Large Group Of Unused Patriotic Civil War Postal Covers -

Various places, mostly Buffalo, NY, ca. 1861-1862. Most approximately 3 x 5-1/2 inches or 2-5/8 x 4-7/8 inches each. Loose as issued, housed in new album. Very good; generally minimal wear; some with light toning, foxing, or soiling; a few with very minor tears. Group of 183 unused patriotic Civil War postal covers, almost all with a small illustration to the front left side of the envelope and many with an accompanying slogan, with imagery including flags, Lady Liberty, animals, historical figures, caricatures, eagles, agriculture, military, flowers, as well as Satan in various disguises. Given various references and allusions, such as to Fort Sumter, and to border states such as Missouri, Maryland, and Kentucky, the covers were likely issued during the very early period of the Civil War, likely in an attempt to sway public opinion pro-Union during the Secession Crisis. Some of the captions include: "Good 'Noose' for Traitors," "The Devil - The First Secessionist," "Shoot the first Man that attempts to pull down the American Flag," "An ASS-ault from a 'Masked' Battery," and "Let Union be your watchword my brave Soldiers." At least two catalogs on the subject exist, see: William R. Weiss, The Catalog of Union Civil War Patriotic Covers (1995); George Walcott, The George Walcott Collection of Used Civil War Patriotic Covers. See also: Steven R. Boyd, Patriotic Envelopes of the Civil War (2010).