Tuscumbia, Alabama, United States 3¢ Rate, Red on Buff Confederate Provisional entire (6AXU1, formerly 12XU1), handstamped provisional in upper right corner of buff envelope addressed to Knoxville, Tennessee, prepared by the Tuscumbia postmaster as a provisional but used while United States 3¢ 1857 Issue stamps were still valid and available, 3¢ Dull Red, Type III (26) originally tied over provisional by "Tuscumbia Ala. May 6" (1861) circular datestamp, stamp lifted and moved to the left

Very Fine appearance; stamp with edge nicks.

No more than ten examples of the Tuscumbia 3¢ Provisional are recorded--a wonderful postal history rarity from the time of transition from U.S. to Confederate control of southern post offices.

The Tuscumbia postmaster's provisional is one of seven adhesive stamps or entires the Scott Catalogue now lists separately as "3¢ 1861 Postmasters' Provisionals." They are distinct from the 5¢ and 10¢ Confederate provisionals in that the postmasters who issued the stamps were still technically under the control of the U.S. Post Office Department, and were remitting postal receipts to the federal government. In some cases, postmasters avoided ordering new U.S. stamps in anticipation of a final change in administrative control of their offices. The 1861 provisionals are all 3¢ adhesives or handstamped entires, reflecting the then-current U.S. letter rate. The Tuscumbia entires were handstamped as 3¢ provisionals, but the postmaster evidently received (or had) a supply of U.S. stamps, as most of the few known examples bear the 3¢ 1857 Issue. This cover originates from a correspondence discovered in 1932 by William P. Snyder.

With 1994 P.F. certificate as 12XU1, when the Tuscumbia 3¢ provisional was listed with other U.S. 1845 postmasters' provisionals.

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