & Company, publisher of the local Petersburg
newspaper, The Daily Express. This was the firm that printed the nearly identical Petersburg provisionals (see page 172). Crutchfield & Co. used five of the settings from the Petersburg form, substituting the names of the post office and
postmaster, and printing the Pleasant Shade stamps in Blue instead of Red. The Calhoun census, which accords with our own, records a total of 22 stamps, including an unused block of six, an unused vertical pair, seven unused singles, a used
single off cover, a used single on piece, three singles on covers and one pair on cover. Details of the covers are provided in the description of lot 1114. The block and pair were reported by George B. Sloane to have been discovered in 1900 (Sloane's
Column, Stamps, Nov. 26, 1955). There are four recorded covers with the Pleasant Shade provisional: 1) Nov. 24 (1861), horizontal pair, to Messr. A. & J. M. Donnan, Petersburg Va., the earliest recorded use and only recorded used
multiple, ex Burger Brothers, Duveen, Worthington, Hind, Emerson, Caspary, Lightner, Dr. Graves, 2) Dec. 22 (1861), to Miss Rose Casier, Staunton Va., Tapling collection, British Library, 3) Apr. 14 (1862), to Alexander Donnan, Petersburg Va., ex
Caspary, Kilbourne and Gross, the cover offered here, and 4) May 21 (1862), to Miss Ella B. Smith, Christiansville Va., ex Ferrary and Caspary Ex Caspary, Kilbourne and Gross. With 2010 P.F. certificate (Image) Search for comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
27,500.00
SOLD for $37,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
