Brattleboro VT Postmaster’s Provisional
	The Unique Brattleboro Provisional with complete imprint (Scott 5X1) Siegel Sale 824, lot 11

The Brattleboro provisional’s history is known from testimonials by the postmaster (1845–48), Dr. Frederick N. Palmer, and the engraver/printer, Thomas Chubbuck, also of Brattleboro. This information is presented in Luff’s book, as adapted from articles appearing in philatelic journals in the late 1860s. These accounts, which were given twenty years after the events, are a bit hazy in their recollections of specific details. For example, Chubbuck recalls the plate of eight subjects and sheets of eight stamps, but there is no question that the plate comprised ten subjects. Neither one could remember exactly when the stamps were issued, but it seems likely that they were released during the summer of 1846. This approximation is supported by a folded letter dated August 27, 1846, bearing a Brattleboro stamp and the comment “I pay this just to shew you the stamp. It is against my principles, you know.” (see lot 15, Siegel sale 824).

The postmaster, Dr. Palmer, went to considerable expense to produce his provisional stamp. Considering that this small post office had revenues of slightly more than $1,700 in 1847, the $9 paid by Dr. Palmer for engraving and printing his stamps is a relatively large out-of-pocket expense, which was not reimbursed by the Post Office Department. It is unclear whether 500 stamps, or 500 impressions of the ten-subject plate (5,000 stamps), were printed. However, the $9 divided by the estimated number of stamps actually purchased by local patrons (estimated at 400–500) gives a production cost of 2¢ per stamp.

The only recorded cover with more than one Brattleboro Provisional stamp (Siegel Sale 824, lot 14)

The stamp itself is small and rectangular in shape. The central design element is Palmer’s autograph initials “F.N.P.”. At top is the post office name, at sides the letters “P.O.”, and at bottom the denomination ‘5 Cents’. It was printed in black on a thick buff paper. The soft, porous quality of this paper makes it extremely susceptible to thinning, and almost every Brattleboro copy known shows surface scuffs or thins of varying severity.

The stamps were printed from a plate of ten subjects, arranged in two horizontal rows of five. Directly below the center stamp of the bottom row is the imprint “Engd. by Thos. Chubbuck, Bratto.” The arrangement of the other positions has been the subject of numerous philatelic studies. The latest efforts have been made by Calvet M. Hahn and Philip T. Wall.