Lot
4261 
Confederacy, Nashville, Tenn., 1861, 10¢ Green, two huge margins, framelines touched at top and right, rich color, scissors-cut at top left, tied by blue "Adams Express Co. Nashville Aug. 1" oval datestamp on U.S. 3¢ red Star Die entire to Rev. A. J. Leavenworth in Petersburg Va., "Adams Ex. Co. * Louisville, Ky. * Jul. 30, 1861" cds cancels indicia, small red manuscript "2" express charge (two bits, or 25c), blue "10" rating handstamp applied at Petersburg to indicate postage due probably due to the letter being over weight, receipt docketing "Prof. Agnew & Sundry others", small part of backflap removed, light soiling and edge wear with slight improvement at top right corner, Very Fine; with 1999 P.F. certificate. Scott No. 61X6, U.S. #U26 Estimate $75,000 - 100,000.
ONE OF THREE RECORDED ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY COVERS WITH THE NASHVILLE 10¢ PROVISIONAL, OF WHICH ONLY TWO ARE MIXED FRANKINGS WITH UNITED STATES POSTAGE -- THESE ARE THE ONLY RECORDED MIXED FRANKINGS WITH 10¢ CSA PROVISIONALS.
Adams Express Company was required to ensure the prepayment of government postage (Federal and Confederate), although the letter was carried outside the regular mails. Very few covers are recorded with Confederate provisional stamps or markings used in conjunction with across-the-lines express service. This group includes the provisionals of Atlanta (handstamp), Houston (handstamp), Lynchburg (press-printed entire), Memphis (adhesive), Mobile (adhesive), Montgomery (handstamp), Nashville (adhesive and handstamp) and New Orleans (adhesive).
Only three across-the-lines express covers are recorded with the Nashville 10¢ adhesive provisional (Special Routes Census Nos. S-AD-44, 45 and 46), all dated at Nashville on August 1. Only two of the 10c covers are mixed frankings (the third is used alone). These two Nashville 10c mixed-franking covers carried by Adams, both North-to-South usages, are the only 10c adhesive Confederate provisionals known in combination with United States postage. As such, they are quite significant artifacts from this remarkable period of postal history.
Our records contain six covers with the Nashville 10¢ green provisional:
1) Aug. 1, 1861, Adams Express oval on 3¢ Star Die entire to Rev. Leavenworth, Petersburg Va., ex-Kilbourne, Walske, D.K. Collection, the cover offered here.
2) Aug. 1, 1861, Adams Express oval on 3c Star Die with additional 3c 1857, to Albert F. Ryan, Norfolk Va., ex-Gallagher.
3) Aug. 1, 1861, Adams Express oval to Hardy & Bros., Norfolk Va.
4) Sep. 15, 1861, Nashville cds to Shelbyville Tenn., ex-Caspary.
5) Aug. 21, 1861, Nashville to D. Cleage, Athens Tenn., used with 5¢, ex-Caspary, Lightner, Graves, Boshwit.
6) Sep. 18, 1861, Nashville cds building ad cover to Thos. H. Caldwell, Shelbyville Tenn., ex-Needham, Kimmel, Haas, Rudy.
The addressee, Reverend Abner Johnson Leavenworth, was at this time the principal and proprietor of the Leavenworth Academy and Collegiate Seminary for Young Ladies.
References: Special Routes Census No. S-AD-46 illustrated on p. 55. Illustrated in Shenfield book on p. 23.
Realized: $65,000