Millbury, Massachusetts, 5c Black on Bluish (7X1). Clear margins to barely in, crisp impression, tied by "Millbury Ms. Feb. 6" (circa 1847) circular datestamp on piece, lightly creased

VERY FINE APPEARING EXAMPLE OF THE RARE MILLBURY, MASSACHUSETTS, POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL. ONLY EIGHTEEN EXAMPLES ARE RECORDED, INCLUDING NINE USED ON PIECE OR OFF COVER.

The 5c stamp issued by Millbury postmaster Asa Holman is one of two United States provisionals with a portrait (George Washington in both cases). It is also unusual in that the designation "Post Office" appears without any town name, a characteristic in common with the Baltimore and Boscawen provisionals.

This piece is illustrated and discussed in Philip T. Wall's article on the Millbury provisional (Chronicle 120 and 121), in which he records seventeen examples (an eighteenth stamp on cover has since been recorded). Of the three stamps known on pieces, two are tied by the town marking. Our census of the Millbury provisional is available at http://siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/7X1/7X1.pdf

Census No. 7X1-PCE-10. With 1976 P.F. certificate.

History of the Millbury provisional: http://siegelauctions.com/enc/pdf/Millbury.pdf

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