The Buck Boshwit Collection of Confederate States continued...

FINE. ONE OF ONLY THREE RECORDED 5-CENT MEMPHIS PROVISIONAL TETE-BECHE PAIRS ON COVER, AND THE ONLY COVER RECORDED PAIR WITH THE STAMPS FOOT-TO-FOOT.

If we count only the tete-beche printing varieties and exclude the multiples which contain sideways positions on the plate, there are just three recorded examples of the Memphis 5c provisional tete-beche. Each is a pair on cover, and each shows a unique orientation. The vertical pair on the cover offered here has the impressions aligned foot to foot. The other two are a head-to-head vertical pair and side-to-side horizontal pair. These tete-beche multiples were created during the work-and-turn printing process. They differ from the sideways tete-beche multiples, which reflect the unusual 5c plate layout (see lot 314). The sideways multiples are only known in unused condition.

The stamp to the left (as positioned on this cover) shows some of the plate marks of Position 45 (Pratt named this Position 37 in his plating diagram, because he assigned "S" numbers 1-10 to the sideways positions). If we imagine the second plate impression on the same sheet of paper to be turned 180 degrees and aligned below the bottom row, then the adjacent stamp (to the right on this cover) would be Position 47 (Pratt's Position 39). Neither Pratt nor we have been able to analyze Position 47 (or 48) for plating marks (they are missing from the block of 37 in lot 314). However, the alignment between the full impression and the small portion of the adjoining stamp to the right, which is visible in the margin, does not match the alignment of any two of the other known positions in the bottom row. Therefore, by process of elimination, it seems almost certain that this pair comes from one of the two Position 45/47 vertical tete-beche pairs in the original sheet.

Illustrated in the Pratt book on page 30. Ex Worthington (acquired from New England Stamp Co. on 3/9/1907), Caspary, Wise and Pope. (Image)

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

Ex Hind and Pope (Image)

VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE USE OF THE 5-CENT MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON A JEFFERSON DAVIS MEDALLION PATRIOTIC COVER.

With 1980 P.F. certificate (Image)

FINE. AN EXTRAORDINARY USE OF THE MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ON A SLAVE DEALER'S ADVERTISING COVER.

Printed corner cards and advertising envelopes rarely mention the slave trade, although the institution was part of the Southern culture and economy. Examples of slave trade corner cards are very scarce, and this example with the Memphis postmaster's provisional is incalculably rare.

The John W. Chrisp & Co. firm is identified in the advertisement as "Successors to Forrest, Jones & Co." The Forrest is Nathan Bedford Forrest, the Confederate general.

Signed Dietz. Ex Mueller, Matz and Green (where it realized $12,000 hammer in our Sale 822). (Image)

FINE APPEARANCE. A MAGNIFICENT MATCHING PAIR OF HOTEL CAMEO CORNER CARD COVERS WITH THE 5-CENT MEMPHIS POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DUPLICATE AND IDEALLY SUITED FOR EXHIBITION.

Ex Pope (Image)

VERY FINE AND STRIKING APPEARANCE. AN EXTREMELY RARE USE OF THE MEMPHIS PROVISIONAL ON AN EAVES-PRODUCED CAMEO CORNER CARD COVER.

Ex MacBride and Green. (Image)