The D.K. Collection of Southern Postmasters' Provisionals of the American Civil War continued...

VERY FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE BATON ROUGE 2-CENT "McCCRMICK" ERROR, OF WHICH THIS STAMP IS THE ONLY ONE IN UNUSED CONDITION. A MAJOR RARITY OF SOUTHERN POSTMASTERS' PROVISIONALS.

Joseph McCormick was appointed to be Baton Rouge's postmaster in 1853 and served during the Civil War. He was succeeded by Christopher Breckenridge in 1864. The 2c, 5c and 10c provisional stamps were issued during McCormick's term.

The stamps were printed by George A. Pike, publisher of the local Baton Rouge newspaper, Comet and Gazette. They were printed from a typeset form of ten subjects, arranged in two horizontal rows of five. The setting was changed for each denomination, and two kinds of borders were used: the Maltese Cross ornamental border for the 2c, 5c and 10c, and the Criss-Cross (or lattice) border for a separate 5c printing. The 2c and 10c were printed in single colors of Green and Blue, respectively. Both types of the 5c stamp were printed in two colors.

For the 5c stamps a background "spider web" pattern was printed in Green, and the rest of the design was printed in Carmine. The Baton Rouge 5c, Greenville Ala. and Lenoir N.C. provisionals are the only Confederate stamps printed in two colors, and they are the first government-issued, bi-colored adhesive stamps to appear anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. As a technical point, the Lenoir provisional was handstamped in blue on paper with orange-red background lines. The Bridgeville Ala. and Unionville S.C. provisionals were handstamped in black within colored lines, but they are not considered bi-colored stamps.

Our records contain three examples of the 2c "McCcrmick" error: 1) Unused, ex Worthington and Col. Green, the stamp offered here, 2) Manuscript "X" cancel, ex Ferrary, realized $32,500 in our 2008 Rarities sale, 3) Tied by Nov. 30, 1861 datestamp on cover to New Orleans, ex Caspary, Lilly and Graves, offered in this sale as lot 1008.

The stamp offered here previously had a larger top margin, but it was reduced to remove an edge irregularity.

Ex Worthington, Col. Edward H. R. Green, Kirkman and Freeland. With 1989 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. THIS IS THE ONLY RECORDED EXAMPLE OF THE BATON ROUGE 2-CENT "McCCRMICK" ERROR USED ON COVER AND ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES ON OR OFF COVER. AN IMPORTANT SOUTHERN POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL RARITY.

Joseph McCormick was appointed to be Baton Rouge's postmaster in 1853 and served during the Civil War. He was succeeded by Christopher Breckenridge in 1864. The 2c, 5c and 10c provisional stamps were issued during McCormick's term.

The stamps were printed by George A. Pike, publisher of the local Baton Rouge newspaper, Comet and Gazette. They were printed from a typeset form of ten subjects, arranged in two horizontal rows of five. The setting was changed for each denomination, and two kinds of borders were used: the Maltese Cross ornamental border for the 2c, 5c and 10c, and the Criss-Cross (or lattice) border for a separate 5c printing. The 2c and 10c were printed in single colors of Green and Blue, respectively. Both types of the 5c stamp were printed in two colors.

For the 5c stamps a background "spider web" pattern was printed in Green, and the rest of the design was printed in Carmine. The Baton Rouge 5c, Greenville Ala. and Lenoir N.C. provisionals are the only Confederate stamps printed in two colors, and they are the first government-issued, bi-colored adhesive stamps to appear anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. As a technical point, the Lenoir provisional was handstamped in blue on paper with orange-red background lines. The Bridgeville Ala. and Unionville S.C. provisionals were handstamped in black within colored lines, but they are not considered bi-colored stamps.

Our records contain three examples of the 2c "McCcrmick" error: 1) Unused, ex Worthington and Col. Green, offered as lot 1007 in this sale, 2) Manuscript "X" cancel, ex Ferrary, realized $32,500 in our 2008 Rarities sale, 3) Tied by Nov. 30, 1861 datestamp on cover to New Orleans, ex Caspary, Lilly and Graves, the cover offered here.

The 2c Baton Rouge provisional is extremely rare on cover, with only six recorded, including five with the normal 11X1 and the cover offered here with the "McCcrmick" error.

Weill handstamp. Ex Caspary, Lilly and Dr. Graves (Image)

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VERY FINE. THE LARGEST RECORDED MULTIPLE OF THE BATON ROUGE PROVISIONAL. IN OUR OPINION, ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING ITEMS OF CONFEDERATE PHILATELY.

