DESCRIPTION

10¢ Green, Type V (35), three slightly overlapping singles, uncancelled at originating post office in St. Francisville in the West Feliciana Parish of Louisiana, "St. Francisville La. Jun. 8" (1861) circular datestamp and "10" in circle Confederate rate handstamp on buff cover addressed to Adolf Raphael in Breslau, Prussia, received at Louisville post office on or about June 14 and held by postmaster Dr. J. J. Speed pending instructions from U.S. Post Office Department, stamps cancelled by blue "SOUTHN. LETTER/ UNPAID" two-line handstamp, matching blue "Louisville Ky. Jun. 27" double-circle datestamp with grid cancel struck over "10" rate, matching "30" in circle due handstamp for Prussian Closed Mail rate to Germany (based on postage affixed) but routed via Hamburg at New York foreign-mail office, part strike of "N. York Hamb. Pkt. 5 Jun. 29" 5¢ debit datestamp for 15¢ Bremen-Hamburg rate--carried from New York on Hamburg-American Line Bavaria, departing June 29, 1861, and arriving at Hamburg July 14--large blue manuscript "6-1/2" and "6-1/2" blue handstamped rates in silbergroschen, Hamburg (July 14) and Breslau (July 15 and 16) backstamps

PROVENANCE

Stephen D. Brown, Harmer Rooke (London) sale, 10/30-11/4/1939, lot 931

J. David Baker, Siegel Auction Galleries, 4/4/1978, Sale 526, lot 132, to Grunin

Louis Grunin, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, Part One, 3/25/1987, lot 126, to Ishikawa

Ryohei Ishikawa, Christie's Robson Lowe sale, 9/28-29/1993, lot 302, to William H. Gross

CENSUS, LITERATURE AND EXHIBITION REFERENCES

Stanley B. Ashbrook, The United States Ten Cent Stamp of 1855-1857, pp. 79-0, fig. 54

-- The United States One Cent Stamp of 1851-1857, 1938 edition, Vol. 2, pp. 33-34 and fig. 35D

Hugh J. and J. David Baker, Bakers' U.S. Classics, p. 233

Richard B. Graham, "Postal History and Stamps: A Colorful Combination, 1847-1861," The American Philatelist, April 1978

Steven C. Walske and Scott R. Trepel, Special Mail Routes of the American Civil War, census no. SLU-4

CERTIFICATION

The Philatelic Foundation (1993)

CONDITION NOTES

Fine appearance; center 10¢ stamp has small negligible repair and cover with mended edge at top not affecting stamps or markings, top backflap removed

HISTORY AND COMMENTARY

Southern Letter Unpaid Covers to Foreign Countries

The U.S. May 27, 1861, mail suspension order prohibited federal post offices from forwarding southbound mail to Southern states in rebellion. However, northbound mail from the South continued to be sent to Louisville, Kentucky. Through June 6, northbound mails were forwarded to Louisville from Memphis or Nashville. From June 7 through 12, only the Nashville office forwarded mail to Louisville, and Louisville continued to forward mail north.

With the resignation of W. D. McNish as Nashville's federal postmaster on June 12 and the withdrawal of the U.S. mail agent from this route, Louisville held the mails still being sent north by the discontinued post office at Nashville. On June 24, Dr. John J. Speed, the postmaster at Louisville, was advised to forward letters from the South to the loyal states after removing postage. With approximately 5,000 such letters held at this date, Dr. Speed employed a more practical means of invalidating stamps by creating the "Southn. Letter Unpaid" handstamp. There are 29 "Southn. Letter Unpaid" covers recorded in the Special Routes book, including five foreign-bound covers, as follows:

1 To Prussia, Louisville June 27, three 10¢ No. 35, from St. Francisville La., ex Brown, J. D. Baker, Grunin, Ishikawa, the cover offered in this sale

2 To France, Louisville June 27, 3¢ U27, from Bayou Chene La., ex Wunsch, Myers (Sale 882, lot 2001)

3 To France, Louisville June 27, 3¢ and 12¢ Nos. 26 and 36B, from New Orleans, ex Shenfield, Sweet, Judd, Kilbourne and Walske (Sale 1119, lot 564)

4 To France, no Louisville datestamp, 3¢ and 12¢ Nos. 26 and 36B, from New Orleans to France, ex Antrim and Wishnietsky (Sale 1064, lot 23)

5 To England, Louisville Jul. 11, 24¢ No. 37, from Petersburg Va., ex Matthies, Dr. Graves and Weills

This cover was mailed from St. Francisville, Louisiana, on June 8, 1861, and reached Nashville after the regular mail route to Louisville had been terminated. It was brought across the lines by express and placed in the Louisville post office on or about June 14. It was among the thousands of letters from the South that had accumulated while Dr. Speed awaited instructions from Washington. Observing the 30¢ postage, the Louisville clerk applied a 30¢ handstamp, which was the Prussian Closed Mail rate for a half-ounce letter. However, the New York foreign-mail office disregarded the 30¢ marking and postage, and sent it on the Hamburg-American Line steamer for Hamburg. It was rated with a 5¢ debit marking for the U.S. share of postage, and in Germany the 6-1/4 silbergroschen markings were applied to indicate the total amount due.

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