The Brandon Collection, Part 1: Postmasters' Provisionals continued...

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EXTREMELY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE MARION, VIRGINIA, 5-CENT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

The Marion Va. 5c and 10c provisional stamps, with their distinctive "Check" label at top, were issued by Postmaster James H. Francis in 1861. The stamps were printed in two steps: first, the typeset form containing the border and words "P. Office, Marion, Va., Check. Paid" was impressed; then the value, "5" or "10" was handstamped on the blank center. Postmaster Francis described his stamps in a January 1880 letter to August Dietz, and he offered to make more from the "die" which he still possessed. Various "reprints" made from the typeset form were made by John W. Scott, including 2c, 15c and 20c values that have never been seen genuinely used.

Genuine Marion provisional stamps are extremely rare. Our records and the Calhoun census contain a total of 11 examples of the 5c, including 4 covers (one of which is in the British Library's Tapling collection), 3 stamps remaining on pieces, 3 used off cover and an unused example on bluish paper (of uncertain status, but counted in our census)

Ex Caspary (Image)

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FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE AND DESIRABLE 2-CENT MEMPHIS PROVISIONAL USE ON COVER. ONLY ELEVEN COVERS ARE KNOWN TO US.

Matthew Campbell Gallaway (1820-1898), a colorful newspaper editor and aide-de-camp to General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the Memphis Confederate postmaster who issued adhesive stamps and press-printed envelopes until Memphis fell to Federal forces in June 1862. Gallaway was often referred to as "Colonel," but military records show that he was paroled on May 10, 1865, as a 1st Lieutenant and Acting A.D.C. on General Forrest's staff (www.fold3.com). In August 1866 Gallaway, after resuming his position as editor of the Avalanche, was shot through the hand in a murder attempt by a United States tax collector named G. W. Wood (New York Times, Aug. 26, 1866). Gallaway survived and continued working as a newspaper editor until his retirement in 1887. He lived another decade, almost long enough to experience the arrival of the 20th century.

We have attempted to verify and locate images for each of the Memphis 2c provisional covers listed in the census by Billy Matz (Confederate Philatelist, Mar. 1967) and the Hart survey in the Crown book. We have located images for 11 of the 13 covers listed. Two of the covers are addressed to James Street Esq. in Memphis and apparently have never been publicly offered (they were shown to us by the owner). One of the Street covers has an illegible datestamp, and the stamp on the other is tied by the target cancel. We assume that the dates in the Matz census (Aug. 2 and Oct. 7, 1861) were taken from the letters in these two covers, because we cannot find any other covers addressed to James Street. The two covers which we have been unable to verify with photographs are: "November 10, 1861; to Rev. Thomas Taylor, Newcastle, Tenn." -- this entry is apparently based on the Charles J. Phillips census, which identifies the cover as coming from the Manning collection, but a cover addressed to another post office would require 5c unless it was a circular rate. We would like to see a photograph of this cover. (From the Frank Hart survey): "H. C. Crane has Hon. J. G. Ham, Gov. of Tennessee, Nashville, Tenn." -- again, it seems odd that this cover is addressed to another post office. We would like to see a photograph of this cover.

Ex Matz and Rudy (Image)

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VERY FINE. A SPECTACULAR COVER COMBINING MULTIPLE DESIRABLE ELEMENTS. MEMPHIS IS THE ONLY POST OFFICE REPRESENTED BY COVERS COMBINING THE POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ADHESIVE AND PRINTED ENTIRE. THIS IS ALSO THE EARLIEST KNOWN USE FOR BOTH THE 5-CENT ADHESIVE AND THE PRESS-PRINTED ENTIRE, AND A FORWARDED USE WITH THE FIRST POSTAGE PAID BY STAMPS AND THE SECOND POSTAGE PAID BY CASH.

Three Confederate post offices issued provisional adhesive stamps and printed entires concurrently: Charleston S.C., Lynchburg Va. and Memphis Tenn. Of the three, only a few Memphis entires are known with an additional 5c provisional stamp for the 10c rate. In this case, the distance between Memphis and Havana is approximately 250 miles, well under the 500-mile limit for 5c. Therefore, the weight must have exceeded one-half ounce. The forwarding postage was paid in cash as a single rate.

The new C.S.A. Catalog lists this cover as the earliest known use of both provisionals -- by a wide margin. July 8 for 56X2 and July 4 for 56XU1-56XU4 are the next earliest recorded dates of use. It is believed that the Memphis provisionals were printed on June 19, 1861, making it unlikely that this earliest known use will be eclipsed by another.

Ex Emerson, Weatherly and Matz. Accompanied by a 1975 letter from Billy Matz to Ralph Brandon attesting to the authenticity of the cover and expressing his strong desire to purchase it back. Mr. Brandon purchased it as lot 1479 in Siegel Sale 472, which contained the extensive Matz collection of Memphis Provisionals (Image)

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VERY FINE. A REMARKABLE USE OF THE MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON AN ADAMS SOUTHERN EXPRESS ADVERTISING COVER. ACCOMPANIED BY AN ORIGINAL PRINTED NOTICE RELATED TO THE TRANSFER OF ADAMS EXPRESS OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHERN EXPRESS.

Enclosed in this cover is a printed notice from Henry B. Plant, datelined Augusta, July 6, 1861, announcing the purchase of Adams's southern offices and the formation of the Southern Express Company with the board of directors listed.

This pair of items forms a spectacular and historic exhibit page chronicling the Southern Express Company's role in transmitting correspondence across the lines of war.

Ex Seacrest and Walske. Illustrated in Special Routes book (p. 184) (Image)

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VERY FINE. A COLORFUL AND RARE USE OF A PAIR OF THE 5-CENT MEMPHIS PROVISIONAL ON A CONFEDERATE FLAG PATRIOTIC COVER.

Ex Matz (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A COLORFUL AND EXTREMELY RARE USE OF THE MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON A JEFFERSON DAVIS MEDALLION PATRIOTIC COVER.

The Memphis 5c provisional is known on Jefferson Davis Medallion Patriotic covers in single-color Blue, Black and dual-color Red and Blue. All are rare and we believe the Red and Blue is the most visually striking (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE AND BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON A COLORFUL PATRIOTIC COVER.

Ex Matz (Image)

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FINE APPEARING AND EXCEEDINGLY RARE USE OF THE 5-CENT MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON THIS 12-STAR CONFEDERATE FLAG PATRIOTIC COVER.

Ex Matz (Image)

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