Lot
79 
Confederacy, 1862, 2¢ Green, Gutter Pair in Horizontal Strip of 5. Interpanneau gutter between first and second stamps at left, large margins to just slightly in at lower left & upper right, tied by three strikes of "Holly Springs, Miss./Dec. 31" (1862) cds on cover from Lieut. John J. Carter (Minden Rangers, served under General Nathan Bedford Forrest) to his wife in Minden La., the edges of the cover and a small part of the strip along top and upper right have been expertly pressed to flatten wrinkles present when this cover was discovered, Very Fine appearance and a major Confederate General Issue Rarity, featured in the Confederate Philatelist (July-August 1998) (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 63). Scott No. 3 Estimate $7,500 - 10,000.
THE 2¢ GREEN GUTTER MULTIPLES ARE EXCEEDINGLY RARE, ONLY TWO EXAMPLES ARE KNOWN TO EXIST, BOTH IN STRIPS OF 5, PAYING THE 10¢ LETTER RATE.
The Confederate Congressional Act of February 23, 1861, prescribed a 2¢ special rate for "letters placed in any post office, not for transmission but for delivery only" (drop letters) and "for newspapers, unsealed circulars, handbills, engravings, pamphlets, periodicals and magazines, not exceeding three ounces in weight." The first stamp issued to satisfy the 2¢ special rate was the Hoyer & Ludwig 2¢ green lithograph, which has the portrait of Andrew Jackson. Approximately 2,000,000 of these stamps were issued; the earliest known date of usage is March 21, 1862. When the general postage rate for a regular letter was increased from 5¢ to 10¢ on July 1, 1862, some Confederate postal customers used a strip of five 2¢ stamps to prepay the new 10¢ rate. Such usage is extremely rare.
Lieutenant Carter was a member of a cavalry unit locally known as the "Minden Rangers, Louisiana Squadron" which was a part of Brigadier General Frank Crawford Armstrong's Cavalry Brigade in the Army of the West. Also, he was at one time a member of General Albert Rust's personal escort. Later in the war, he was attached to Company E, 18th Regiment, Tennessee Cavalry.
Realized: $10,500
Lot
80
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Blue. Horiz. pair, four large margins, tiny bit of gum staining in left margin, affixed on cover from the Louisiana Relief Committee to Mobile, the pair was affixed in New Orleans and smuggled out of New Orleans and placed in the mails at Mobile and tied by "Mobile, Ala./Nov. 2, 1863" double circle postmarks, the cover with the unmistakable "(La. Com.)" endorsement on the upper left of the envelope, reverse shows some penciled numerical columns, but hidden underneath them is a partially faded and difficult to read pen notation at center that is likely the censor marking of Provost Marshal Jules Denis, flap missing, Extremely Fine and rare, featured in Oct. 2009 ASDA Magazine (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 57). Scott No. 4 Estimate $3,000 - 4,000.
In May 1863, General Nathaniel P. Banks ordered the deportation of all New Orleans citizens who had refused to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. Approximately 700 families moved to Mobile, Alabama, some with only the clothes on their backs. On May 31, 1863, a group of expatriate New Orleans citizens in Mobile organized a Louisiana Relief Committee to alleviate the suffering of poor citizens who remained in Union-occupied New Orleans. They arranged for shipments of food and clothing to New Orleans, and helped citizens leave New Orleans for the Confederacy. The Committee also assumed the job of handling their mail between New Orleans and Mobile by smuggling letters in small vessels along the Mississippi Sound. Covers so transmitted are very coveted by Confederate philatelists as there are fewer than twenty known.
The addressee is "T.H. Higinbotham, Esq., Mobile", which makes this usage an overpaid drop letter (proper rate was 2 cents). Apparently, the Committee paid the postage on such letters as a favor to the senders. Many are found with the proper 2¢ Mobile to Mobile local drop rate, but there are also a number like this cover that bore the standard rate of 10¢ between towns. The stamps likely originated in New Orleans to pay the proper 10¢ rate from New Orleans to Mobile. Covers bearing 5¢ lithographs are quite scarce, as the common Confederate stamps in circulation in late 1863 were the 10¢ engraved issues.
First sergeant Higinbotham survived the war and surrendered to Union forces at Citronelle, Alabama, on May 4, 1865, and was shortly thereafter paroled at Meridian, Mississippi.
The Louisiana Relief Committee ceased operations in early September 1864.
Realized: $5,250
Lot
81
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Blue. Four clear margins except just shaving tip of ornament at right, tied by blue" Columbia, S.C." cds on ladies cover from Ruth L. Nesbitt to her husband, Captain Thomas Nesbitt, 9th Regiment, 3rd Brigade, Georgia State Troops at Newton, Georgia, cover with red piping on front and back edges, reverse showing matching red engraved monogram initials "RLN" of Mrs. Nesbitt on back flap, Very Fine and attractive, ex-Tate (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 80). Scott No. 4 Estimate $300 - 400.
