BE22

Milledgeville (Georgia) Straight Line -- CSA #7 Horz Pair (4-Margin with small left sheet margin) tied to full cover by the Milledegeville GA FEB 3(ms) PAID Straight Line cancel. Coarse brown paper cover addressed to Miss P. F. Sawyer Care of Col D. C. Barrow, Athens, Georgia. David C. Barrow Sr was a very wealthy Georgia planter and a trustee of the University of Georgia. His son, David C. Barrow Jr, would become chancellor of the university in 1906. The cover has a very legitimate period address. This is an iconic cover that has been known for decades. On the back of the cover is a note by VanDyk MacBride written in the 1930’s in which he clearly believes the cover to be genuine. August Dietz noted the cover in his June 1948 Confederate Bulletin and added it to his catalog in 1959. The cover remained listed in the 1986 New Dietz Catalog. Both these luminaries of CSA Philately (Dietz and MacBride) considered the cover to be genuine and the only example known. It is still the only example known. The reason for this explanation is that this straight line cancel receives no mention in the current new CSA Catalog as it has been delisted by the general editors. This from Conrad L. Bush -- As the associate editor for the straightline cancel section of the new CSA Catalog, I was disappointed to note that the editors, without the courtesy of informing me, added, changed, and deleted material from my original manuscript. These are the facts as I see them after over fifty years of study on this subject. The Milledgeville, Georgia Straight Line was deleted  as one of the editors has said that he does not believe this to be a genuine straight line cancel but offers no proof. I vied with a renowned collector of Georgia CSA Postal History at an auction to acquire this cover as both he and I believe it to be genuine. I am open to see proof that it is not (CLB). The fact that the cover has been delisted as a probable fake by the editors of the new catalog without any proof and with no explanation is unfortunate. We (CLB and JLK) as well as the great collectors of the recent past all believe it to be genuine in the absence of any proof to the contrary. While it is true that its absolute genuineness cannot be verified, neither can a fake status be absolutely verified. This question may not be resolved unless another example were to come to light. Since it has been removed from the catalog, a certificate cannot be obtained. The cover is offered “as is” with no guarantee. The cropped stamps and cancel are illustrated on Page 344 of the Collectors Guide to Confederate Philately Second Edition. If anyone is seriously interested in purchasing this iconic cover, he (or she) may contact either CLB or JLK directly.

Not Priced SOLD to a collector who sent it to the PF and obtained a GENUINE Certificate