#176-CIVIL WAR SALE: HANDSOME REPRODUCTION OF 4-STAMP BLOCK FROM SANITARY FAIR

You have no doubt have already seen many of the Civil War stamps posted in this sale--Confederate and Sanitary Fair "Cinderellas". All Cinderellas are stamps that share one key similarity--they are not officialy issued government stamps that can be used for postage!

The Confederate Stamps, for example, are NOT Cinderellas as they are the real thing--usable for mailing during the war; the many different ones issued at Sanitary Fairs were all Cinderellas, as they carried a price, were gummed and had all of the characteristics of a "real" stamp--except that they could not be used for actual mailing. Sanitary Fair attendees were encouraged to purchase the stamps and to put them on their letters to promote the fairs incredible work for Union soldiers

This 4-stamp block, impeccably printed, perforated and carrying a price, are modern reprints of those issued at the Stamford Sanitary Fair during the Civil War; these were, as you can see, sold to collectors more than 55 years ago. I have NEVER seen a surviving block of the actual Stamford stamps from the Civil War, but single stamps do exist--they're just very hard to find and quite expensive if you do find them.

Please see the several other (all vintage) Sanitary Fair stamps in this sale. We will send these in a regular business envelope, protected by light sheets of cardboard. If you would like a heavier bit of packaging and tracking, let us know and we will bill you for that; otherwise, no charge for postage.