Joseph McCormick was appointed to be Baton Rouge's postmaster in 1853 and served during the Civil War. He was succeeded by Christopher Breckenridge in 1864. The 2c, 5c and 10c provisional stamps were issued during McCormick's term.

The stamps were printed by George A. Pike, publisher of the local Baton Rouge newspaper, Comet and Gazette. They were printed from a typeset form of ten subjects, arranged in two horizontal rows of five. The setting was changed for each denomination, and two kinds of borders were used: the Maltese Cross ornamental border for the 2c, 5c and 10c, and the Criss-Cross (or lattice) border for a separate 5c printing. The 2c and 10c were printed in single colors of Green and Blue, respectively. Both types of the 5c stamp were printed in two colors.

For the 5c stamps a background "spider web" pattern was printed in Green, and the rest of the design was printed in Carmine. The Baton Rouge 5c, Greenville Ala. and Lenoir N.C. provisionals are the only Confederate stamps printed in two colors, and they are the first government-issued, bi-colored adhesive stamps to appear anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. As a technical point, the Lenoir provisional was handstamped in blue on paper with orange-red background lines. The Bridgeville Ala. and Unionville S.C. provisionals were handstamped in black within colored lines, but they are not considered bi-colored stamps.

Multiples of the Baton Rouge provisional are extremely rare. Other than a few pairs, our records contain only this strip of five and a strip of three.

Ex Caspary, Dr. Graves and Hill. With 1998 P.F. certificate (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF FIVE RECORDED BATON ROUGE PROVISIONAL COVERS WITH THE PRINTED RETURN CARD OF GEORGE A. PIKE.

A biography of George A. Pike is available at the Library of Congress "Chronicling America" website (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88083120 ): "In December 1856, George A. Pike's Morning Comet and George C. McWhorter's Baton Rouge Daily Gazette were consolidated to form the Daily Gazette and Comet, which Pike edited with Rev. William H. Crenshaw. The brother of prominent Baton Rouge landowner and businessman William S. Pike, George Pike had been an outspoken member of the anti-Catholic, nativist Know-Nothing Party, which he promoted as editor of the Morning Comet and its predecessor the Daily Comet. By 1856 the party had split over the issue of slavery, whereupon Pike, now editor of the Daily Gazette and Comet, shifted his focus to the growing sectional crisis between North and South. Pike opposed southern secession and called for compromise on the issue of slavery. In the presidential election of 1860, he supported Constitutional Union Party candidate John Bell of Tennessee and his running mate Edward Everett of Massachusetts. However, he also spoke favorably of pro-Union Democrat Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. Louisiana secessionists whom Pike criticized included Senator John Slidell and Governor Thomas Overton Moore. In the months leading up to the election, the Daily Gazette and Comet reported on the activities of Unionists in and around Baton Rouge and on meetings of Bell and Douglas clubs. (The city ultimately cast the majority of its votes for Bell.) After the election, the paper reported local and regional responses to Lincoln's victory. Pike himself disagreed with Republican ideology in regard to slavery but considered Lincoln to have been fairly elected and encouraged southerners to adopt a 'wait and see' attitude. Published Tuesday through Saturday in four pages, the Daily Gazette and Comet consisted primarily of advertisements and thus helps document Baton Rouge's commercial life on the eve of the Civil War. Although the city's population was then only about 5,500, it was one of the most important shipping centers on the lower Mississippi River and had served as Louisiana's capital for eleven years. In addition to business news, Pike reported on sessions of the state legislature. Also of interest is news related to other local institutions, including the Louisiana Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind and the newly founded Louisiana Historical Society, which Pike served as secretary. Publication of the Daily Gazette and Comet was suspended for about two months during the Civil War and appears to have ceased entirely by war's end in favor of a weekly edition with which it had been published concurrently since 1856."

Illustrated in Crown book (page 44). Ex Caspary and Dr. Graves (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT BATON ROUGE PROVISIONAL WITH MALTESE CROSS BORDER. THIS IS PROBABLY THE FINEST CORNER-MARGIN EXAMPLE EXTANT.

Ex Caspary, Meroni and Dr. Graves. Weill backstamp (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT BATON ROUGE PROVISIONAL WITH MALTESE CROSS BORDER ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER.

The addressee, Jeanie Mort Walker, authored a book on the Civil War with the catchy title, Life of Capt. Joseph Fry, the Cuban Martyr: Being a faithful record of his remarkable career from childhood to the time of his heroic death at the hands of Spanish executioners, recounting his experience as an officer in the U.S. and Confederate navies, and revealing much of the inner history and secret marine service of the late civil war in America.

Ex Emerson, Caspary, Freeland and Dr. Graves (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. THE FINEST OF FIVE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE 5-CENT "McCCRMICK" ERROR ON COVER.

