The D.K. Collection of Southern Postmasters' Provisionals of the American Civil War continued...

EXTREMELY FINE. ONLY EIGHT GOLIAD 5-CENT TYPE I PROVISIONAL STAMPS ARE KNOWN, INCLUDING ONE ON COVER IN THE BRITISH LIBRARY COLLECTION. THIS COVER-FRONT IS THE ONLY TYPE I "COVER" AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS AND THE FINEST OF THE SEVEN KNOWN STAMPS IN PRIVATE HANDS. ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL CONFEDERATE PROVISIONAL RARITIES.

The Confederate postmaster of Goliad was John (Jno.) A. Clarke, whose name was signed by hand on stamps of the first provisional issue and set in type as part of the setting for the second issue. Clarke also served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Paine Female Institute, which later became Goliad College. Clarke signed an oath of allegiance after the war on January 9, 1866 (an image of the document is available at www.fold3.com ).

August Dietz reported that the Goliad provisional stamps and the similar stamps of Helena, Texas, were printed at the offices of the Goliad Messenger. The editor of this newspaper was Reverend Alexander F. Cox (his middle initial was incorrectly stated as "M." by Dietz). The publisher was R. W. Peirce. The November 12, 1864, edition of the Goliad Messenger is available on-line at http://texashistory.unt.edu . Reverend Cox died on April 5, 1897, and his obituary appeared in the Weekly Picayune (April 9, 1897).

The Goliad provisionals were printed from typeset forms in denominations of 5c and 10c. The Type I setting, without Clarke's name, was used to print stamps issued prior to the Type II setting, probably in 1861 and 1862. The Type II setting was probably made in 1863.

Clement R. Johns was the Texas comptroller from 1859 to 1864. The June 21, 1862, date notation provides crucial evidence that the Goliad Type I setting (without postmaster's name) preceded the Type II setting. This cover-front is the only one of the three Type I uses with a Goliad postmark -- the other two are uncancelled and have no town marking -- and it is the only 5c Type I "cover" available to collectors. Equally significant is the stamp's standing as the finest known example of this provisional rarity.

Illustrated in the color plate of the H. R. Harmer Caspary Sale 3 catalogue and in Ter Braake's Texas: The Drama of Its Postal Past (p. 142).

Ex Ferrary (with his small purple trefoil handstamp at bottom right), Caspary, Lilly, Kilbourne and Gross. With 2010 P.F. certificate.

History of the Goliad provisionals: http://siegelauctions.com/enc/pdf/GoliadTX.pdf

Census of Goliad provisionals: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/29X1-29X9/29X1-29X9.pdf (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. THE EARLIEST DATED EXAMPLE OF A GOLIAD TYPE II PROVISIONAL AND ONE OF THE FINEST OF THE FOUR 10-CENT TYPE II GOLIAD COVERS AVAILABLE TO COLLECTORS.

The Confederate postmaster of Goliad was John (Jno.) A. Clarke, whose name was signed by hand on stamps of the first provisional issue and set in type as part of the setting for the second issue. Clarke also served as Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Paine Female Institute, which later became Goliad College. Clarke signed an oath of allegiance after the war on January 9, 1866 (an image of the document is available at www.fold3.com ).

August Dietz reported that the Goliad provisional stamps and the similar stamps of Helena, Texas, were printed at the offices of the Goliad Messenger. The editor of this newspaper was Reverend Alexander F. Cox (his middle initial was incorrectly stated as "M." by Dietz). The publisher was R. W. Peirce. The November 12, 1864, edition of the Goliad Messenger is available on-line at http://texashistory.unt.edu . Reverend Cox died on April 5, 1897, and his obituary appeared in the Weekly Picayune (April 9, 1897).

The Goliad provisionals were printed from typeset forms in denominations of 5c and 10c. The Type I setting, without Clarke's name, was used to print stamps issued prior to the Type II setting, probably in 1861 and 1862. The Type II setting was probably made in 1863.

Of the eight normal Goliad 10c Type II (29X7) stamps in our records, five are used on covers, including an uncancelled stamp on a cover in the Tapling collection at the British Library, which leaves four covers available to collectors. Only three of the four covers have stamps tied by the town datestamp or "Paid" straightline. In addition to the normal 10c Type II, there are two other covers with the Type II "GOILAD" spelling error. This cover with its original October 21, 1863, letter is the earliest recorded date for any Goliad Type II provisional. The Type I provisionals (without the postmaster's name) were probably issued in 1861 or 1862. The Type II setting with "J. A. Clarke" and "Post Master" added to each typeset stamp was probably put to press in 1863.

Ex Hessel and Hill. This cover was acquired by D.K. in our Sale 810 in 1999 for $67,500 hammer versus the then-current Scott value of $7,500.00. With 1998 P.F. certificate.

History of the Goliad provisionals: http://siegelauctions.com/enc/pdf/GoliadTX.pdf

Census of Goliad provisionals: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/29X1-29X9/29X1-29X9.pdf (Image)

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EXTREMELY FINE. BY FAR THE FINEST OF THE FOUR KNOWN GOLIAD POSTMASTER'S PROVISIONAL STAMPS PRINTED ON DARK BLUE PAPER. ONLY ONE 5-CENT AND THREE 10-CENT STAMPS ARE KNOWN ON THIS PAPER, AND ALL OF THE OTHERS HAVE FAULTS OR SERIOUS DEFECTS. THIS IS NOT ONLY ONE OF THE RAREST PROVISIONAL STAMPS ISSUED BY A SOUTHERN POSTMASTER, IT RANKS AMONG THE RAREST STAMPS IN ALL OF PHILATELY. OFFERED AT AUCTION FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS DISCOVERY IN 1930.

The use of Dark Blue surface-coated paper probably occurred after the printing on Gray paper. This piece and the 5c cover have February postmark dates, which we believe are 1865 year dates.

The only recorded examples of Goliad provisionals on Dark Blue paper are as follows: 1) Repaired 5c on a cover from which another stamp was removed, ex Ferrary, Hind, Graves, Gross, 2) 10c on piece with Feb. 15 datestamp offered here, discovered by Albert Steves in 1930 (Crown book, page 117), but never offered at auction until now, 3) Off-cover 10c stamp cancelled by pen "X", ex Worthington, Hind and Lilly, sold by Cherrystone in 2006 for $17,000 hammer plus 15%, 4) Off-cover 10c stamp cancelled by pen "X", last seen in a photograph taken by Steves before 1911.

The stamp offered here was acquired by D.K. in 1998 in a private purchase from Charles W. Deaton through the Siegel firm. Its condition is far superior to the condition of the other known examples, including the ex-Worthington-Hind-Lilly stamp, which realized nearly $20,000 in the Cherrystone 2006 auction.

Ex Steves. With 2000 P.F. certificate.

History of the Goliad provisionals: http://siegelauctions.com/enc/pdf/GoliadTX.pdf

Census of Goliad provisionals: http://www.siegelauctions.com/dynamic/census/29X1-29X9/29X1-29X9.pdf (Image)

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