The purpose of this site is to introduce the collector to the wonders of Confederate Philately by providing information on CSA stamps and covers, answering any questions from collectors and other dealers, and certainly to offer Confederate material for sale.

Just to give you a little information about myself, I am a full time dealer specializing in the stamps and postal history of the Confederate States of America. I have been a lifelong stamp collector since I bought my first pack of stamps at the local five and dime store back in the 1950's. I began collecting Confederates in 1982, and it has been my passion ever since.

I retired after 24 years of service in the US Air Force in the summer of 1991 (after my Desert Storm deployment I figured I was getting too old for that sort of thing and finally put in my retirement papers). I was a military surgeon and was fortunate enough to retire with the rank of Colonel. Since then, I have been pursuing a second career in philately. My mailing address is below.

• John L. Kimbrough
• 10140 Wandering Way
  
• Benbrook TX 76126
  
• Phone: (817) 249-2447 (9:00am - 10:00pm Central)
  
• FAX: (817) 249-5213 (anytime)
  

• E-Mail: JLKCSA@aol.com
  

Before you ask "Where's Benbrook?" ( I am asked that question a thousand times at each stamp show that I attend), it's a small residential community located just Southwest of Fort Worth, Texas. I am a member of the following philatelic organizations:

• APS (American Philatelic Society)
• ASDA (American Stamp Dealer's Association)
• CSA (Confederate Stamp Alliance)
• TSDA (Texas Stamp Dealer's Association)
• FSDA (Florida Stamp Dealer's Association)
• AAPE (American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors)
• USPCS (US Philatelic Classics Society)

In the July/August 2007 issue of The American Stamp Dealer & Collector, I was the subject of the philatelic profile article on Page 68. The photo used in this article was taken at my booth at the Washington 2006 International show in June 2006. If you wish to read the article, click the link below which opens in a new window. The article is posted on this website courtesy of the magazine's editor, Randy L. Neil. (Warning: this is a large 2 MB file in .pdf format which requires the Adobe Acrobat reader).

-- John L. Kimbrough MD - Philatelic Profile --

My partner in these philatelic endeavors is Conrad L. Bush of Fort Walton Beach, Florida -- a well-known and respected Confederate collector, exhibitor, and contributing writer to the Confederate Philatelist journal. Connie's book Straightline, Fancy & Unusual Cancels & Handstamps on Confederate General Issue Stamps was published in 1997. The book is a superb reference that should be in the library of every Confederate collector. For more information on the CSA Fancy and Unusual Cancels, please visit the Fancy Cancel page. Connie Bush can be contacted at the following address:

• Conrad L. Bush
• 39 Iowa Drive NE
• Fort Walton Beach FL 32548
• Phone: (850) 243-1638

• E-Mail: clbcsa@cox.net

Connie has his own personal web page. As a Philatelic Consultant, Connie can assist you in planning and building your Confederate Collection, performing appraisals for insurance and selling purposes and answering questions about authenticity, etc. He can certainly be a big help to both the advanced and beginning Confederate collectors.

-- Gen Conrad L. Bush CSA Philatelic Consultant --

In 1996, I wrote a pamphlet titled "Introduction to Confederate States Stamps and Postal History" to help collectors get started in the field. My thanks to John Hotchner for giving my little pamphlet an excellent review in the Philatelic Exhibitor magazine in early 1997. Since then, the pamphlet has been rewritten into an illustrated magazine article which appeared in the January 1999 issue of Scott's Stamp Monthly. Presented here is the full article with illustrations. This article is aimed specifically at the beginning CSA Collector, but even the most advanced collector may find it to be useful. Just click on the title to bring up the document and feel free to print it out (9-10 pages depending on your browser) for later use.

-- Introduction to Confederate Stamps and Postal History --

Ever since the above pamphlet was written and then expanded into the larger article, collectors have been asking for a full book size Introduction to Confederate Philately. We have listened to the collectors and are happy to announce that after 5 years of research and 1 year of actual writing our new book Collector's Guide to Confederate Philately was published in 2002.

The Collector's Guide to Confederate Philately Color Companion volume to the original Guidebook was published in 2003.