The addressee, Capt. Henry M. Favrot, was born in West Baton Rouge parish in 1826 and died there in 1887. He served as a member of the Louisiana legislature in the 1850's and was opposed to secession. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the Confederate Army and became captain of the "Delta Rifles," 4th Louisiana Infantry, and served throughout the entire war. Capt. Favrot participated in the Battle of Shiloh, was stricken with typhoid fever at Corinth and later returned to New Orleans. After his recovery he was sent to northern Virginia with rank of colonel to gather all the records of the Army of Northern Virginia. He remained on active duty until the close of the war, when he returned home on mule-back, bringing with him the army records he was sent to compile.

Our records contain five on-cover examples of the 5c "McCcrmick" error (11X2a): 1) Dec. 26, 1861, to Capt. Favrot, Berwick City La., ex Caspary, Lilly, Graves, the cover offered here, 2) Date? (possibly the Oct. 24 cover in Phillips census), George A. Pike return card cover to Mt. Lebanon, ex Meroni, Dr. Green, 3) Feb. 20, 1862, to Miss Jeanie Mort, Vernon Miss., ex Hessel (incorrectly listed in Phillips census as Feb. 26), 4) Feb. 3, 1862, no further details, listed in Phillips census as ex Walcott, 5) Oct 15, 1861, no further details, listed in Phillips census as ex Duveen.

Ex Caspary, Lilly and Dr. Graves (Image)

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VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE BATON ROUGE PROVISIONAL CANCELLED AT NEW ORLEANS.

This cover travelled 129 miles down river from Baton Rouge and entered the mails at the New Orleans wharf office where the double-circle datestamp was used. Based on surviving covers, it is evident that the postmasters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge would accept stamps on letters coming off river boats.

The addressee, Capt. Henry M. Favrot, was born in West Baton Rouge parish in 1826 and died there in 1887. He served as a member of the Louisiana legislature in the 1850's and was opposed to secession. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the Confederate Army and became captain of the "Delta Rifles," 4th Louisiana Infantry, and served throughout the entire war. Capt. Favrot participated in the Battle of Shiloh, was stricken with typhoid fever at Corinth and later returned to New Orleans. After his recovery he was sent to northern Virginia with rank of colonel to gather all the records of the Army of Northern Virginia. He remained on active duty until the close of the war, when he returned home on mule-back, bringing with him the army records he was sent to compile.

There are two recorded covers with a Baton Rouge provisional postmarked at New Orleans. This cover realized $18,500 hammer in our Sale 810 on Apr. 27, 1999 (lot 1845). A second example of the Baton Rouge provisional cancelled at New Orleans (Dec. 15, 1861, to Carroll Hoy & Co.), ex Steven Brown, realized $13,000 hammer in our sale of the Hall collection (Siegel Sale 823, lot 396) and $12,000 in the Spink/Shreves sale of the William H. Gross collection. The Scott Value of $20,000.00 is based on the 1999 realization.

Ex Caspary and Dr. Graves. (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE STAMP ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY ELEVEN COVERS WITH THE BATON ROUGE 5-CENT CRISS-CROSS BORDER STAMP ARE RECORDED -- THIS IS ONE OF TWO WITH A FOUR-MARGIN STAMP.

Richard L. Calhoun believes that the Criss-Cross border setting was the first one used to print stamps, based on type characteristics of the four different settings. However, dated examples suggest that the 5c Criss-Cross border stamps came from a second printing circa November 1861.

Crown records only eleven covers, all of which are single frankings, and our records reflect the same count. Only two covers have four-margin stamps (the other is offered in the following), and almost all covers have minor faults or flaps removed. This is the only cover with a "Due" handstamp (one other has a manuscript due marking).

Ex Brown, Shenfield and Kimmel (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE STAMP ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY ELEVEN COVERS WITH THE BATON ROUGE 5-CENT CRISS-CROSS BORDER STAMP ARE RECORDED -- THIS IS ONE OF TWO WITH A FOUR-MARGIN STAMP.

Richard L. Calhoun believes that the Criss-Cross border setting was the first one used to print stamps, based on type characteristics of the four different settings. However, dated examples suggest that the 5c Criss-Cross border stamps came from a second printing circa November 1861.

Crown records only eleven covers, all of which are single frankings, and our records reflect the same count. Only two covers have four-margin stamps (the other is offered in the following), and almost all covers have minor faults or flaps removed.

The addressee, L. H. Reynaud, was a member of the prominent Reynaud-Favrot family of New Orleans.

Ex Hussman, Worthington, Caspary and Skinner. With 2001 P.F. certificate (Image)

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