Lot Details
June 2023
"Erivan" Collection Part IX and Canal Zone Stamps and Covers
Our June sales include Part IX of the "Erivan" Collection of United and Confederate States Postal History and a catalogue of Canal Zone stamps and covers featuring the collections of James W. Crumpacker and Paul F. Ammons.
Greenville, AL
uncancelled as always, fresh colors and mostly large margins, on cover to Talladega, Alabama with "Greenville Ala. Nov 1" datestamp at left, very fine, one of just two covers recorded with this beautiful stamp, a remarkable Confederate States rarity (Scott $47,500)
Greenville was one of three Confederate municipalities to issue bicolored provisional stamps, alongside Lenoir and Baton Rouge, all of which were among the first bicolored stamps in the Western Hemisphere. In the case of both Lenoir and Baton Rouge, the secondary color was used as a background; Greenville is the one instance in which both colors are fundamental parts of the design. The 5c has a blue frame around red text, while the 10c stamp features an inverted color scheme.
Only eight stamps are recorded from Greenville in either denomination: four off-cover 5c stamps, two 5c covers, and two 10c covers. Their combination of beauty and rarity places them amongst the most prized of all Confederate provisional issues.