Gonzales Tex., (10c) Gold on
Garnet (Dietz GN-3, unlisted in Scott). Slightly irregular margins,
mostly large but touching frameline at bottom, cancelled by three pen
strokes and tied by horizontal filing crease thru stamp and cover,
"Gonzales Tex. 1 [Nov.]" (1864) double-circle datestamp and "Paid"
straightline on gray-blue folded letter to T. W. House, Houston Tex.,
datelined "Gonzales Texas, Nov. 1st 1864", receipt docketing on
flap, stamp has corner crease in addition to the filing crease, on the back
of the folded letter is a typewritten notarized affidavit from T. W. House
in 1899, attesting to the origin and authenticity of the cover (sold to E.
D. Dorchester of Velasco Tex.)FINE. ONE OF THREE RECORDED COVERS WITH THE GONZALES PROVISIONAL ON GARNET (OR CRIMSON) PAPER.
John B. Law, the Gonzales postmaster during the war, was a partner in the Colman & Law firm, booksellers and druggists who produced the colorful book labels adopted by Postmaster Law as provisional stamps in 1861 and 1864-65. In later years, Colman & Law labels were removed from books and placed on covers to create fake provisional usages. As a result of this nefarious activity, the Scott Catalogue and collectors' general understanding of the provisional issue have been distorted. The Dietz Catalogue is more accurate than Scott in listing the Gonzales provisionals, but it is not as widely read. We hope to convey the true status of the Gonzales provisionals to a wide audience.
The Colman & Law book labels on colored glazed paper have no denomination. Examples are divided into 5c and 10c stamps based on the rate to which they apply and the color of paper. Only the 5c Gold on Dark Blue is recognized by Scott as 30X1 (Dietz GN-2). The Scott listing contains a very restrictive (and inaccurate) footnote stating "all items of type A1 without this control mark [Gonzales double-circle datestamp applied before use] are book labels." In fairness to the Scott editors, they also note that "some authorities believe Postmaster Law sold them [stamps on other papers without the precancel] for use as 10c stamps." The Dietz Catalogue lists the 5c Gold on Black (GN-1), the 10c Gold on Blue-Black (GN-5), 10c Gold on Garnet (GN-3) and on Crimson (GN-4). Dietz also classifies the provisional stamps by period of use: 1861 (5c rate) and 1864-65 (10c rate).
In 1861, during the 5c rate period, there are five recorded covers, including three covers to the same addressee, James G. Miller, a member of the 8th Texas Cavalry, encamped at Corinth, Mississippi. Each of the three Miller covers has a Gold on Dark Blue pair paying the 10c rate, and all three pairs have double-circle datestamps applied before use, evidently as control marks. This measure enabled Law to distinguish provisional postage from valueless book labels, but re-used provisionals (with the datestamp) would obviously be difficult to identify. The three pairs on covers form the basis of the Scott listing (30X1), the off-cover value in Scott has little meaning, because no off-cover precancelled example is recorded. Two other 5c period covers are recorded: one Gold on Black tied by pen "X", with Gonzales cds June 19, 1861 (date uncertain) to T. M. Hartwood, Richmond Va., and one Gold on Black uncancelled, with ms. "Paid 5" and Gonzales cds Dec. 2, 1861 (Caspary sale, lot 139). Neither of these is precancelled. An additional piece is known, bearing the 5c Gold on Black without precancel and Oct. 7, 1861 cds (ex Walcott).
In the 1864-65 period, our records contain three confirmed covers and a fourth cover based on notes in the Crown census. Two of the confirmed covers were in the Caspary sale: lot 137, 10c Gold on Crimson (Garnet), tied by pen strokes with the Gonzales cds and "Paid", dated July 14, 1864, and lot 138, the cover offered in this sale, dated Nov. 1, 1864. The third confirmed cover has a 10c Gold on Black tied by pen strokes with blue Gonzales cds and "Paid", dated Apr. 1, 1865, to A. I. Clark, Galveston Tex. The Crown book contains a reference to a fourth cover, bearing a 10c Gold on Crimson (Garnet), to E. St. P. Bellinger, Hobby's Rgt., Galveston Tex., but we have not confirmed the existence of this cover with a photograph. There is one off-cover pen-cancelled label recorded. We should note that Crimson and Garnet paper colors are possibly different shades of the same paper, or the darker color may be due to oxidation.
This cover was discovered in 1899 by E. D. Dorchester of Velasco Tex., who acquired it and a number of other Texas provisionals in correspondence purchased from the original addressee, T. W. House, of Houston (see Crown book, p. 146, for Independence provisional from same correspondence).
Ex Dorchester, Caspary and Weatherly (acquired privately by the Kilbournes) (Image)