Sale 1159 — 2017 Rarities of the World
Sale Date — Tuesday, 27 June, 2017
Category — The Civil War and Confederate States



EXTREMELY FINE. A VERY EARLY USE OF THE DAVIS-STEPHENS OVERALL FLAG PATRIOTIC DESIGN-- DATED APRIL 23, ONLY TEN DAYS AFTER FORT SUMTER SURRENDERED.
Ex Dietz (signed), Nunnelley and "Sevenoaks"


VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING JUNE 1, 1861, FIRST DAY COVER OF THE NEW CONFEDERATE POSTAL SYSTEM USED WITHIN VIRGINIA.
With 2000 C.S.A. certificate. Raymond W. Weill backstamp


EXTREMELY FINE. A VERY RARE EXAMPLE OF CONFEDERATE "OLD STAMPS NOT RECOGNIZED" TREATMENT OF A LETTER PREPAID WITH UNITED STATES POSTAGE AFTER JUNE 1, 1861.
The Federal demonetization of all United States stamps issued before the new 1861 series resulted in use of "Old Stamps Not Recognized" markings on letters originating in the North with obsolete postage affixed. In the South, Federal postage stamps were not accepted as prepayment for the Confederate rates effective June 1, 1861. Markings used to reject prepayment were applied in manuscript, or letters were simply marked postage due or held for postage. This cover was mailed by a young lady (Annie) to another young lady (Harriet) on June 3 with the old United States 3c stamp affixed (upside down -- deliberately?). The postmaster at Hendersonville held the letter until the 5c required Confederate postage was prepaid. Examples such as this are extremely rare.
Ex Birkinbine and Walske


FINE AND RARE EXAMPLE OF CENSORSHIP BY THE ADAMS EXPRESS AGENT OF CIVILIAN MAIL BETWEEN SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN CORRESPONDENTS.
This interesting pro-Confederate letter opens with comments on reported unreliability of American Letter Express and difficulty sending letters. The writer also describes watching the Battle of First Manassas. The last portion of the letter has been censored by being crossed out with squiggles and writing in a different pen (some ink bleed-thru to front). The writer's reaction to the censorship is expressed in the letter offered in the following lot.
The opening of mail, for censorship and espionage purposes, was a sore point with the civilian population. This reference to Adams Express opening and censoring mail is a significant contemporary account.
Walske-Trepel Cenus no. N-AD-66. Ex Gallagher. With 2005 C.S.A. certificate


VERY FINE AND RARE THROUGH-THE-LINES EXPRESS COVER BEARING POSTAGE OF THE 1861 ISSUE. THIS WAS POSSIBLE FOR ONLY A FEW DAYS IN LATE AUGUST, 1861. ALSO AN OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF FRUSTRATION OVER CENSORSHIP OF CIVILIAN MAIL.
This letter was posted on August 22, four days before the August 26 prohibition of thru-the-lines express mail. Through-the-lines express covers bearing 1861 Issue stamps are very rare as there was less than a one-week window from the date of issue to the prohibition. The Walske-Trepel census records only three such covers with 1861 Issue stamps.
Walske-Trepel Cenus no. N-AX-12. Ex Knapp, MacBride, Roser and Gallagher


FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF ONLY TWO RECORDED POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL ENTIRES FROM MICANOPY, FLORIDA.
Joseph T. Colding was commissioned the Micanopy postmaster on July 25, 1861, replacing the pre-war postmaster, Thomas J. Leonard. The "Monimia" address on this cover was not actually a post office, but rather the name of the daughter of the plantation owner to whom the cover was sent. There are two recorded examples of the Micanopy Provisional. The other has a "Paid 5" handstamp in addition to the 5c provisional rate marking, apparently for the over-500 miles 10c rate. It was offered in our recent sale of the Dr. Deane R. Briggs collection (Siegel Sale 1153, lot 2096), where it realized $15,000 hammer.
Ex Bogg.


VERY FINE. AN OUTSTANDING COMBINATION OF THE 5-CENT LITHOGRAPH ISSUE ON AN UNLISTED SEMI-OFFICIAL IMPRINT COVER WITH CONTENTS DESCRIBING THE ENLISTMENT (COERCION) OF FREE AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN FOR WORK ON THE DEFENSES OF RICHMOND.
Both enslaved and free African Americans were routinely pressed into service on behalf of the Confederacy, performing manual labor for the Army and various branches of government. Almost none of it was voluntary. Slaves were often hired out by their owners, but even free black men were coerced to perform manual labor. This is an outstanding and scarce contemporary written example of that system


VERY FINE. AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE USE OF THE 2-CENT GREEN JACKSON ISSUE ON AN OBSOLETE UNITED STATES ENTIRE, PAYING THE DROP RATE.
It is not unusual to find the more common Confederate General Issue stamps or semi-official imprints used on obsolete U.S. entires, since paper shortage was such an acute problem in the Confederacy. However, the use of the scarce 2c Jackson Lithograph on such an entire is remarkable. We could not locate another using Power Search.
Scott Retail for 2c used on normal cover $3,500.00


EXTREMELY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE RARE 10-CENT CARMINE ON COVER.
Ex Emerson, Brooks and Shenfield


VERY FINE AND CHOICE EXAMPLE OF THE ELUSIVE 10-CENT CARMINE ON AN ATTRACTIVE COVER.
With 2002 C.S.A. and 2017 P.F. certificates


EXTREMELY FINE. PROBABLY THE FINEST OF THE FEW KNOWN COVERS BEARING A BLOCK OF THE 2-CENT "RED JACK" ISSUE.
We have offered a cover with a block of eight and a pair (double 10c rate) but it is large size, heavily pen-cancelled and faulty. Apart from that we have not offered any other blocks on cover since keeping computerized records. This is also unusual in its 2c overpayment of the 10c rate.
Ex Pratt and Brooks. Accompanied by a 1949 letter from Stanley B. Ashbrook stating that Brooks paid $700 for the cover in the 1920's


EXTREMELY FINE GEM EXAMPLE OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES 10-CENT "TEN" ISSUE ON A FRESH COVER. SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT.
With 2017 P.F. certificate


VERY FINE. AN EXTREMELY RARE SOUND, ORIGINAL-GUM EXAMPLE OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES 10-CENT FRAMELINE ISSUE.
This is the rarest Confederate States General Issue stamp in original-gum condition (apart from the Carmine shade of Scott 5). We have offered only about a dozen in any shade since keeping computerized records and the vast majority of those had faults of varying degrees.
With 1985 P.F. and 2017 P.S.E. certificates


VERY FINE UNUSED EXAMPLE OF THE 10-CENT FRAMELINE ISSUE. RARELY SEEN WITH FRAMELINES ON FOUR SIDES.
With 2009 C.S.A. certificate

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. A STUNNING USED EXAMPLE OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES 20-CENT GREEN CANCELED IN RED. THIS EXCEPTIONAL STAMP HAS BEEN AWARDED THE GRADE OF SUPERB 98 BY P.S.E. -- THE HIGHEST GRADE AWARDED.
Used examples of this issue are considerably more difficult to obtain in such superb condition. Multiples of the unused stamp from remainders exist and can be cut down. Used examples are scarce, and were often hurriedly cut apart. To find one with this size margins and cancelled in red is truly remarkable.
With 2002 and 2009 P.F. certificates. With 2013 P.S.E. certificate (Superb 98; SMQ $3,900.00). P.S.E. does not publish Population Reports for Confederate States but they inform us that this is the only stamp graded 98, with the next highest a single example at 95