There was a great shortage of envelopes in the Confederacy and printed personalized, high quality envelopes were almost non-existent. Blockade runners did import a limited quantity of high quality envelopes but printing services to personalize the envelopes were difficult to obtain.
Realized: $280
Lot
82
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Dark Blue, Stone 3. Horiz. pair, four large margins, deep color, light horiz. bend along top of pair, tied by "Jackson, Miss./Sep. 6" cds on 1862 cover to Ripley, Miss., Very Fine (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 15). Scott No. 4a Estimate $300 - 400.
Realized: $400
Lot
83
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Light Milky Blue, Stone 3. Large margins including sheet margin at right, just touching ornament tip at bottom right, tied by "Little Rock, Ark./Jun. 4, 1862" double circle postmark on folded cover to Spring Hill, Texas, Extremely Fine, a lovely cover, An Arkansas postmark on this particular general issue stamp is very scarce., ex-Tate (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 50). Scott No. 4b Estimate $400 - 600.
The folded letter is from Assistant Surgeon N. H. Wynekoop, 15th Texas Dismounted Cavalry Regiment, to his wife in Spring Hill, Navarro County, Texas. In his letter he describes camp life, the impossibility of getting a furlough, and his desire to have a photograph made of himself to send to her. Interestingly, Assistant Surgeon Wynekoop uses the term "my likeness" to describe what we now commonly call a "photograph". In addition, he briefly mentions the following Confederate field officers:
Colonel Johnson - 14th Texas Cavalry Regiment
Colonel Nelson - 10th Texas Infantry Regiment
Colonel Parsons - 12th Texas Cavalry Regiment
Assistant Surgeon Wynekoop was mortally wounded while attending casualties in the Fort Hindman hospital during the Battle of Arkansas Post. This battle was fought January 10-11, 1863, and resulted in a Union victory. Over 4,500 Confederate prisoners were taken including the entire 15th Texas Dismounted Cavalry Regiment.
Realized: $475
Lot
84
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Light Milky Blue, Stone 2. Horiz. pair, nice color and delicate shade, clear to large margins except at top right just in, tied by neat "Richmond, Va./Jun. 19, 1862" cds on homemade cover to Gainesville, Ga., reduced at left, Very Fine (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 15). Scott No. 4b Estimate $200 - 300.
Realized: $375
Lot
85
Confederacy, 1862, 10¢ Rose. Four clear to mostly large margins, beautifully tied by crisp and colorful blue "Montgomery Springs, Va./Nov." cds with manuscript "18" date on homemade cover to Roaring Run, Va., Very Fine and attractive, a lovely cover (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 16); with 2001 C.S.A. certificate. Scott No. 5 Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Realized: $1,000
Lot
86
Confederacy, 1862, 10¢ Rose. Three large margins and just to frameline at left, bright fresh color, tied by manuscript "Demopolis, Ala./Oct. 16, 1862" postmark on cover to "Mrs. A. G. Duggas, Macon "Station", Marengo Co., Alabama.", cover with manuscript "Per Steamer Marengo" endorsement, inside of cover professionally silked with small mended tear at top left, Very Fine and rare (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 56). Scott No. 5 Estimate $750 - 1,000.
Often a packet or steamboat operating on an inland waterway provided the fastest and sometimes only means of transportation and communication. Not surprisingly, there are 61 known Confederate packet and steamboat handstamped or manuscript markings listed in The New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook.
The "Marengo" probably picked up the letter at a community or plantation while it was enroute for Demopolis. Upon arrival at Demopolis, the letter was deposited at the post office where it was postmarked and routed to Macon "Station" on the Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad.
The New Dietz does not include the "Marengo" in its inventory of Confederate packet and steamboat markings, nor does it list any packet or steamboat usage connected with the 10c rose. Consequently, this is the only recorded cover carried by the "Marengo" and the only known steamboat/packet use of the 10¢ rose.
Refer to the September-October 1993 issue of The Confederate Philatelist (pages 184-186) which featured this unique cover.
Realized: $2,400
Lot
87
Confederacy, 1862, 10¢ Deep Rose. Large even margins except at bottom left corner (clipped corner, not affecting design), tied by bold "Charleston, S.C./Jul. 3, 186" cds on buff cover to Columbia, S.C., Extremely Fine, a handsome cover, ex-Kohn, Cantey (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 16). Scott No. 5 Estimate $500 - 750.
Realized: $500
Lot
88
Confederacy, 1862, 5¢ Light Blue, De La Rue Printing. Single, margins to touched at bottom, tied by blue Columbia, S.C./May 25 cds on cover to Pendleton, S.C., cover with minor corner wear & part of flap torn away, Very Fine, a scarce single franking prior to the rate change to 10¢, ex-Cantey (Pictured in Monroe Book, pg. 17). Scott No. 6 Estimate $100 - 150.
Realized: $100