This is a "classic" American cover with two blue, ungrilled, 1 cent Benjamin Franklin postage stamps (= Scott Catalogue # 63) used in summer 1863. The envelope was postmarked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 11 July 1863 and addressed to Hector Orr, a well-known Philadelphia printer in the 1800s.
The 1 cent stamp was part of a set of 9 definitives issued from 1861 to 1866 and denominated 1 to 90 cents. The set replaced previous postage stamps that were declared invalid for postage at the onset of the American Civil War in the 1860s. This was done to prevent southern states from making money by selling older stamps.
The 1 cent blue Franklin was issued in August 1861. Varieties with grills (= a grid of tiny punctures in the paper) were produced and issued in later years. The original 1861 issue has no grills.
Loading contexts...