New Orleans La., 5c Deep Vermilion on Bluish (62X7). Position 1, full to large margins, extraordinarily intense shade on deeply blued paper, part of New Orleans circular datestamp and full clear strike of "Paid" cancel, thinning at left resulting in two tiny nicks or tears (reinforced)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONLY THREE OF THE SEVEN RECORDED EXAMPLES OF THE NEW ORLEANS 5-CENT RED ERROR ARE PRINTED ON BLUISH PAPER. THIS IS THE MOST INTENSE SHADE OF RED WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED. ONE OF THE RAREST SOUTHERN POSTMASTERS' PROVISIONALS AND THE ONLY COLOR ERROR IN CONFEDERATE PHILATELY.

There is only one true color error among all Southern Postmasters' Provisionals: the New Orleans 5c Red, which is found on both White and Bluish papers.

In his 1978 Congress Book article, Dr. Hubert C. Skinner theorized that either "too much red ink was introduced onto the platen in blending the brown ink or the components of the ink separated while the press was idle for a time." This, he speculated, "produced a mottled impression on a very few sheets" and "would have been corrected as soon as the rollers passed across the platen a few times re-mixing or blending the ink." The discovery of the hybrid Red-and-Brown stamp confirmed Dr. Skinner's theory. The ink mixture error had to have occurred more than once, because the stamps on White paper were printed in June, and the stamps on Blue paper were printed in August.

Our records contain the following examples of the 5c Red error:

White Paper (62X6):

1) Unused, traces of gum, ex Ferrary, Hind, Brooks (currently in the Haub collection)

2) "DUE (3cts)" straightline, partly rebacked over thins, ex Caspary, Lilly, Kilbourne and "D.K." collection

3) Cut in at bottom, tied by "Paid" straightline on part of cover to Mrs. Wm. Reynaud, Baton Rouge, photo by Hiram Deats in P.F. files

4) Mixture of Red and Brown, corner strike of circular datestamp, partly rebacked over thins and tear, discovered in recent years, ex "D.K." collection

Blue Paper (62X7):

5) Dec. 4 circular datestamp, thin spots and small repair, ex Crocker. Felton and "D.K." collection

6) Sep. 17 circular datestamp, small faults, ex Ferrary, Hind, Lilly and "D.K." collection

7) Position 1, "Paid" and part datestamp, thinned with small nicks at left, ex Caspary, Dr. Skinner and "D.K." collection, the stamp offered here

Ex Caspary, Dr. Skinner and "D.K." collection. With 2001 P.F. certificate

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