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

VERY FINE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE OAKWAY POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL STAMP -- BOTH ON COVERS TO THE SAME ADDRESSEE. A SPECTACULAR RARITY.

Jobbery Sanders was appointed postmaster of Oakway, South Carolina, in 1858 and continued as the town's Confederate postmaster. Oakway's population in 1861 was only 200, and the volume of mail was too small to justify a wood or metal cancelling device, so Postmaster Sanders simply postmarked mail by hand. His primitive handstamped adhesive provisional stamps were probably short-lived and used on a very limited basis prior to the arrival of General Issue postage.

The Oakway provisional stamp was discovered as early as 1907, but only since 1975 has it received Scott Catalogue recognition. Research by the late Daniel T. Gilbert, who owned this ex-Worthington cover, provided the historical evidence validating the provisional stamp. Soon after this cover was certified as genuine by the Philatelic Foundation, the September 18 cover (ex Ferrary, Colson, Freeland, Dr. Graves, Birkinbine and D.K. collection) was submitted for certification by the Weills on behalf of the owner, the Rev. Paul B. Freeland. The September 18 cover, on which the stamp is tied by the ms. "Paid", has the "W.H.C." mark of Warren H. Colson, the preeminent dealer of the first half of the 20th century. The cover was in Colson's stock at the time of his death in 1963 and was acquired by the Weills; however, its existence was not widely known until 1976.

Mr. Gilbert established the validity of the Oakway provisional by traveling to South Carolina in 1974 and meeting J. B. Sanders, the postmaster's grandson, who was 95 at the time. Sanders immediately recognized his grandfather's writing and remembered him saying that he made up his own stamps before supplies of regular stamps arrived. Details of Gilbert's findings were published in the Confederate Philatelist (September-October 1975), and news of the ex-Ferrary cover appeared in the November-December 1976 issue of the same publication.

Ex Worthington and Gilbert. With 1972 C.S.A. and 1975 P.F. certificates (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF THE FANCY STAR IN CIRCLE PENSACOLA 5-CENT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ENTIRE. ONLY FOUR EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED IN THE CROWN SURVEY.

The significance of the "H" inside the star is unknown. Illustrated in Crown on p. 519. Ex Mueller (Image)

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VERY FINE. THIS IS THE FINER OF ONLY TWO SEPTEMBER 24, 1861, EARLIEST RECORDED USES OF THE PETERSBURG 5-CENT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. A BEAUTIFUL CORNER CARD COVER.

The census compiled by Richard L. Calhoun in The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia records two September 24, 1861 covers, which are the earliest known uses. The other is addressed to Jackson Miss. and bears a single stamp. This cover is in far better condition.

Ex Caspary (Image)

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VERY FINE. A RARE EXAMPLE OF THE PITTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE PROVISIONAL ON WOVE PAPER. ONLY TEN COPIES IN TOTAL ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING SEVEN COVERS. THIS IS THE LATEST 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

3) CR Ty. I, cover to Miss Julia Green, Sep. 25, ex Sanford, Duveen, Hind, Clapp, Moody, Hall and D.K. collection (Siegel Sale 1022, lot 1112)

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

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, the cover offered here

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.

Ex Hessel (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE PLEASANT SHADE VIRGINIA POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

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. 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 published in The Confederate Postmaster Provisionals of Virginia, 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.

Ex Dr. J. A. Graves (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE FIVE RECORDED COVERS BEARING THE RHEATOWN POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

The 5c provisional stamps issued by Postmaster D. Pence were printed by the same printer who produced the Tellico Plains Tenn. provisional. An affidavit by the Tellico Plains postmaster, M.F. Johnson, dated March 24, 1876, states that his stamps were printed in Knoxville by "Hawes Lea." The June dates recorded for the Rheatown suggest that it came first, and the postmaster's own recollections place the issue in "midsummer 1861" (see Crown book, p. 307). Although dated examples show usage into April 1862, a relatively long period of time, the issue is extremely rare.

The same basic type form containing three subjects was used for the Rheatown and Tellico Plains Tenn. provisionals. For the Rheatown, all three were 5c denominations. The inside border at the top of each stamp is made up of seven ornaments; the unique arrangement of the ornaments in each subject enables philatelists to identify the position of any stamp.

Our records contain at least a half-dozen off-cover examples the Rheatown 5c, including an unused pair, the only known multiple. The five covers and one dated piece we record are as follows (in chronological order, type identified):

1) Jun. 20 (1861), Ty. II, cover to Lt. D. R. Wilson, ex Worthington (his source code on back "11/26/04 Luff BISSS"), Caspary, Antrim, Weatherly, Kilbourne and D.K. collection (Siegel Sale 1022, lot 1115)

2) Jun. 30 (1861), Ty. I, small cover, faint address, Siegel 1984 Rarities Sale

3) Feb. 8 (1862), Ty. III, lady's embossed cover to Eliz. Devault, the only tied example, ex Caspary, Gallagher

4) Feb. 13 (1862), Ty. II, on piece (upper half of cover), ex Steves, Crown book

5) Feb. 15 (1862), Ty. I, cover to David Cleage, circular datestamp struck twice, ex Caspary

6) Apr. 9 (1862), Ty. II, cover to Mrs. Wm. Brown, ex MacBride, Dr. Graves, Boshwit, the cover offered here.

Ex MacBride, Dr. Graves and Boshwit (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE GEM EXAMPLE OF THE RHEATOWN POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL.

Our records of the Rheatown provisional list one unused single, one unused pair, five singles on covers, one pen-cancelled single on a dated piece, and three used singles. Only two are cancelled by the town datestamp. All of the other used stamps are cancelled by pen.

Ex Hessel (Image)

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FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE RINGGOLD, GEORGIA, PROVISIONAL ENTIRE. ONLY FIVE OR SIX ARE KNOWN.

The Crown survey and our own records of the Ringgold provisional contain five full entires, one of which is a late use with 5c Local Prints paying postage. A piece is also recorded and there may be a sixth entire.

Ex Meroni and Kimmel. Illustrated in Crown Survey on p. 313 (Image)

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VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, POSTMASTER’S PROVISIONAL.

Ex Judd (Image)

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