Sale 3039: The "ERIVAN" Collection of United and Confederate States Postal History Part IV

69X1, Rheatown, Tennessee, 5c Red, position "C," large margins all around, two pen strokes and tied by red "Rheatown Ten Feb 8" cds to embossed lady's Valentine cover, addressed to Elizabeth Devarett in Broylesville, Tenn, Extremely Fine and remarkably attractive, of the six recorded covers bearing the Rheatown 5c adhesive this is the only example with the stamp tied, the fact that the cover is ornately embossed only adds to its appeal, described in the Caspary sale as being "of unusual beauty and interest" and in our opinion one of the greatest of all Confederate covers, M. Hubert Judd pencil notation and "SG" (D. Scott Gallagher) signature on the reverse (Scott $37,500)rnrnThe provisional stamps of Rheatown and Tellico Plains, Tennessee were both produced by the same printer, with just the names of the postmaster and town replaced. While Tellico Plains produced two 5c stamps and a 10c stamp in the setting of three, Rheatown only had 5c stamps printed (three distinct positions). A letter from Postmaster D. Pence describing the creation of these stamps was first printed in the American Journal of Philately in August of 1870 and later reproduced in the Phillips Survey of Confederate Postmasters' Provisionals. In it he explains, "The inconvenience of country people sending money by servants and children to pay postage, and the remarkable scarcity of small change at that time, were the principal objects for procuring this stamp."rnProvenance: Alfred H. Caspary (H.R. Harmer Sale 991, 1956)rnD. Scott Gallagher (Christie's Robson Lowe, 1987)Confederate States Postmasters' Provisionals