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

VERY FINE APPEARING AND RARE EXAMPLE OF THE SALEM N.C. POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ENTIRE WITH "PAID" AND "5" HANDSTAMPS. THIS IS THE EARLIEST KNOWN USE.

Fewer than ten examples of the "Paid" and "5" handstamped entire are known. The C.S.A. Catalog lists Nov. 27 as the earliest known use of this Ty. II handstamp, but this example predates that use by 18 days (Image)

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THE UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE SALISBURY N.C. EAGLE DESIGN POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

An article in the New Southern Philatelist (Feb. 1931, p. 117, copy accompanies) states that the postmaster of Salisbury in 1931 researched the office files in response to a request of the editor and found that the postmaster from April 13, 1861, to July 19, 1865, was Lewis Beard. However, a note in the files also stated that the Confederate States postmaster was "M. A. Smith," which is supported by a newspaper report stating that Moses A. Smith (1836-98) was confirmed as postmaster by the Confederate Congress (Carolina Observer, Aug. 6, 1861). The missing portion of the provisional handstamp has enough space to accommodate the name "M. Smith."

Ex Ferrary, Emerson, Caspary, Lilly and Solomon (Image)

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VERY FINE AND RARE. ONE OF ONLY FOUR EXAMPLES OF THE SELMA , ALABAMA, PROVISIONAL ON A CORNER CARD COVER RECORDED IN CROWN.

The Crown Survey contains only fifteen examples in total, four of which are on corner card covers (this example illustrated on p. 324).

Ex Hessel and Buchanan (Image)

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VERY FINE ON-COVER EXAMPLE OF THE SCARCE SPARTANBURG POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON RULED WHITE PAPER. APPROXIMATELY TWENTY COVERS ARE KNOWN .

John A. Lee was a prominent merchant who served as postmaster of Spartanburg from 1850 through the end of the war. Residents of Spartanburg remembered him as the "Wartime Postmaster" (John B. O. Landrum, History of Spartanburg County, available at Google Books -- thanks to Vince King for this citation).

Postmaster Lee created his provisional stamps by applying the "5" numeral rate marking inside the "Spartanburg S.C." double-circle datestamp on a sheet of paper. The stamps are known cut square and cut to shape. As one might imagine, the stamps come on a variety of papers. Two types of "5" markings were used, and one example is known with the denomination omitted. Most of the paper and numeral varieties are listed separately in the C.S.A. and Scott catalogues. However, the ruled paper variety is not listed in Scott (although it was in 1967 when this cover was last certified). It is mentioned in the C.S.A. Catalog as "unconfirmed with conflicting auction descriptions."

Spartanburg S.C. takes its name from the "Spartan Rifles," a group of militia soldiers during the Revolutionary War. The name was adopted by Confederate soldiers from Spartanburg during the Civil War.

Corporal Edward J. Dean and the Dean correspondence were the subjects of an article by the late Daniel M. Gilbert, published in the Confederate Philatelist.

Joseph Walker was enrolled as captain of the Spartan Rifles on April 13, 1861. Micah Jenkins, a resident of Yorkville, South Carolina, was mustered into service as colonel of the 5th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment in June 1861. He was elected colonel of the Palmetto Sharpshooters Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, on April 13, 1862, and promoted to brigadier general in July 1862.

Ex Meroni and Lilly. Raymond H. Weill backstamp. With 1967 P.F. certificate as Scott 78X1a, which at the time was the Scott listing for "with blue ruled lines" (Image)

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FINE EXAMPLE OF THE 5-CENT TELLICO PLAINS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL.

The Rheatown and Tellico Plains provisionals were printed by the same printer, using a typeset form of three subjects. The Tellico Plains postmaster, M.F. Johnson, reported that the printer was located in Knoxville and named "Hawes Lea." For the Tellico Plains provisional, which probably followed the Rheatown, the post office and postmaster's names were changed, and the third subject at right was reset with a 10c denomination. Only two are known used, including one on cover (both are December 1861 dates).

Ex Hessel (Image)

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FRESH AND VERY FINE. ONE OF ONLY SIX RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE TULLAHOMA POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL KNOWN TO US.

Dr. Thomas L. Ray in the Nov. 1960 Confederate Philatelist explains that after the Battle of Murfreesboro, the Army of the Tennessee went into 1862-63 winter quarters in the vicinity of Tullahoma. The soldiers quickly depleted the stamps on hand and the Tullahoma postmaster prepared provisional envelopes to help relieve the shortage. Apparently, not many were prepared as they are quite rare. The examples we record are dated Mar. 13, Mar. 28, Mar. 31 (the example offered here), Apr. 1 (or 11), Apr. 5 and Apr. 7, all in 1863.

Ex Green, Wilkinson, Myerson and Dr. Agre (Image)

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