Auction Detail
3070 – ERIVAN X
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 5c green & carmine, Maltese Cross border, margins clear on three sides, into at foot, tied by partial Baton Rouge c.d.s. to cover with GEORGE A. PIKE corner card in blue, to Mount Lebanon, Louisiana, a few opening tears at top and some adhesion repairs to reverse, a rare usage, one of only six recorded examples in the Crown census showing the Pike advertisement, ex Meroni.
Beaumont, Texas, 10c black on pink, four large to very large margins, on cover to Mrs. C. Saml. Watson in Galveston, Texas, endorsed "care of Mrs. C.M Seymour" at lower left, without postal markings, cover with significant restoration, piece on which stamp has been affixed torn off and subsequently replaced, despite the cover's repairs, a lovely and rare stamp, quite fresh, and with exceptional provenance; ex Caspary, Lilly.
Camden, South Carolina, 10c rose, 1862, large to huge margins on three sides, showing portion of adjoining stamp at top and bottom, just touching outer frameline at right, the adhesive having been tied to cover by red "Camden / SC / Apr / 21" c.d.s., lifted and lowered to show the Camden Postmaster's Provisional rate handstamp PAID 10, to Collingsburgh, Louisiana, reduced at right, fine and most unusual; with 2023 Civil War Philatelic Society certificate.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 5c black entire, neatly-struck provisional handstamp on 1862 10-star Confederate Flag patriotic cover to Fort Defiance, Alabama, handstamped PAID and postmarked with "Chapel Hill N.C. / Jan / 24" c.d.s., a rare and attractive cover, one of only eight recorded Chapel Hill provisional examples in the Crown census, three of which are patriotic covers.
Danville, Virginia, 10c black entire, showing both types of the PAID 10 in Danville circle provisional, further handstruck PAID 10 in black for the over 500 mile rate to Greenwood, South Carolina, toning spots at right, piece cut from back flap and the odd repaired tear, but a rare entire, with only seven examples of any Danville 10c handstamped envelope listed in the Crown census, this being the unique example bearing both types; 1982 Confederate Stamp Alliance certificate no longer accompanies.
Galveston, Texas, 10c black handstamped envelope, "3" of "3 PAID" not removed, black "10" struck above, fair strike at upper right, with "Galveston / Tex / Apr / 19 / 1864" double-circle c.d.s. postmark, paying the uniform letter rate to Anderson, Texas, some hinge repairs to back, of no importance given the tremendous rarity of this provisional, the finer of the only two examples recorded in Crown of this change in denomination.
Galveston, Texas, 20c black handstamped envelope, fair strike at upper right, corresponding "Galveston / Tex / Aug / 18 / - " double-circle c.d.s. at left, double-weight folded cover to His Excellency Governor Henry W. Allen in Shreveport, Louisiana, light vertical filing fold, the only recorded example by Dietz or Crown of this 20c marking, an important Confederate rarity; ex Hill, Camina, illustrated in Dietz.
Goliad, Texas, 5c black on white, large margins at right and foot, just touching at top and lower left, signed “Clarke – PM” in red and cancelled with black “PAID” handstamp, central repaired thin and some light aging, a fine-appearing Postmaster Provisional rarity, one of only two off-cover examples recorded by Crown; ex Kirkland.
Goliad, Texas, 5c black on rose, large margins on three sides, clear at top, signed “Clarke – PM” in black, cancelled with black PAID handstamp, pressed crease at top, repaired tear at right extending to "M" of "PM", else a fine-appearing example of this Confederate rarity, the sole off-cover example recorded by Crown; ex Steves, Caspary, Kirkland.
Goliad, Texas, 10c black on rose, signed "Clarke / PM" large margin at right, else lightly touching in places, affixed to patriotic cover depicting a soldier, tents, and ten-star flag, to Col. D. Hardeman, Santa Gertrudas, Kings Ranch, Texas, backstamped "R.H.W. Co" (Raymond H. Weill), cover with some toning and trivial edge faults, adhesive with vertical crease, yet a Confederate rarity of great renown, having graced several of the most famed collections ever formed; the only on-cover example recorded by Crown, and one of only two examples extant, the other being a used single. ex Ferrary, Hind, Caspary, and Lilly.
Illustrated in Dietz "The New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook"
Dietz records that " these provisionals were press-printed from typeset forms in the office of a local newspaper, the Messenger, owned by the Rev. A.M. Cox, a Methodist minister, who set the time and did the printing."
Horn Lake, Mississippi, 1861, 3c red postal stationery cover, handstamped PAID in black with “10” in manuscript above, adjacent Horn Lake, Mississippi c.d.s. (Oct), affixed overtop indicia with small black boxed “10” adhesive on very thin bluish pelure paper, to Montgomery, Texas, docketed on flap “Rec’d Oct 30th /61”, tear at upper right into indicia with small sealed tear extending into label, some light toning at right edge, a most unusual item, to date the only recorded example.
Very little is known of the origins of this purported Postmaster Provisional. Hugo Dietz in his 1929 “the Postal Service of the Confederate States of America” shows a partial illustration, referring to it as the “Horn Lake, Miss. Curio”, and identifying it as being from the collection of Mr. Fred Green of Fort Sam Houston. Dietz does not comment on its legitimacy, and instead asks the question “Who will define its status?” Despite first being documented nearly 100 years ago, it remains the only known example, and continues to be unlisted in Scott.
Iuka, Mississippi, 5c black handstamped envelope, bold strike of provisional marking, on cover postmarked "Iuka Miss Sep 25 1861", to Autauga(ville) Alabama, one of only ten recorded covers, a choice strike, arguably the clearest extant, and the earliest recorded example of this rare provisional.