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first issues > countries > confederate states

Confederate States

September 1861

US entity 2  

Conf1
  Confederate States #1  

Imperforate, no watermark, lithographed.
Printed by Hoyer & Ludwig, Richmond, Virginia

Description Date issued Scott# SG# Mi# Y&T#  
5 cents green Sep 1861 1 1      
5c light green   1a 1a      
5c dark green   1b 1b      
5c olive green   1c 1c     SG1d bluish green
10c blue Oct 1861 2 2      
10c light blue   2a        
10c dark blue   2b        
10c indigo   2c        
10c greenish blue   2e        

Sc#2d is the 10c issue printed on both sides

In December 1860 a state convention in South Carolina repealed the 1788 Act ratifying the US constitution, effectively seceding from the Union and within eight weeks six other states, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas did the same. Delegates from the seven states met in February 1861 and formed the government of the Cofederate States with Jefferson Davis as president. Steps were immediately taken to establish postal services with John H Reagan of Texas appointed Postmaster General.
Before a general stamp issue could be organised, hostilities began and the Confederacy declared US stamps invalid, resulting in many local provisional issues, including handstamps, crude woodcuts and professionally produced stamps. "Many of the Confederate local issues are extremely rare, while several are beleived to be unique." (Adapted from Mackay [1]).

Scott [2] identifies six 1861 3c postmasters' provisionals designated nAXn from Hillsboro (N.C.), Jackson (Miss.), Madison Court House (Fla.), Nashville (Tenn.), Selma (Ala.) and Tuscumbia (Ala.) and dozens of subsequent provisionals designated nXn and nXUn.