| 20 |
 |
 Dead Letter Office P.O. Dpt. Jun 17, 1861. Oval
datestamp (DLO-1) struck at top of buff cover to Warrenton Va., 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26) tied by large "Paid" grid cancel, red "Boston Mass. May 24" circular datestamp, "Washington D.C. Jun. 3, 1861" backstamp, bold "DUE 3 cts." straightline
handstamp, razor cut below address, Very Fine, a rare cover mailed from Boston to Virginia in late May 1861 after discontinuance of U.S. mail route into Virginia (May 23), thus diverted to Dead Letter Office, C.S.A. catalog value $2,500.00 (Image)Search for
comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
E. $ 1,000-1,500
SOLD for $2,200.00
Will close during Public Auction |
| 23 |
|
 SOUTHN. LETTER UNPAID. Blue two-line handstamp ties
12c Black, Plate 3 (36B) and 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26) on lady's embossed cover to Paris, France, addressed to "Monsieur Hippolyte Messant, place Dauphine No. 14" (presumably Hippolyte Villemessant of Figaro fame), "New
Orleans La. 10 Jun." (1861) circular datestamp and blue crayon "10" for prepaid Confederate postage, released from Louisville on June 27, "New York 9 Jun. 29" debit datestamp also ties stamps, manuscript "Due 15" (cents) applied in U.S. and "8"
decimes due handstamp applied in France, red French transit datestamp (Jul. 13), Paris receiving backstamps (Jul. 13), 3c with perfs trimmed at top, 12c blunted perfs at bottom -- totally inconsequential flawsVERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED
"SOUTHERN LETTER UNPAID" COVERS BEARING THE 12-CENT 1860 ISSUE AND ONE OF ONLY FIVE TO A FOREIGN DESTINATION. A SUPERB USE AND THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WISHNIETSKY CONFEDERATE STATES COLLECTION. The U.S. May 27 suspension order prohibited post
offices from forwarding southbound mail to disloyal Southern states. However, northbound mail continued to be sent via Louisville. Through June 6, northbound mails were forwarded to Louisville from Memphis or Nashville. From June 7 through 12, only
the Nashville post office forwarded mail to Louisville, and Louisville continued to forward mail north. With the resignation of W. D. McNish as Nashville's Federal postmaster on June 12 and the withdrawal of the U.S. mail agent from this route,
Louisville held the mails still being sent north by the discontinued post office at Nashville. On June 24, Dr. John J. Speed, the postmaster at Louisville, was advised to forward letters from the South to the loyal states after removing postage. With
approximately 5,000 such letters accumulating at Louisville by this date, Postmaster Speed employed a more practical means of invalidating postage by creating the "Southn. Letter Unpaid" handstamp. Because the U.S.-France treaty had a provision
for unpaid mail, this cover was allowed to go through the U.S. mails with no postage due until arrival in France. Two covers from this correspondence are known, both identically addressed on the same embossed envelopes. They were carried together in
the mail postmarked at New Orleans on June 10. The other cover (pictured on the cover of Special Mail Routes) has the Louisville June 27 datestamp and a second strike of the "Southn. Letter Unpaid" marking. They were presumably released on the
same day, which means that the Louisville office did not mark letters in a consistent manner. There are 29 "Southern Letter Unpaid" covers recorded in the Special Routes book (No. 25 has been deleted as a fake since publication). The five
recorded foreign-bound covers are as follows: 1) Louisville June 27, from St. Francisville La. to Prussia; 2) Louisville June 27, from Bayou Chene La. to France, ex Wunsch and Myers (Siegel Sale 882, lot 2001); 3) Louisville June 27, from New Orleans
to France (the other cover bearing Scott Nos. 36B and 26 and from the same correspondence as the cover offered here), Steven C. Walske collection, pictured on the front cover of the Special Routes book; 4) no Louisville datestamp, franked with
Scott Nos. 36B and 26, from New Orleans to France, ex Antrim, the cover offered here; and 5) Louisville Jul. 11, from Petersburg Va. to England, 24c 1860, ex Matthies and Dr. Graves Special Routes Census No. SLU-8. Ex Antrim (Image) Search for
comparables at SiegelAuctions.com |
E. $ 30,000-40,000
SOLD for $52,500.00
Will close during Public Auction |
