BE3

Standard Large Single Rim CDS -- CSA #11 (AD) Horz Strip of 4 (4-Margin Light Blue with a scissors cut between the 3rd and 4th stamps and a surface scuff on the 3rd stamp) tied by two full strikes of the Canton, Miss standard single rim CDS 19 JAN (1864).The stamps pay the 40c East-to-West Trans-Mississippi Express rate to Mrs. Martha H. Edwards, Lake Village, Chicott County, Arkansas. No routing notations. The original letter remains with the cover which confirms the 1864 use. The letter from a father to his daughter has war references “...we heard yesterday of another battle in Virginia...we have had quite a battle below Canton...the roar of cannon all over the country was terrific...” and more. A typed transcript of the letter is included. The letter was written in November 1863 but apparently could not be posted until January because at the time there was much fighting around Canton. This cover was a new Trans-Mississippi Express find in 2002 and is the subject of a Confederate Philatelist article (Bush-Jaronski) in the Jul-Aug 2002 issue which details the full research on the cover and the family. The cover is illustrated on Page 260 of The Collector's Guide to Confederate Philately Second Edition. The cover is made from a very coarse brown paper but is complete and clean and shows only some minor wrinkling.

SOLD $5,000.00