A unique set of mid-19th century stamps celebrating Alexandria are up for bidding at a New York City auction house this week.
The Robert A Siegel Auction Galleries said in an email that, prior to the first federally issued postage stamps in 1847, local postmasters issued provisional postage stamps for use in their towns. Alexandria was one of 11 cities that issued its own postage between 1845 and the debut of federally issued postage in 1847.
According to the release from the auction house:
Alexandria’s postmaster, Daniel Bryan, issued his provisional stamps in 1846. Bryan was an esteemed statesman, lawyer, abolitionist, and poet. Bryan served as Virginia senator but was probably best known for his love of words. He authored a 5,600-line poem about Daniel Boone, with whom he claimed to have a distant family relationship. He was also known as a great orator who would often give speeches in verse. He served as postmaster of Alexandria from 1821 to 1853.
The auction house said, unlike other later stamps, the provisional stamps weren’t made to last, making it all the more impressive that some remain in good condition.
“Provisional stamps were never created to be collected,” said Scott Trepel, president of Siegel Auctions. “They were created to be used. That’s why this is such a remarkable stamp, because somehow this piece of Alexandria’s local history survived against all odds.”
One Alexandria Provisional stamp is estimated to sell for $300,000 to $400,000 at auction. The auction is scheduled for the Lotte New York Palace Hotel in Manhattan on Friday, June 14.
