Confederate handstamp Paid 5 in circle on cover with Charleston, South Carolina, July 5, 1861, double circle date stamp, on an envelope addressed to Sumter, South Carolina.
The first Confederate stamps--lithographed, imperforate five-cent sheets printed by Hoyer & Ludwig--were not available until October 1861. During the months prior to that, southern postmasters improvised methods of handling the prepayment of postage. By creating provisional stamps or using handstamps, postmasters were able to continue mail service in absence of a government-issued postage stamp. This cover is one such example.
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