This Confederate Stamp Primer Online is a basic guide for those who don't have access to classic philatelic literature on the subject or for those who do, but would like a quick online reference. You may view just the section in which you are interested or read it systematically from one page to the next. This primer deals only with stamps and not the vast area of postal history.
For an overview of postal history of the Confederacy, see The Rebel Post in the Articles section on this website. Of particular interest may be the section "Trouble Spots" at the bottom of this page, a guide to determining the difference between stamps of similar design, as well as tips and illustrations of commonly encountered counterfeits.
Index:
A Brief Overview
Dates of Secession and CSA Admission
Postmaster Provisionals
General Issues
The Printers
CSA 1 - 5¢ green, Jefferson Davis
CSA 2 - 10¢ blue, Thomas Jefferson
CSA 3 - 2¢ green, Andrew Jackson
CSA 4 - 5¢ blue, Jefferson Davis
CSA 5 - 10¢ rose, Thomas Jefferson
CSA 6 - 5¢ blue, Jefferson Davis - London
CSA 7 - 5¢ blue, Jefferson Davis - Richmond
CSA 8 - 2¢ red, Andrew Jackson
CSA 9 - 10¢ blue, Jefferson Davis -T-E-N
CSA 10 - 10¢ blue, Jefferson Davis - Frame Line
CSA 11 - 10¢ blue, Jefferson Davis - type I
CSA 12 - 10¢ blue, Jefferson Davis - type II
CSA 13 - 20¢ green, George Washington
CSA 14 - 1¢ orange, John C. Calhoun
This section covers some common problems for those new to collecting Confederates, such as identifying Scott CSA 11 from CSA 12, the London print (CSA 6) from the Local print (CSA 7), altered plate questions and more.
Also see the CSA Fakes link on this website for a large section of counterfeits, fakes, facsimiles, forgeries and reprints.
How to easily tell the difference between a CSA-11 and CSA-12
When is a TEN a NINE? Confederate look-a-likes and forgeries
Detecting forgeries of the Confederate Frame Line
Gum - a dilemma!
How to tell the difference between CSA-6 (London Print), CSA-7 (Richmond Print) and the New York counterfeit
SPERATI CONFEDERATE FORGERIES - by Patricia A. Kaufmann, as printed in The Philatelic Book of (even more) Secrets, Volume 2, 2015, by Professional Stamp Experts
