Lot Details

stamp cancelled with three pen strokes on 1864 folded lettersheet to Houston, Texas, tied by horizontal filing crease, "Gonzales Tex. 1" datestamp, datelined "Gonzales Texas, Nov. 1st 1864", stamp with small corner crease, reverse with typewritten notarized affidavit from T.W. House in 1899 confirming the cover's authenticity, very fine, one of three recorded covers with the Gonzalez provisional stamp on garnet paper (Scott $80,000)

Charles Deaton in his 2012 book, The Great Texas Stamp Collection, notes the existence of only three covers bearing this stamp and one additional example off cover. The stamp on all three of the covers is pen cancelled. Gonzales, Texas used advertising labels from the firm of Coleman & Law as provisional stamps twice during the Civil War (first in 1861 and later in 1864-65). John V. Law, co-owner of the firm, also served as the town's postmaster. As these labels were also attached to the insides of books (and perhaps medicine bottles) there have been numerous counterfeits produced over the years, and genuine uses on cover remain exceedingly scarce.

Provenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 989, 1956)

A. Earl Weatherly (Private transaction)

Charles E. and Lucy Kilbourne (R.A. Siegel Sale 815, 1999)