These two books were phenomenally successful and are now sold out and out-of-print. But they can still be obtained occasionally on the secondary market.

-- Collector's Guide to Confederate Philately --

Enlarged illustrations of the 14 major Confederate General Issue Stamps are presented below. Included are the images of the 1929 Dietz Die Proofs as well as images of the genuine stamps themselves for reference purposes only.

Included with the images are all the pertinent facts about each stamp. These "Stamp Facts" are courtesy of Conrad L. Bush. The "Stamp Facts" (#1, #2, #3, #11, #12, #14) were recently updated (10 DEC 2001) with regard to the largest known unused multiples using information contained in the Robert A. Siegel Auction Catalog for Sale #840 (The Hall Collection Confederate States). The large multiples that were part of this collection had not been seen in many years and in some cases were not known to exist until the collection was made available for sale.

Just click on the Scott Number to bring up the images with the "Stamp Facts" and use the back button to return to this page. These "Stamp Facts" can also be accessed within the "Introduction" article above. Please be advised that these scans (especially of the rare strips) are the property of myself and Conrad L. Bush and are not to be downloaded and used without our permission.

Here's the section where I am offering items for sale. After all, this is how I currently make my living. I must sell an item or two now and then to stay in business and to keep this website running. I hope when browsing the listings that you will find something for your collection.

This Confederate States Stamps and Postal History dealership is now strictly Internet. Printed listings of the stamps, covers, and currency are no longer offered by mail. The printed listings were simply too large (60-70 pages), too labor intensive, and too expensive to produce with too little return from first time mail buyers to justify continuing the practice. The vast majority of collectors are now well versed in using the Internet. The time has come to make the change to a totally Internet dealership. Please check the "Show Section" of this website to see which shows I will be attending as I usually attend all the Confederate Stamp Alliance Conventions and Meetings as well as a number of major shows throughout the year.

These on-line CSA Net Price Lists are updated frequently by removing the items as soon as they are no longer available. New material is posted to these listings on a continuous basis as it comes in and is prepared for sale. Next to the links below are the dates when new material was last added to that particular listing. In order to take advantage of newly listed material, it is recommended that this website be checked on a periodic and regular basis. One never knows what I may come up with as I am constantly on the lookout for good quality material. Newly listed material very often sells quite quickly after posting.

Before examining the Net Price Lists, please review the "Sales Policies and How to Order" section. All images of the stamps, covers, and currency are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape. The images should be sharp and clear. If they appear a bit fuzzy, particularly on AOL, check your Internet Browser settings and make sure that "Never Compress Graphics" is checked.

Images of ALL the covers, stamps, and currency items on these listings are available for immediate viewing. These images can be easily accessed within the documents.

-- Sales Policies and How to Order --

• I have available the secure transmission by E-mail of credit card information.
• Visa / Mastercard and America Express accepted.
• Payment can also be made through PAYPAL if so desired.
• Access to my secure order form can be gained from this "Sales Policies and How to Order" page or from any of the Net Price pages below.
• Any Questions? JLKCSA@aol.com

The CSA Postal History and CSA Stamp Databases are now fully searchable. If you are looking for a cover or a stamp related to a specific city or town, or perhaps a cover with your family name on the address, or perhaps a military address or endorsement related to a specific unit, then just enter your keyword(s) below. Click CSA SEARCH for a short tutorial and explanation (opens in new window) of how best to use the Search Engine with my databases. Those who actually read the short search tutorial and follow the guidelines will have much better success with their searches. The search will show results in the CSA Postal History, CSA Stamp, and CSA Currency databases. The USA Modern Mint Stamps on my secondary website are NOT included in this local search engine. Search results automatically appear in a New Window.

Find ANY word Find ALL words  Find EXACT phrase    Help

-- Net Price List Part 7 --

Covers Posted 4 AUG 2010

• Listing of Covers from the Barron CS Navy Correspondence.
• Bush Exhibit -- A grouping of both covers and off-cover stamps from the Conrad Bush Collection / Exhibit of CSA Fancy and Unusual Cancels on General Issue Stamps many of which were used as illustrations in his definitive 1997 book on the subject. All the covers listed in this section have been SOLD, but the listing remains posted for examination and reference purposes only.
• Teffs Collection of Independent State and USA Used in the CSA Postal History. All the covers from this collection have been SOLD. But since these covers are so significant, the collection remains posted for examination and reference purposes only.
• Listing of Covers from the Major D.H. Hamilton Jr 3rd NCV Correspondence.

