Spink Shreves Civil War sale offers Groten collection of Union Patriotic Labels

Spink Shreves have announced a special auction commemorating the sesquicentennial of the attack on Fort Sumter that began the United States Civil War, plunging the nation into a murderous conflict that would last four years and claim over 600,000 American lives.

Collectors of stocks and bonds, obsolete banknotes, autographs, coins, and stamps will each find items in this sale that are rarely available.

For example, there is a set of Confederate war bonds that is as near complete as any offered at auction in living memory. A full 207 of a possible 227 Criswell varieties are represented, and 265 of 336 Ball varieties.

The sale also boasts the largest collection of Interim Depository Receipts for Confederate bonds in a single auction since Dr. Ball's collection was sold at the 1987 NASCA sale in Richmond.

One great highlight for stamp collectors is Lot 2, the Arthur Groten award winning exhibit collection Union Patriotic Labels of the Civil War, offered intact on the exhibit pages, comprised of 70 covers plus a few on unused envelopes and some in sheets.

Extremely rare... Groten Confederate covers

This collection contains 79 of the 101 known labels, six of the covers have the label tied by the cancel, which is very rare, another two are tied by the manuscript address, some are arranged by manufacturer, while others are presented by theme.

The collection includes the earliest documented usage of a Civil War label, a couple with contents including one describing the Battle of Second Manassas, three rare usages to the West Coast, one with a Blood's local, two franked with a 2c Black Jack which is seldom encountered, plus there are some unused sheets.

In total the collection is expected to fetch $10,000-15,000 in Spink Shreves' sale which takes place on April 12 in New York and online.