The Kilbourne Collection of Confederate Postmaster's Provisionals continued...

THE CELEBRATED AND UNIQUE PANE OF THE UNIONTOWN 2-CENT POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL, DISCOVERED BY THE WEILLS OF NEW ORLEANS IN 1938. NO OTHER EXAMPLES OF THIS PRINTING ON WHITE PAPER ARE KNOWN, AND ONLY TWO OTHER UNIONTOWN 2-CENT STAMPS ARE RECORDED (EACH ON COVER). AN EXTRAORDINARY SURVIVAL OF ONE OF THE RAREST STAMPS IN THE WORLD.

The Uniontown 2c provisional is one of six 2c provisional stamps issued by Confederate post offices. The Uniontown and Macon provisionals are the rarest of this group. Of the Macon 2c, just four stamps are known, three on cover. The Uniontown 2c is represented by this sheet on white paper (the only examples recorded on this paper) and two covers with the 2c on Gray Blue paper, both drop-rate usages, one with a Position 1 top left corner copy (ex Caspary) and the other with a Position 2 top right corner copy (ex Hessel). We know of no other example to justify the off-cover listings in Scott and Dietz for 86X1 or 86X2, but would welcome such additions to our records.

In an account by telephone, Raymond H. Weill recollected that in 1938 the 2c sheet was brought to the Weills in New Orleans by a women who had family correspondence from Uniontown. Enclosed with one of the letters inside a cover was the 2c sheet, and the letter commented that these stamps were being used in Uniontown. Regrettably, the letter has long since vanished. The Weills sent the sheet to Alfred H. Caspary, asking for his opinion of genuineness, because the 2c stamp was not listed on white paper, and offering him the sheet. Caspary declared it genuine, but declined the offer, explaining that he was concentrating on covers. Later in 1938, John Klemann of Nassau Stamp Company visited the Weills and bought the sheet, presumably hoping to sell it to Caspary and unaware that the offer had already been made. The sheet remained in Nassau's inventory until the stock was sold in a 1953 H. R. Harmer auction, at which sale the sheet was bought by a Birmingham Ala. collector named Scruggs. It was subsequently donated to Father Flanagan's Boys Town and sold for their benefit in 1991 at an auction by Superior in Los Angeles. Charles Kilbourne acquired the sheet at the Boys Town auction.

This 2c sheet perfectly illustrates the relative positions of the four different subjects, which are distinctive in the style and arrangement of the corner ornaments and hyphens after the letters "CSA". The solid oval-shaped ornaments (Losenge) are found in the four corners of Positions 1, 3 and 4. Only Position 2 (upper right) has the Lobe corner ornaments at the top and the Loop ornaments at the bottom corners, as well as the Loops beneath "Paid", making it easily distinguishable from the other positions. Only Position 3 (lower left) has the Losenge corner ornaments at right turned in the wrong direction and the Lobe ornament used instead of the Loop at top (third from the left). Positions 1 and 4 are configured similarly to each other, with Losenge ornaments in the same directions in all four corners, they differ in the "CSA" type arrangement -- Position 1 has no hyphen after "A", while Position 4 has a hyphen.

With 1987 A.P.S. certificate (Image)

EXTREMELY FINE. A DISTINCTIVE AND UNIQUE UNIONTOWN 5-CENT PROVISIONAL STAMP, WITH STATIONER'S EMBOSSED CREST AND SHEET MARGINS THAT COULD ONLY EXIST IN A SECOND SETTING.

This stamp on white paper with the stationer's embossed crest is a remarkable piece of evidence that the Uniontown 5c provisional setting was modified. As the 2c sheet in the previous lot clearly illustrates, the subjects were spaced 3mm apart. A bottom sheet-margin pair of the 5c on white paper exists on cover, which shows Positions 3 and 4 with 3 mm spacing between them (ex Caspary and Lilly). The margins on this 5c stamp measure 8 to 10 mm at the sides, but there is no trace of an impression from Position 3 in the left margin where it should be. The top margin does not extend into the Position 2 printed design. The large right and bottom margins are normal for this corner position.

Illustrated in Ashbrook's article on the Harold C. Brooks collection (Stamp Specialist, Black Book, 1945). Signed Ashbrook. Ex Brown, Brooks and Weatherly (acquired by the Kilbournes in 1963) (Image)

EXREMELY FINE STAMP AND ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY NINE COVERS WITH THE UNIONTOWN 5-CENT ON GRAY BLUE PAPER ARE RECORDED IN THE CROWN CENSUS.

Ex Brown, Brooks and Grant (Image)

VERY FINE STAMP AND A FRESH ATTRACTIVE COVER. ONLY EIGHT EXAMPLES OF THE UNIONTOWN POSTMASTER'S 10-CENT PROVISIONAL ARE RECORDED, OF WHICH FIVE ARE SOUND STAMPS ON COVER.

Postmaster P. N. Booker was responsible for issuing the 2c, 5c and 10c provisional stamps at Uniontown, Alabama. One typeset form of four subjects was used for the three denominations. The numeral in parentheses between the "PA" and "ID" of "PAID" was changed for each value, and different color ink was used - Dark Blue (2c), Green (5c) and Red (10c). All three values were printed on gray blue paper - probably used for the first printing -- and the 2c and 5c are also known on white paper, which was probably used for subsequent printings. The 10c has not been found on white paper.

Eight examples of the 10c Red are known to us. These are (in order of plate position): 1) Pos. 1 on Sep. 22 (1861) cover to Maria L. Kidd, Port Royal Va., ex Kimmel, Haas, Birkinbine (our Sale 795, realized $32,500 hammer), 2) Pos. 1 on Jun. 9 (1862) cover to John D. Pitts, Richmond Va., ex Ferrary, Caspary and Isleham, 3) Pos. 2 on Apr. 21 (1862) cover to Col. A. P. Calhoun, Pendleton S.C., illustrated in 1986 Dietz, p. 16,, 4) Pos. 2 on undated cover to Maria Louisa Kidd, Port Royal Va., ex Brooks and Meroni, the cover offered here, 5) Pos. 2 repaired stamp on undated repaired cover to Mrs. John B. Carey, 6) Pos. 3, corner crease, small tear, on Sep. 27 (1861) lady's embossed cover to Mr. Richmond Christian, Richmond Va., ex Hind, 7) Pos. 4 on Jul. 5 (1862) cover to Col. A. P. Calhoun, Pendleton S.C., ex Sweet, Muzzy, and 8) Pos. 4 uncancelled on large piece dated Sep. 27 (1861) with part of addressee's name "S. Price", Virginia destination, ex Caspary. The Scott Catalogue prices the 10c as an off-cover stamp, both unused and used, but we have not been successful in locating any off-cover examples other than the ex-Caspary piece.

Very few post offices east of the Mississippi River issued and used 10c adhesive (A) or press-printed (E) provisionals. This small group is as follows: Baton Rouge La. (A - three known), Charleston S.C. (E - unique), Danville Va. (E - probably not used), Fincastle Va. (E - unique), Fredericksburg Va. (A - never used), Greenville Ala. (A - two known), Greenwood Depot Va. (A - six known), Knoxville Tenn. (A - unique, and E - rare used), Marion Va. (A - six known on cover), Nashville Tenn. (A - seven known on cover), Tellico Plains Tenn. (A - never used), and Uniontown Ala. (A - eight known). All other 10c provisionals were used in Texas or were issued as handstamped entires.

Illustrated in Ashbrook's article on the Brooks collection (Stamp Specialist, Black Book, 1945). Ex Brooks (who discovered both Kidd covers in 1938) and Meroni. (Image)