CSA STAMPS

-- Items "SOLD" --

1 SEP 2010 .

• Items SOLD 1 JUL 2009 - 30 SEP 2009.
• Items SOLD 1 OCT 2009 - 31 DEC 2009.
• Items SOLD 1 JAN 2010 - 31 MAR 2010.
• Items SOLD 1 APR 2010 - 30 JUN 2010.

In response to numerous requests from CSA collectors both beginning and advanced, I have designed a set of preprinted Confederate Stamp Album Pages which I am offering for sale. There are three separate sets --

If you have any Confederate material to sell (individual items, multiple items, or an entire collection), please contact me with your asking price. I will pay a fair price for good quality material. The emphasis is on "good quality material." Significantly damaged material and "Spacefiller" type material is not desired. Please be advised that under no circumstances will a valuation or an offer be made on Confederate material sight unseen. An offer can only be made after the material has actually been examined in hand for authenticity and condition.
E-Mail: JLKCSA@aol.com

We are major buyers of Confederate States of America Stamps, Postal History, and Currency. To see our full page color advertisement which will be appearing in various publications, use the link below. (Warning: this is a large 3 MB file in .pdf format which requires the Adobe Acrobat reader).

-- BUYING CONFEDERATES --

I also have a secondary web site with its own separate domain strictly for the sale of mint modern USA stamps from the year 1929 through 2000 www.jlkstamps.com . Many collectors have told me that there is a need for such a site as it can be difficult to acquire odd individual USA stamps to fill holes in a modern collection. If you need to fill a few holes in your USA collection or would just like to visit my secondary USA site, please use the direct link below.

-- USA Modern Mint Stamps --

From time to time I also offer philatelic items (both Confederate and non-Confederate) for sale on E-Bay Auctions. Click below for a listing of my current E-Bay Auction Lots.

-- E-Bay Auction Lots --

Of late there has been much publicity both on the Internet and in Linn's Stamp News concerning various Internet Philatelic Auction Scams. I am asked frequently by collectors who do not understand these scams and have little or no experience with the Internet Auctions to explain some of these scams and also to give suggestions about how to protect oneself from these scams. Many collectors are understandably apprehensive about bidding in Internet Philatelic Auctions. I have therefore prepared a short page explaining some of these auction scams with suggestions about how to bid as safely as possible in such an environment. I hope this will be of some assistance.

-- Internet Auction Scams --

Below is my upcoming Show Schedule. My list of planned shows will be periodically updated as schedules are confirmed and more shows are added. If you are in the area, please stop and see me at my table and mention that you have visited my web site.

• Middle Tennessee (Nashville) Civil War Show 2010 -- Franklin Convention Center 4-5 DEC 2010
• Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition 2011 -- Sarasota, Fla 4-6 FEB 2011

The Confederate Stamp Alliance (CSA) is our national philatelic organization for all those who are sincerely interested in Confederate Philately. 27 JUL 2010 -- The Alliance now numbers 654 members across the USA and in quite a number of foreign countries as well. Some of the advantages to being a member are:

1. All members receive the quarterly journal (The Confederate Philatelist).
   -- 27 JUL 2010 --The current July - September 2010 issue (Diamond Anniversary Edition) contains the following articles:
   • "President's Prerogative" by Patricia A. Kaufmann.
   • "Captain L. D. Bradley - Redux" by Thomas Richards.
   • "Advertising Covers of Richmond, Virginia" by Larry Baum.
   • "Exhibitor's Forum" by Randy Neil.
   • "Discovery: Stories Revealed from Confederate Postal History" by D. Thomas Royster Jr.
   • "Unique Soldier's Due 2 Newspaper Wrapper" by James L. D. Monroe. (Click the title if you wish to read the article.)
   • "A Confederate States of America Rail Road Potpourri" by Harvey Teal.
   • News  of the Alliance.
   • "The Back Page" by Randy Neil, Editor.
   • Click Confederate Philatelist Archives if you wish to review and read previous articles that have been posted here.

