Lot 3764
Confederacy, 1863, 20¢ green (13), horizontal pair, ample to enormous margins, deep shade and fine impression on bright paper, well tied by "Richmond Va. Jan. 15" (1864) c.d.s. on yellow Post Office Department envelope, pair placed over 2-line imprint to indicate private use, addressed to Austin Texas with manuscript endorsement "pr. Express Mail Via Brandon Miss." at lower left, part of right edge of cover expertly restored below pair and imprint, and clear of address and markings, fresh and Extremely Fine appearance. With the fall of Port Hudson La. on July 9, 1863, the last rail line across the Mississippi was cut. In anticipation of this disastrous situation, a special Trans-Mississippi mail service was authorized in May of that year, with a rate of forty cents per half ounce, which was activated in November 1863. The continued presence of the Union fleet virtually guaranteed erratic service and few surviving examples. This is no. E16 in Richard Krieger's listing of Trans-Mississippi Mail and quite possibly the finest example of this rate using a pair of the 20¢ Washington.
Estimate 5,000 - 7,500
Expertization: 1976 C.S.A. Certificate.
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| Realized $4,500 |
