An 1861 Oakway, South Carolina 5c black postmaster's provisional is expected to bring $60,000 in Robert A Siegel's sale of the Brandon Collection.
The lot is due to cross the block on June 24 in New York.
 The 5c provisional was issued in Oakway, South Carolina during the mid 1800s |
Jobbery Saunders, the local postmaster, is listed as the sender. Due to the town's small size and population of around 200, the post office was not provided with a cancelling device - meaning all mail was hand marked.
There are few surviving examples of his personal stamp, consisting of a simple numeral five in a circle, and it's thought it was only used for a short time before standard postage was instituted.
According to Siegel, the former owner of the cover (Daniel T Gilbert) confirmed its history by "travelling to South Carolina in 1974 and meeting J. B. Sanders, the postmaster's grandson, who was 95 at the time.
"Sanders immediately recognized his grandfather's writing and remembered him saying that he made up his own stamps before supplies of regular stamps arrived."
Additional lots include an 1862 Greenville Alabama 10c red and blue on pinkish glazed, which carries an estimate of $47,500.
The issue is considered among the finest examples of confederate provisionals as it was printed in two colours.
They were issued by Judge Benjamin F Porter, who commanded a training camp during the civil war.
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