2. Access to an Authentication Service for CSA stamps and covers. The authentication service is also available to non-members, but the fees are higher. For more information about the CSA Authentication Service. (opens in a new window) please visit the Service's separate website.

3. Annual Confederate Convention and Exhibition sponsored by the Confederate Stamp Alliance and held at various shows across the country. The next Confederate Stamp Alliance Convention is scheduled for the Westpex 2011 Show in Burlingame, Ca (San Francisco Bay Area) 29 APR - 1 MAY 2011. Details of the upcoming convention will be posted as they become available.  Convention Reports and Photos chronicle the CSA Conventions from 1999 to the present including a report and photos of the AUG 2010 Richmond, Va 75th Anniversary Convention. 

4. In addition to the annual Convention, the Alliance sponsors another weekend meeting for Confederate Philatelists at various locations throughout the country and usually midway between the annual conventions. The 2009 Mid-Year Gathering was held in Wilmington NC in March. Because of the major 75th Anniversary CSA Convention to be held at the APS StampShow in Richmond, Va in August 2010, a Mid-Year Meeting will not be held in 2010. The next Mid-Year Gathering in 2011 is planned for Savannah, Georgia in November 2011. Details on the upcoming Mid-Year meetings (updated 12/9/2009) as well as reports and photos of prior Gatherings can be found on the CSA Mid-Year Gathering page.

5. Confederate Stamp Alliance members receive an automatic 10% discount from my Confederate Stamps and Postal History Net Price Lists.

Confederate States Catalog and Handbook -- In October 2006, the Confederate Stamp Alliance announced acquisition of the rights to the New Dietz Confederate States Catalog and Handbook last published in 1986. The 21st Century edition of the Confederate States Catalog and Handbook is long overdue and will no doubt be in much demand by collectors, serious students and dealers. The new catalog will take advantage of all the marvelous changes in technology that have occurred in the past two decades including the strong likelihood of a full color catalog.  More information about the project can be found on the Confederate States Catalog and Handbook Website (opens in a new window). Update (8/21/2010) -- Publication of the new catalog has been delayed until some time in late 2011 or early 2012.

If you are an active CSA Collector, the Confederate Philatelist and the above described discount from my net-price lists are well worth the annual dues. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Confederate Stamp Alliance, just access the CSA Membership Application (opens in a new window) and print it out. The directions for filling out the form and mailing it are self-explanatory.

To learn more about the Confederate Stamp Alliance (CSA) and review the history and services of the Alliance as well as the latest official newsletter among other features, please visit the official Home Page of the CSA using the link below (opens in a new window). As of July 2004, the Confederate Stamp Alliance Website has been redesigned and placed under new managment. I am no longer involved with the design and updating of the Official Alliance Home Page which I first put online in 1999. Some elements and write-ups of my original Alliance Website were incorporated into the new site by the designers. Also, my original write-ups and photos from the prior conventions and gatherings can all be found on the new "Convention" and "Gathering" pages above which are now part of this website. These have also been incorporated with a different design into the new official Alliance website. (JLK)

The separate Confederate Stamp Alliance Unofficial Bulletin page operated by myself and Gen Conrad L. Bush CSA has been discontinued. But the CSA Unofficial Bulletin remains very active in the way of periodic E-mail announcements. Any CSA member who would like to receive the CSA Unofficial Bulletin by E-mail, please contact Gen Conrad L. Bush CSA (clbcsa@cox.net) to be placed on the Unofficial Bulletin E-Mail List. This is a must for the CSA Members who really want to keep up with current CSA activities and news as we strive to present the latest CSA news as soon as possible to the members on the E-Mail list. Access the CSA Unofficial Bulletin Archives if you wish to review prior notices beginning with the July 2004 Bulletin -- 22 MAY 2007.

