Kapčiamiestis is a town in south Suvalkija, ca. 30 km west of Druskininkai. In World War One, after Russian armies were finally pushed out of East Prussia, Kapčiamiestis was taken by infantry of 77. Reserve-Division on February 18, 1915.
After the German withdrawal from Russia at the end of 1918, the southernmost parts of Lithuania were overseen militarily, in the first half of 1919, by several assemblies of German border guards, including Brigade Grodno. In the second half of 1919 and most of 1920, as a result of conflicting territorial claims by Lithuanians and Poles, the southernmost Suvalkija was a locus of various tensions, fire-fights and more serious battles. Eventually, three successive Lines of Demarcation were drawn, leaving Kapčiamiestis on the Lithuanian side.
In czarist times, Kapčiamiestis had a post office named Kopciovo. In May 1919, for a short time, a temporary Frw. Feldpost was set up as Kopciowo after the Germans vacated Gardinas (Grodno) and re-located its Feldpost in late April 1919.
A mandate as įgaliotinis to open a Lithuanian post office in Kapčiamiestis was issued to Antanas Labunaitis as from March 3, 1919. He was postmaster there in 1920, probably later as well.
Available evidence shows that Kapčiamiestis was supplied with values of Second Kaunas Issue, but is not clear if it had any Vilnius Issues or other Kaunas Issues. Later it was provided with Fourth Berlin Issue, the Sėjėjas Issue etc.
Not having a formal postmarker, cancelling was done by handwriting, indicating place and date.
So far, no other provisional markings are known. Later, a standard calendar-type postmarker was supplied.
Known provisional markings:
Cancelling in manuscript:
23 / V 19 cover to Kaunas via Seinai, Second Kaunas 30 [colln. Bubnys]
7 / VII 19 cut-out, Second Kaunas 10, 20 [colln. Doniela]