Instead, I have posted the entire 48-Page "Stars and Bars" Exhibit here at my web site for the collectors to browse through at their leisure and enjoy. This simple CSA Patriotic Cover Collection and Exhibit took 15 years to form. The pages displayed have been reformatted to better display on the screen, but they contain exactly the same text, data, and composition as the original exhibit pages. I hope that you enjoy the exhibit as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

If you are a beginning collector, I strongly recommend that you buy Confederate Covers only from reputable dealers and auction houses that will stand behind what they sell. More expensive items should always be purchased subject to certification by one of the expertizing committees. I hope that you will enjoy the exhibit and will find it to be of some educational value.

Confederate Philately is plagued by the existence of numerous reprints, fakes, counterfeits, and outright bogus issues of the General Issue and Provisional Stamps. I have put together in this section a demonstration of the more commonly seen fakes and fantasies. Items currently illustrated and discussed in this section are:

This is your chance to talk to me and hopefully obtain answers to some of your questions. However, "How much is it worth?" type questions which seem at times to dominate certain philatelic bulletin boards and newsgroups are respectfully declined and will not be answered. It is not possible to give a proper valuation to a Confederate philatelic item without examining it in hand because so much of the value is determined by the condition. The public "Message Board" function that was once a feature of this website has been discontinued because of the incessant and uncontrollable spamming.

E-Mail me your question and I will do my best to answer it. E-Mail: JLKCSA@aol.com

Questions which are of value to the entire group will be posted in the "Questions and Answers" section below. Questions currently discussed in this section are:

1. CSA Perforated Stamps
2. Differences between CSA #6 and CSA #7 on De La Rue Paper
3. Condition of the CSA Stamps and Gum
4. Identifying CSA #11 and CSA #12 stamps and their printings
5. Differences between the CSA #2 Patterson and H&L stamps
6. Altered Plates 2c and 10c
7. Old Point Comfort, Va Covers
8. CSA #8 and CSA #13 used stamps and fake cancellations.
9. Advice for beginning a CSA Collection

-- QUESTIONS AND ANSWER --

-- CIVIL WAR PERCUSSION REVOLVERS --

I certainly hope that you have enjoyed your visit to my Confederate Philatelic website and will come back often for a visit. Before departing, please sign the Guestbook below. I am anxious for your feedback both positive and negative, so be sure and leave some comments. Your comments will help me to improve the site. Happy Collecting to all. John L. Kimbrough MD Colonel USAF MC (Ret) All photos, images, and text used throughout this web site are the personal property of John L. Kimbrough and are not to be downloaded and used for commercial reasons without permission. Text pages may be printed out and images downloaded for personal use only. Anyone who wishes to link to this website may do so by linking only to the Index Page. Direct links to any of the internal pages on this website without express permission are prohibited. Please sign the Guestbook below and leave your comments about the website. -- GUESTBOOK -- Copyright© 1997-2009 John L. Kimbrough All Rights Reserved E-Mail: jlkcsa@aol.com

• "The Stamp Collecting Guidesite at About.com is proud to award the About.com "Best of the Net" award to you and the CSA Stamps and Postal History web site. It was selected because yours is a terrific mix of quality content, demonstrating outstanding knowledge of the topic, and quality design based on the site's usability, dependability and creativity." The preceding quote is from Mike Mills, the Philatelic Internet Columnist ("The Glassine Surfer") for the American Philatelist. He has honored this website with a Philatelic "Best of the Net" award. Click on the logo below for a direct link to his stamp collecting website.
  

• This website was selected as "Stamp Site of the Week" for the week of 4 FEB 2001 by a world wide philatelic website evaluation team based in New Zealand. Click the logo below to visit their website.
  

• A review of this website appeared in the "Stamps on the Internet" column by William F. Sharpe in the April 5, 1999 issue of Linn's Stamp News. Click on the title if you wish to read the review article in its entirety.

• A second very favorable review of this website also appeared in the "Stamps on the Net" column by Kim Frankenhoff in the May 24, 1999 issue of Stamp Collector. Click on the title if you wish to read the review article in its entirety

Click the logo below to join the APS using their on-line application form. If you join the APS from this link, I would appreciate it if you would use my name as the referring dealer.

-- Philatelic Links --

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